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Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology
College of Liberal Arts


 

At Jackson State University, our Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology is dedicated to fostering a deep understanding of the intricacies of society, crime, and justice. OUr mission is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities needed to excel in these dynamic fields.

Undergraduate Criminal Justice Courses

CJ 100 (3) Introduction to Criminal Justice. The student of the major components or sub-systems of criminal justice systems in America. Special consideration will be devoted to analyzing Law Enforcement, Law Adjudication and Correction from a functional as well as an administrative perspectives. (F, S, Sum)

CJ 200 (3) Introduction to Law Enforcement. Prerequisite: CJ 100. Principles of organization and administration in law enforcement; functions and activities; planning and research; community relations; personnel and training; inspection and control; policy formulation. (S)

CJ 210 (3) Introduction to Correctional Services. Principles of formal control devices, with emphasis on legal systems, philosophical background of criminal justice systems and Anglo-Afro experience. Introduction to criminal jurisprudence and a descriptive overview of present criminal justice components. (F)

CJ 212 (3) Criminal Law. Prerequisite: CJ 210 or consent of instructor. Examination of precedent setting cases of procedural criminal law in the United States and their application to American governance in producing a formal social control mechanism. Cases which develop the rights of the individual in a changing legal order. (S)

CJ 220 (3) Corrections and Rehabilitation. Prerequisite: CJ 210. This course provides an overview of the rights of the convicted in the United States. Topics covered include: Conviction, adjudication and their consequences, attacks upon validity of a conviction-past conviction, legal rights of probationers, prisoners, and parolees-an overview; and state and federal remedies for enforcement of prisoners’ rights. (F)

CJ 304 (3) Juvenile Justice. Prerequisite: CJ 100. An overview of the Juvenile Justice System in the United States and a case law approach to the topics of jurisdiction, adjudication, arrest search and seizure, preliminary procedures, initiation of proceedings, and the judicial process. (F)

CJ 310 (3) Women in the Criminal Justice System. Prerequisite: CJ 100. A critical analysis of women and crime. Includes theories about crime causation, the women’s liberation movement and crime and women in prison. (D)

CJ 326 (3) Issues and Procedures of Criminal Justice Research. Prerequisite: CJ 100. Acquaints the student with the procedures and techniques employed in criminal justice research. Emphasis is on the scientific processes of social research, problem development, the role of theory in research, research design, sampling, data collection, statistical analysis, table construction and interpretation. (F, S, D)

CJ 328 (3) Offender’s Rights. Prerequisite: CJ 100. Legal problems from conviction to release; presentence investigations, sentencing, probation and parole; incarceration, loss and restoration of civil rights. (Emphasis on practical SOC 102 legal problems confronting the probation and parole officer and the correctional administrator.) (D)

CJ 330 (3) Community Corrections. Prerequisite: CJ 100. Techniques and procedures utilized in the supervision of adult and juvenile probationers and parolees. Preparation of social history, pre-hearing; and pre-sentence investigation reports. Emphasis on practical problems confronting the probation and parole officer. (D)

CJ/SOC 333 (3) Criminology. Prerequisites: CJ 100 or SOC 214. Theories of the genesis of criminal behavior in terms of the person and the group; theories of crime and punishment. (F)

CJ 399 (3) Introduction to Corporate Security. Prerequisite:CJ 100. This is a special workshop which informs students, practitioners, and citizens of the historical developments of security and the role of technology in recent developments. Focuses on loss prevention, risk management and safety for personnel in security. (D)

CJ 440 (3) Comparative Study of Criminal Systems. Prerequisite: Prerequisite: CJ 100 and seven hours of senior standing. Comparison of American Criminal Justice System with that of other federated nations. (S)

CJ 443 (3) Foundation of Criminal Investigation.Prerequisites: Prerequisite: CJ 100, six hours of senior standing. Physical evidence, people, and documents; their pertinence to criminal investigation. Ethical problems; impact of legal systems on investigative process; elements of effective testimony. Lectures and case materials. (F)

CJ 445 (3) Introduction to Criminalistics. Prerequisites: Prerequisite: CJ 100 and six hours of senior standing. Role of criminalistics as a forensic science. Investigative and probative values of clue materials such as fingerprints, blood, firearms, shoe impressions, tool imprints, and glass. Advantages and limitations of instrumental analysis; nature of expert testimony. (S)

CJ 447 (3) Financial Investigations. Prerequisites: CJ 100, ACC 314 and CJ 443. Methods of tracing funds, recordkeeping, interviewing for detecting and resolving crimes, theoretical principles and applications of techniques. (D)

CJ 460 (3) Law Enforcement and Societal Responses. Prerequisite: CJ 100 and seven hours senior standing. Consideration of realistic approaches to selected law enforcement problems. Emphasis on establishment of beneficial relationship between law enforcement agencies and subculture group. (F)

CJ 464 (3) Seminar in Court Procedures and Family Law. Prerequisite: CJ 100. Philosophy and procedures of the juvenile court, dependency and delinquency; evaluations of juvenile court practices. Family law. (F)

CJ 470 (3) Directed Study in Criminal Justice. Designed for academic flexibility. Take the semester prior to graduation. (D)

CJ 471 (3) Correctional Counseling. Prerequisite: CJ 100. Counseling psychology with emphasis on principles and procedures; the theoretical foundations of counseling; casework techniques; therapeutic techniques and processes. (S)

CJ 482 (3) Field Work. Prerequisite: CJ 100, junior/senior standing with a minimum 3.00 GPA or permission of the internship coordinator. In-service students will have to do a minimum of eighteen weeks (one semester). Non-inservice students will be placed in agencies dealing with some aspects of Law Enforcement and Corrections to fulfill the three-hour requirement. (D)

CJ 483 (3) Seminar. Prerequisite: CJ 100. This course will examine contemporary issues in crime and criminal justice. Topics will vary each semester and the course may be repeated for up to nine hours of credit. (F, D)

 

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For more information, please contact us at 601-979-2031.  We look forward to meeting with you and seeing how our program can help you achieve your goals.

DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND SOCIOLOGY

Location

Dollye E. Robinson Building
Jackson State University
1400 John R. Lynch Street
Jackson, MS 39217

Contact

Phone: 601-979-2031