Academic Catalog

ADJ - Administration of Justice

ADJ 101  Introduction to Criminal Justice  

A study of the agencies, processes and people involved in the criminal justice administration. Legislatures, law enforcement, prosecutor and defense counsel, courts, corrections and private security are studied with respect to function, role and the problems of justice administration in a democratic society, with emphasis on intercomponent relations, checks and balances, and discretionary powers.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Describe how the criminal law changes to help achieve the social order in our society.
Evaluate the historical contributions to our present Anglo-American system of justice.
Evaluate the various theories that have been proposed relative to crime as a social phenomenon.
Identify, explain and evaluate the current process of each element of the criminal justice system in terms of their stated goals: crime prevention, arrest, prosecution and rehabilitation of the offender.
Evaluate the historical contributions of Great Britain to our present American system of law enforcement and describe its major impact on the role, function, authority and mission of the US Criminal Justice System.

Prerequisites: (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099 or REA 075. Appropriate placement test scores may be accepted.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 111  Criminal Procedure  

This course gives the justice student an opportunity to explore the living law of the U.S. Constitution, and Federal and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania statutory law and their impact on the process of administration of justice. The course examines the powers and limitations of power as defined in the first seven Articles; the concept of federalism and the powers reserved to the states; and a detailed examination of the Bill of Rights guarantees and their applicability to federal and state rules of criminal procedure through the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Identify and explain the rights of the citizen in a legal proceeding.
Provide an overview of the justice process and identify the Constitutional guarantees applicable at each step.
Understand the laws of search and seizure, arrest, interrogation and Identification Procedures.
Explain the impact of the Exclusionary Rule of Evidence and its impact on the criminal investigation.
Apply the Constitutional guarantees and limitations of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 14th Amendments to the adjudicatory process.

Prerequisites: (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099 or REA 075. Appropriate placement test scores may be accepted.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 120  Principles of Investigation  

As an introduction to criminal investigations, this course is designed to serve students seeking careers in law enforcement, courts and corrections as well as private security. It includes professional conduct at the crime scene, interviews and interrogations of witnesses and suspects, the use of informants, the techniques of surveillance and presentation of the case in a court of law.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Discuss the history and development of criminal investigation.
Develop the concept of investigative leads based on information uncovered during the investigative process.
Analyze the various procedures used in gathering and handling evidence at the crime scene.
Discuss the impact of Supreme Court decisions on the ability to gather information in the investigative process and preparation of information for court testimony.

Prerequisites: ADJ 101.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 190  Administration of Justice Internship (1 credit)  

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 60 hour internship will earn 1 college credit for this experience. NOTE To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain three program-related concepts that have been applied during the work experience.
Describe the ways that technology is utilized in the work experience.
Analyze the culture of the host organization.
Analyze an operational process within the work experience.
Demonstrate how assigned tasks depend on successful communication.
Describe how time and activity are managed to meet work-imposed deadlines.
Describe an instance where problem-solving skills were needed to analyze a situation in the work experience.
Demonstrate specifically how job-related competence has improved.
Formulate a self-assessment for career growth and personal satisfaction.
Satisfy the competencies of the chosen CSEL placement (to be developed in consultation with the CSEL instructor).
Work closely with a faculty mentor in the student's program/major to complete a project which articulates how the experience helps the student achieve program outcomes

1 Credit

ADJ 194  Administration of Justice Internship (2 credits)  

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 120 hour internship will earn 2 college credits for this experience. NOTE: To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain three program-related concepts that have been applied during the work experience.
Describe the ways that technology is utilized in the work experience.
Analyze the culture of the host organization.
Analyze an operational process within the work experience.
Demonstrate how assigned tasks depend on successful communication.
Describe how time and activity are managed to meet work-imposed deadlines.
Describe an instance where problem-solving skills were needed to analyze a situation in the work experience.
Demonstrate specifically how job-related competence has improved.
Formulate a self-assessment for career growth and personal satisfaction.
Satisfy the competencies of the chosen CSEL placement (to be developed in consultation with the CSEL instructor).
Work closely with a faculty mentor in the student's program/major to complete a project which articulates how the experience helps the student achieve program outcomes

