Discipline: Administration of Justice Degree Credit  [X]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Administration of Justice 1


COURSE DESCRIPTION
1 Introduction Administration of Justice Units: 3.00
 
Prerequisite: None.
 
The history and philosophy of administration of justice in America; recapitulation of the system; identifying the various subsystems, role expectations, and their interrelationships; theories of crime, punishment, and rehabilitation; ethics, education, and training for professionalism in the system. 54 hours lecture.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
This is a survey course in the history and philosophy of administration of Justice in America.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

Identify and discuss the components of the criminal justice system.

Identify the constitutional officers of the State of California and
local criminal justice agencies.

Define, review and analyze crime as discussed in our primary text
and as demonstrated in an analysis of crime statistics in the
Federal Bureau of Investigation repository as to safe and unsafe
Southern California Cities.

Analyze the California law enforcement code of ethics pertaining to
law enforcement officer fitness for duty in the 21st century.

Define basic criminal justice system legal definitions and concept.
      

Compare and contrast the operational and programmatic aspects
of the District Attorney's offices in the County of Riverside, County
of San Bernardino and the State of California Attorney General's
office.

Identify and discuss the constitutional limits of the criminal justice
system.

Define the role of the Police, the Prosecutor (City Attorney, District
Attorney, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney General), the Courts, and
Corrections; local, state and federal.

Read and critically analyze a grand jury report.

Research, and outline for presentation a report on the state of
Corrections in California prisons.

Research and write a report, for presentation, on the theory,
practice and application of Capital punishment in the States of
California and Texas.

Write an essay on the future of the Criminal Justice System by
the year 2020.
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 
  1. Extensive review of the U.S. Constitution; preamble, articles 1 – 3, and amendments 1-10 and 14; and individual citizen
    constitutional rights issues.  
  2. Analysis of crime statistics; the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
    Clery Act crime statistics; U.S. Department of Education, and
    Megan’s Law, State of California Department of Justice.  
  3. Analysis and evaluation of the California law enforcement code of ethics.
  4. Review, analysis and evaluation of the websites of the Riverside
    County District Attorney’s office, San Bernardino County District
    Attorney’s office, the State of California Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
  5. Review, analysis and evaluation of a grand jury report from the
    Riverside County grand jury.  
  6. Review, analysis and evaluation of the current state of the State of California prison system.  
  7. Review, analysis and evaluation of the current state of capital
    punishment in general, and the states of California and Texas,
    specifically.
  8. Prepare a student’s futuristic view on the California criminal justice system.
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Develop and assign web based activities such as review of the U.S. Constitution, crime statistic analysis, code of ethics review, program website review and analysis, criminal justice system practices evaluation in order to make the student aware of current practices and what they should do to insure fairness and impartiality in system practitioner usage. These instructional methods are developed as web quests, web site reviews, internet presentations, on line paper submissions and the viewing of specific on line presentations.
  • Everything in this class is developed around web based activities.
  • In the traditional lecture method, there will be use of overhead transparencies, white board, handouts, videos, and student participation.
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Chapter quizzes; course knowledge and comprehension
  • On line paper presentations; essays, review, analytical and evaluative exercises to assess student responses to specific outlined questions – i.e.  the current relevance of the California law enforcement code of ethics which was developed and implemented in 1956.
  • In class exercises; pro/con analysis of current practitioner practices; the application of Tennessee v Garner to current practices of Use of Force by law enforcement officers.
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • Larry K. Gaines, Roger LeRoy Miller. Criminal Justice in Action: The Core. 3rd edition ed. Thomson, Wadsworth, 2006.
  • Robert M. Bohm, Keith N. Haley. Introduction to Criminal Justice . 4th edition ed. McGraw Hill, 2007.
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