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Department of Criminal Justice

Chair to be named

Vera Dugas, Liberal Arts North 410
(936) 468-4408
Fax: (936) 468-7215
crimj@sfasu.edu
www.sfasu.edu/aas/criminalj

Faculty

Professor
James O. Standley

Associate Professor
John S. Boyd

Assistant Professor
Karren S. Price

Instructor
George R. Franks Jr.

Areas of Study & Degrees
B.A. Criminal Justice

Objectives

The Department of Criminal Justice is designed to prepare the student to become a practitioner in the field of justice administration which includes, but is not limited to, law enforcement, corrections (probation, prison and parole), legal assisting, court administration, private security and juvenile justice.

The departmental goal is to provide both pre-service and in-service students with an expanded knowledge of the institutions and processes of the criminal justice system. It seeks to provide the analytical tools and techniques necessary for deeper insight into those institutions and processes, including the problems of administration and of securing organizational change.

Professional Organizations

Students who are academically qualified may join Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society.

Each curricular pattern or sequence within the department has one or more professional organizations in which students in that area of study are eligible for membership and participation.

SFA is an institutional member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Association for Paralegal Education.

Definition of the Major & Minor

A major in criminal justice prepares the student for one of several professional options in the field of justice administration. The Law Enforcement sequence makes possible a career in public law enforcement (federal, state or community) as well as private and industrial security. The Corrections emphasis prepares the criminal justice major to become a practitioner in institutional corrections, community-based correctional settings or juvenile justice administration. Legal Assistant enables the student to prepare for occupations in ancillary aspects of the legal profession such as legal assistant, paralegal research and court administration.

The criminal justice major requires 33 to 34 semester hours of course work to include a minimum of 27 advanced (300-400) hours. All majors are advised that they should consider selected courses depending upon specific career interests in the field of justice administration.

Law Enforcement

Corrections

Legal Assistant

Note -- Students are encouraged to select electives from the following to meet the Criminal Justice Electives requirement in the Legal Assistant sequence: BLW 335 (Business Law), BLW 366 (Real Estate Law), BLW 448 (Estate Planning) or BLW 456 (Employment and Agency Law).

In addition, there are several required collateral courses for all curricular sequences: ACC 231, Principles of Financial Accounting; PSC 403, American Constitutional Law: Individual and His Rights; CSC 340, Application Software for Micro Computers, or GBU 310, Word Processing; MTH 220, Introduction to Probability and Statistics or SOC 379, Data Analysis or PSY 330, Psychological Statistics; SOC 378; Methods in Social Research; and ENG 382, Reasoning and Writing.

Second Major in Criminal Justice

A second major in criminal justice requires 24 semester hours, including CJS101 and the following:

  1. Three hours from CJS 201, 213 or 231
  2. Three hours from CJS 303 or 305
  3. Fifteen hours from CJS 301, 307, 310, 311, 312, 410, 411, 413 or 414

(A student may substitute six hours in place of two specified courses).

Criminal Justice Minor

The minor in criminal justice requires 18 semester hours, including CJS101, and the following:

  1. Three hours from CJS 201, 213 or 231
  2. Three hours from CJS 303 or 305, 310
  3. Nine hours from CJS 301, 307, 311, 312, 410, 411, 413

(A student may substitute three hours in the place of one specified course).

Courses in Criminal Justice (CJS)

Unless otherwise indicated, courses are three semester hours credit, three hours lecture per week.

101.   

Introduction to Criminal Justice (CRlJ 1301) - History, development, and philosophy of law enforcement; introduction to criminal justice agencies. Required for all criminal justice majors and minors.

201.

Criminal Investigation (CRlJ 2314) - Introduction to the fundamentals of criminal investigation, including collection and preservation of evidence.

213.

Civil Procedure - Introduction to the rules of procedure governing the process of civil litigation with emphasis on those portions that normally involve the legal assistant in trial preparation, discovery and drafting of pleadings.

214.

Legal Ethics - One semester hour, one hour lecture. Review of the required standards of ethical conduct required by the legal profession for legal assistants.

231.

Introduction to Corrections (CRIJ 2313) - Comprehensive survey of measures used, with and without confinement, under provisions of penal law.

301.