2 Credits

ADJ 199  Administration of Justice Internship (3 credits)  

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 180 hour internship will earn 3 college credits for this experience. NOTE: To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain three program-related concepts that have been applied during the work experience.
Describe the ways that technology is utilized in the work experience.
Analyze the culture of the host organization.
Analyze an operational process within the work experience.
Demonstrate how assigned tasks depend on successful communication.
Describe how time and activity are managed to meet work-imposed deadlines.
Describe an instance where problem-solving skills were needed to analyze a situation in the work experience.
Demonstrate specifically how job-related competence has improved.
Formulate a self-assessment for career growth and personal satisfaction.
Satisfy the competencies of the chosen CSEL placement (to be developed in consultation with the CSEL instructor).
Work closely with a faculty mentor in the student's program/major to complete a project which articulates how the experience helps the student achieve program outcomes

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 202  Terrorism  

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of international and domestic terrorism. It will examine the social, political, religious and global issues of terrorism. It will also provide students with the methods and strategies of various terrorist groups as well as the impact of terrorism on US Law Enforcement agencies, the US Court System, and the international community.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Summarize the various definitions and typologies of both international and domestic terrorism.
Examine the major historical and political causes of terrorism.
Identify the major international and domestic terrorist organizations.
Outline the major reasons why the US has become a target of terrorism.
Describe the global impact of terrorism on social, economic, and political levels.
Explain strategies and the tactics utilized by Law Enforcement and the international community in response to terrorism.

College Academic Learning Goal Designation: Global Understanding (GU)

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 203  Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice  

This course provides the advanced Administration of Justice student a focus on the leading issues confronting the various elements of the justice system, to research and develop possible remedies to address these issues, and to assist the student in making intelligent career decisions.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Defend a position on the decriminalization of victimless crimes.
Evaluate the merit of the several states individually defining crime and punishment.
Justify uniformity in the standards, policies and procedures of our state justice systems.
Detail the advantages and disadvantages of plea negotiation (bargaining).
Evaluate the creation of a public service office entirely separate from the police force to provide social and human services.
Summarize the major issues involved in police prosecutor and court "discretionary powers".
Depict the supervisory and enforcement functions of the probation/parole office.
Analyze the current treatment of the youthful offender and suggest more viable alternatives.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 225  Ethics in Criminal Justice  

This course is designed to examine the professional standards of conduct and the acceptable forms of behavior within organizations in the criminal justice system. Issues concerning corruptions, perjury, false reporting, accepting of gratuities, excessive force and the code of silence will be examined. Personal and organizational integrity will be emphasized in this course.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Define codes of conduct based on law.
Identify personal beliefs as a source of conduct.
Define social customs and its role in behavioral constraint.
Identify philosophical-logical systems that define ethics.
Organize a systematic way of clarifying ethical decisions.
Understand the role of professional codes of ethics.
Identify professional issues within the context of ethics.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 240  Criminology  

An examination of the field of criminology, including classical and contemporary theories, nature and causes of crime and criminal behavior. Patterns of criminal behavior, including property crimes, violent crimes, organized crime, white-collar crime, and victimless crime are discussed. A critical assessment of criminal justice system and its ability to respond to crime as a social problem is conducted.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Differentiate between the legal and non-legal definitions of crime and the criminal.
Identify the various indices of crime in America.
Trace the historical evolution of law and crime in western societies from a private to a public concern.
Explain the major theories of crime causation.
Identify the components, roles and functions of the criminal justice system in terms of the sociology of law and the administration of justice.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 241  Criminal Law, Procedure, and Adjudication  

