ADJ 100 - Survey of Criminal Justice (3 CR.)

Presents an overview of the United States criminal justice system; introduces the major system components: law enforcement, judiciary, and corrections. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with an overview of the coordination and interdependency of the major elements in the criminal justice system including the police, courts, and corrections. Provides insights into career opportunities available in the field of criminal justice. Reviews current trends and critical topics in criminal justice.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

Explain the basic organization of each of the major elements of the criminal justice system.
Describe the challenges of law enforcement, judiciary divisions, and the correctional system in today’s environment.
Examine a variety of career opportunities available in the field of criminal justice.

Major Topics to be Included

History of law enforcement, the judiciary system, and correctional system.
Organizational components of police agencies, court systems, and correctional systems.
Examine pre-trial and post-trial legal processes and trial.
Examine current trends in the American criminal justice system.
Examine current and future critical issues within the criminal justice system.
Discuss the interdependency between law enforcement agencies, courts, and corrections.
Explain the basic process of entering the criminal justice system.
Define crimes and causation of crimes.
Discuss career opportunities in the criminal justice system.

Extra Topics (optional)

The course may include related topics at the discretion of the instructor.

Revised 11/2021

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) available for this course. More information at https://www.nvcc.edu/admissions/cpl.html.