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Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice provides the social control function for a democratic society.

The study of criminal justice is the application of the scientific method to the policies and practices of those government agencies charged with the enforcement of law, the adjudication of crime, and the correction of criminal behavior. The primary components of the criminal justice system are the police, courts and corrections. These agencies are studied to determine how they accomplish their mission and how their functions are influenced by crime control policy and the attitudes of society.

What career choices are available?

The interdisciplinary nature of the criminal justice degree program makes its graduates attractive to a wide range of public and private employers. Criminal justice majors are also prepared to enter graduate school and other advanced professional programs

What courses will I take?

The criminal justice program begins with the required core curriculum:

• CRJ 100 Intro to Criminal Justice
• CRJ 211 Criminal Law Procedures
• CRJ 241  Survey of Correction
• CRJ 309 Theories of Crime Crime Control
• CRJ 310 Research Methods

The core is designed to provide a system orientation and give initial exposure to the separate area of police, law, courts, and corrections. Students must also choose 21 credits of elective courses from the following list:

• CRJ 321  Criminal Investigation
  
• CRJ 326  Victimology: The Victim & the Law
  
• CRJ 336  Introduction to Forensic Science
  
• CRJ 345  Organization and Management of CRJ Agencies
  
• CRJ 348  Clinical Intervention & Treatment
  
• CRJ 351  Juvenile Justice
  
• CRJ 356  Organized Crime
  
• CRJ 365  White Collar Crime
  
• CRJ 370  Mock Trial
  
• CRJ 390/393 Selected Topics in Criminal Justice
  
• CRJ 396/397 Selected Topics in Criminal Justice
  
• CRJ 411  Terrorism
  
• CRJ 433  Evidence Law
  
• CRJ 456  Forensic Science: Evidence Analysis
  
• CRJ 461  Social Construction of Homicide
  
• CRJ 463  Comparative Criminal Justice
  
• CRJ 464  Popular Culture, Crime & Justice
  
• CRJ 466  Women & Criminal Justice
  
• CRJ 471  Internship in Criminal Justice I
  
• CRJ 472  Internship in Criminal Justice II
  
• CRJ 473  Internship III
  
• CRJ 474  Internship IV
• CRJ 481 Independent Study in Criminal Justice

All students are required to take the following Capstone Courses:

• CRJ 452 Race, Ethnicity & Crime
• CRJ 454 Policy, Professionalism & Ethics

Internships are available at the local, state and federal level. Internships are an important learning experience because they provide practical experience, career networking, enhance the learning process, and increase the student’s ability to quickly enter the job market. Some interns are hired by the internship sponsor after the internship is completed. These field experiences can be taken in any semester for 3 to 12 credits with permission from the Chair. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in an internship.

Career choices for Criminal Justice graduates:

• Adult Parole or Probation Officer
• Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms Agent
• Border Patrol Agent
• Campus Security Director
• Case Manager
• Community Relations Officer
• Correctional Activities Director, Administrator, Counselor, Officer
• Court Administrator Deputy
• Customs Agent
• Diversion Services Officer
• Domestic Violence Counselor
• Drug Enforcement Agency Agent
• Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent
• Federal Probation Officer
• Game Law Enforcer
• Homeland Security
• Immigration/Naturalization Srvcs. Agent
• Insurance Investigator
• Internal Revenue Service Agent
• Juvenile Aftercare Service Counselor
• Juvenile/Adult Counselor or Probation Officer
• Loss Prevention Investigator Mgr.
• Park Ranger
• Police Officer
• Public Safety Officer
• Secret Service Agent
• Sheriff’s Deputy
• State Criminal Investigator
• State Police Officer
• Treasury Agent
• U.S. Marshal
• Victim Assistance Counselor
• Youth Case Worker

Who will be teaching me?

Robert M. Freeman, Ph.D., chair, University of Maryland. Adult corrections, management and organization, emergency management, and public policy. Research interests: correctional management issues. Over 19 years of service with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Author of: Strategic Planning for Correctional Emergencies; Correctional Organization and Management: Public Policy Challenges, Behavior and Structure; and Popular Culture and Corrections.

Thomas L. Austin, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Investigation, security and crime prevention; research evaluation and quantitative methods. Research interests: role of education and training on attitude and performance.

Todd E . Bricker, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Police policy and practice; criminal investigation, field research methods; police management and organizational change issues. Research interests: police behavior, public perceptions of police, police ethics, evaluation research. Former Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officer and Tri-County Narcotics Detective. Eight years of field experience.

Donna C. Hale, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Leadership and supervision, women’s studies, and popular culture, crime and justice. Research interests: women in criminal justice issues and training of police. Editor, Women Criminal Justice. Past President of Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). 1999 recipient of the ACJS Founder’s Award. Co-editor of Popular Culture, Crime, and Justice.

James L. Jengeleski, Ed.D., Temple University. Corrections and juvenile justice. Research and teaching interests: Corrections, juvenile justice, community-based corrections; comparative criminal justice systems, drugs, alcohol and crime, gangs, organized crime and program review and education.

Stephanie A. Jirard, J.D., Boston College. A former U.S. Navy JAG Corps Officer, Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Assistant Federal Public Defender, and Missouri State Public Defender. Research interests: The Constitution and capital punishment, mental illness, and the law and criminal evidence.

John H. Lemmon, Ph.D., University of Maryland. Juvenile delinquency, child maltreatment, and family life. Research interests: causes and correlates of deviancy, clinical and casework practice, community organization. Former Consultant: Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission.

E. Britt Patterson, Ph.D., University of Maryland. Juvenile justice; research and quantitative methods; race, gender and crime; and criminology and delinquency theories. Research interests: crime causation, racial impact on crime, criminal justice system’s response to crime. Co-editor of Race and Criminal Justice and Justice with Prejudice.

Laura Patterson, Ph.D., University of Maryland at College Park. Juvenile delinquency and justice; victimology, white collar crime, theories of crime and deviance, community and institutional corrections, and quantitative research method.

Melissa L. Ricketts, Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Victimology, Criminological theory testing, and advanced quantitave methods. Research Interests: Fear of crime, school violence, cybercrime, and prescription drug abuse.