This course examines the historical background, traditions, and legal principles and foundations of the Criminal Justice System. Both differences and similarities inherent within the Federal and State court processes are analyzed and the procedures through which the Criminal Justice System upholds the rights and liberties of all, both victims and accused will be examined. The roles of all professionals within the Criminal Justice System will be explored. The powers and limitations of power in the Criminal Justice System demanded by the Bill of Rights and the due process clause of the U.S. constitution. An emphasis on Criminal Law will also be examined.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Trace the history of the criminal courts from their respective foundations within English-based common law to the contemporary models that currently underlie judicial processes at both state and federal laws.
Identify the fundamental philosophies, legal concepts, and terminology that underlie the contemporary American court system.
Discuss and explain the import of individual constitutional and statutory rights upon the criminal justice system in the United States.
Identify, examine and understand the respective professional roles of those persons who work within the criminal court system as well as those impacted by the court system: victims, defendants, and the general public.
Discuss the major issues impacting upon the criminal court systems of today, and project how such issues will likely affect the criminal courts in the future.
Understand and explain the procedural processes utilized by the American criminal court system.

Prerequisites: ADJ 101 and ENG 100.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 250  Policing in America  

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the history and evolution of policing in the United States. It will provide students with a view of police power at the federal, state and local levels of law enforcement and will focus on contemporary issues in policing including administration and management, policing in democracy, and community policing within the confines of existing laws. It will address officer training, use of force, investigative methods, police discretion, and corruption.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Discuss the historical development of policing in America.
Understand the limits of police power in the United States.
Recognize the varying responsibilities of the police at the federal, state, and local levels of law enforcement.
Analyze the role of community policing, its strengths and limitations.
Demonstrate critical thinking on issues of social diversity in policing in America.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 260  Corrections-Probation-Parole  

This course exposes students to the process of corrections-probation and parole. It includes an in-depth study of the historical evolution of the institutions, functions, organization and problems from antiquity to the present as well as the attendant philosophies of justice and punishment. Probation and parole as integral parts of the corrections process, and the two major rehabilitative techniques are discussed separately.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Analyze the various theories that have been proposed relative to crime causality.
Identify and apply the various bases for corrections.
Trace the development of the correctional system in the United States.
Evaluate the rationale that corrections is one of society's agencies of social control that attempts to rehabilitate or neutralize criminal and delinquent behavior.
Identify and resolve the philosophical differences between custody and treatment of the offender.
Explore and analyze the various career opportunities within the corrections process.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 261  The Youthful Offender  

An in-depth study of factors that relate to juvenile delinquency, prevention, treatment and control; a multi-disciplinary orientation. The most popular interdisciplinary issues, ideas, principles and assumptions pertaining to delinquency are presented, as well as the duties, responsibilities and functions of the agencies in the criminal justice system that deal with the juvenile delinquent.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Trace the history of the development of the concept of the delinquent child from World War II to the present.
Demonstrate that delinquency has social, psychological and legal causes.
Identify, describe and justify the major programs and processes that have been established by delinquency law.
Analyze the concept of the Youth Services Bureau.
Evaluate the legally required and discretionary responses of law enforcement agencies when dealing with the juvenile.
Trace the juvenile justice process from police contact through the various stages of intake, pre-disposition investigation, the family court hearings, disposition and confinement.
Analyze the strengths and weakness of incarcerating the adjudicated delinquent.
Assess the value of present after-care strategies.
Evaluate contemporary and future issues relevant to delinquency.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours

ADJ 280  Organized Crime  

A foundation course in systematic criminality that addresses those organizations whose method of operation includes fear, violence and corruption to achieve strategic and financial goals. These organizations are highly structured and staffed by hard-core, disciplined career criminals operating in secrecy and anonymity through the legal, quasi-legal and criminal activities. Governmental agencies responsible for investigating organized crime as well as legal sanctions employed by these agencies will also be examined.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Define Organized Crime.
Explain the history of organized crime in America.
Identify and explain the areas of influence employed by organized crime.
Prepare an overview of the international impact of organized crime.
Discuss the tactical and strategic response of governmental entities to counter the influence of organized crime.

Prerequisites: ADJ 241.

3 Credits3 Weekly Lecture Hours