Law Enforcement - Policing as a social activity; police institutions and processes examined from historical and contemporary perspectives.

303.

Criminal Law - Analysis of the substantive law of crime and defenses.

305.

Criminal Procedure - Examination of the rules of procedure governing due process issues in the enforcement of the criminal law.

307.

Criminal Justice Practitioner and Stress - Inform future criminal justice practitioners about the phenomenon known as stress and specifically the stressors involved in all facets of the criminal justice profession.

308.

Agency Response to Terrorism - Assessment of terrorist threats to both government and residents of the United States from both foreign and domestic sources.

309.

Management of Critical Incidents - Survey of methods for effectively managing critical incidents in criminal justice agencies, including hostage and barricaded incidents, as well as emotionally disturbed suspects. Emphasis on negotiations as the best means for resolving conflicts and saving the lives of those involved.

310.

Administration of Criminal Justice Agencies - Examination of management of criminal justice agencies to include the role, scope and functions of supervisors and the role of risk management.

311.

Evidence - Techniques, rules and methods applied to the acquisition, admissibility and use of evidence.

312.

Correctional Procedural Law - Examination of the legal procedures applicable to the administration of correctional institutions and community-based supervision of convicted offenders.

313.

Corporate Security Law - Survey of the law governing the private sector processes of protecting lives and property in the business environment.

314.

Corporate Security and Assets Protection - Analysis of protective measures utilized by industrial, commercial and community organizations.

332.

Community Based Corrections - Analysis of methods utilized in probation and parole. Examines alternative methods, such as halfway houses.

350.

Comparative Criminal Justice Systems - Comparison of the United States criminal justice system with that of selected other countries, beginning with a review of the foundations of the criminal justice system and extending to the various components of these systems.

351.

Criminal Deviance - Examination of the economic, social and spatial aspects of selected criminal offenses: Prerequisite: SOC354. Suggested background: SOC353 and PSY385.

371.

Survey of Forensic Science - Introductory survey of forensic sciences; fingerprints, firearms, tool marks, documents, hairs, fibers, glass, soil and biological materials, such as blood and semen; crime scene procedures and methods of laboratory analysis.

401.

Readings in Criminal Justice - Advanced readings in the theories, philosophies and practices in criminal justice. Requires extensive review of writings with emphasis on major development in the practice of criminal justice. Prerequisite: Junior standing. May be repeated once with a change of topic.

411.

Juvenile Justice Administration - Legal and philosophical foundations of the juvenile justice system with respect to recent legislative and judicial mandates and social science research. Suggested background: SOC353.

413.

Legal Research - Legal research and terminology, including research methodology, law library familiarization and development of research skills through the use of law digests, encyclopedias, reporters, statutes and other library materials; writing case briefs and law memorandums. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

414.

Appeals and Briefs - Development of advanced legal writing skills through preparation of appellate briefs. Prerequisites: CJS305 and CJS413.

420.

Criminal Justice Planning - Introduction to planning and evaluation techniques. Examines the design of experimental programs in the field of criminal justice. Prerequisite: Junior standing. Suggested background: CJS410.

431.

Penology – Examination of the theories of punishment. Economic impact of these punishment models compared within the context of the operation and function of confinement institutions. Prerequisites: CJS312 and CJS332.

440.

Economic Crime Investigations - Examination of the crimes related to and committed by individuals as part of their occupational conduct. An expansion and exploration of traditional “white collar” crime concept.

450.

Problems in Criminal Justice - Analysis of particular issues posing major difficulties to the police, courts and correctional agencies. May be repeated once with a change of problem examined. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

460.

Internship in Criminal Justice - Supervised work experience with an approved justice agency. Graded on a P/F basis. Prerequisites: Criminal justice major or minor with junior standing, both overall and criminal justice GPA of 2.5 or better, completion of 18 semester hours of criminal justice course work and consent of the instructor. Incidental fee required - $50.

475.

Independent Study - Directed independent study, including in-depth research, reading and writing in the field of criminal justice. Prerequisites: Criminal justice major or minor with junior standing, both overall and criminal justice GPA of 2.5 or better, completion of 18 semester hours of criminal justice course work and consent of the instructor and department chair. May only be repeated once.

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