Degrees

CRIMINAL JUSTICE CONCENTRATION
Associate in Science Degree

Counseling Career Plan

• Objectives
• Degree Information
• Recommended Course of Study
• Course Descriptions
• Police or Security Career Plan

Objectives:

Students in the Criminal Justice Counseling Concentration will:

1. Acquire a basic understanding of the current legal, social and ethical issues in the criminal justice system.
2. Identify the powers and responsibilities of members of the criminal justice system, including the police officer, the court officers, the correctional officer and the related counselor and other supervisory personnel.
3. Be exposed to active professionals in the criminal justice field and service facilities such as prisons and technology centers.
4. Gain a strong background in the historical and constitutional framework of law enforcement, with an emphasis on social service agencies’ evolving role in the administration of justice.
5. Develop a working knowledge of careers and their related requirements and demands within the various social service agencies affiliated with the criminal justice system.
6. Build a foundation of knowledge in the social sciences that will facilitate understanding of and successful intervention with youths and adults involved in criminal activity.
7. Refine communications, critical thinking, and mathematics skills as they are applied by criminal justice professionals in everyday practice.

Degree Information

This curriculum provides a variety of courses and career paths for students planning to work professionally in some capacity within the criminal justice system. Students may follow one of two broad tracks.

Students interested in becoming counselors or probation officers within the criminal justice system should follow the "Counseling" career plan. Required courses in this layout place more emphasis on the social and behavioral sciences to give students a firm theoretical foundation for successful personal and social interventions in individual cases.

Recommended Course of Study

* Developmental courses may be required as prerequisites

**Courses listed in blue are described below. Other course descriptions are listed with Core Requirements

Course Descriptions

CJS 105 (Formerly CJ 101) - Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

This is a survey of the formal institutions of social control, including the body of the criminal law, the police, the courts and various forms of correction and rehabilitation (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 110 (Formerly CJ 102) - The Correctional Community

This course will offer the student an overview of the correctional system, past and present, to include the history of corrections in Pennsylvania, theories of punishment, inmate control and treatment, correctional classification, pre-release programs and community-based correctional programs. Also included will be alternatives to incarceration, including probation and parole, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and mental health care (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 120 (Formerly CJ 111 - Pennsylvania Criminal Law

This course includes a study of the laws, both criminal and civil, that law enforcement officials deal with on a daily basis. This includes mens rea and other requirements needed for the commission of a criminal act (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 125 (Formerly CJ 112) - Introduction to Search and Seizure and Rules of Criminal Procedure

This course is designed to introduce the student to basic individual rights under the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions and to show how certain of these rights come into conflict with the maintenance of public order and the enforcement of the criminal laws of the United States and of Pennsylvania, along with those of other states. The course gives an overview of the criminal court system, the arena in which this conflict is resolved and in which much of the law of criminal procedure is formulated. Then, after presenting the underlying concepts of the exclusionary rule, privacy, probable cause and reasonableness, the body of the course deals with the rights guaranteed by the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution, along with the corresponding Amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution, and how those rights affect the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime. The main focus is on the law of arrest, search and seizure, confessions and pretrial identifications (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 130 (Formerly CJ 107) - Juvenile Delinquency

This course surveys the major theories concerning juvenile delinquency and relates the material covered to the treatment of delinquency. The course also studies juveniles with multiple problems and explores what types of preventative programs can be implemented in the future (3 Credits).

CJS 205 (Formerly CJ 204) - Police Operations

This course examines the problems of police organization and management, the allocation of police resources, information systems, community relations concerns and determinants of police policy (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 210 (Formerly CJ 206) - Community Relations in Criminal Justice

This course concentrates on problems in citizen relations, including treatment of victims, witnesses and jurors; citizen involvement in the legal process; and community resources related to criminal justice (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 212 (Formerly CJ 207) - The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code and Accident Investigation

CJS 212 gives the student an understanding of the vehicle code and its laws and interpretations. Also included in this course is a general look at accident investigation and factors contributing to the causes of accidents (3 Credits). Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 215 (Formerly CJ 210) - Preliminary Law Enforcement and Criminal Investigation

This course first discusses the social and historical evaluations of police roles in society and continues with a look at the techniques and methods of actual criminal investigations of modern cases and crimes. Students will be able to develop an insight into current criminal investigations and the use of new technologies in crime solving. In addition, the course will present a historical review of criminal investigations in this country (3 Credits).  Click here to view course objectives.

CJS 225 (Formerly CJ 222) - Firearms and Police Combat Situations

In this course, the student will examine the current state and federal laws concerning the ownership and use of firearms. Legal issues such as use of force by law enforcement personnel and by private citizens, “The Brady Bill,” and other federal legislation will be presented and reviewed. The mechanics of firearms, including the proper nomenclature, will be presented and “hands-on” examinations offered. The student will be provided with the basics of marksmanship and the fundamentals of safe weapon handling. This course will also offer the student an introduction to on-range firearm training in a structured environment. Scenario training and decision-making techniques will also be discussed (3 Credits).   Click here to view course objectives.