Criminal Justice

Hours: 120 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Open, Mentor Supported
Retail Price: $1,245.00

Course Overview:

Criminal Justice is an exciting and growing field! Criminal justice is the application or study of laws regarding criminal behavior. Those who study criminal justice include the police, those working in a judiciary capacity, and lawyers who either defend or prosecute those accused of a crime. Others work to advocate for changes in the current system of criminal justice, such as those who render decisions regarding current laws, like members of Supreme Courts.

This course studies different aspects of the criminal justice system. Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Understand the criminal justice system and major types of crime
  • Identify various theories addressing criminal behavior
  • Identify the methods and strategies for policing in the US
  • Comprehend the various parts and their roles within the court system
  • Identify aspects of the correctional system and types of sentences

Course Outline:

Criminal Justice Module 1
Understanding Criminal Justice
  • The Criminal Justice System
  • The Decision-Making Process
  • Formal and Informal Decision Making
  • The Model of Justice
  • The History of Crime Control
  • How is Crime Defined?
  • The Major Types of Crime
  • The Measurement of Crime
Criminal Justice Module 2
Criminal Behavior & the Law
  • Crime Causation
  • The Classical Theories
  • Crime Victims & Their Characteristics
  • The Positivist Theories
  • Social Conflict Theories
  • Defining Crime and Legal Responsibility
  • The Classification of Crimes
  • Criminal versus Civil Law
  • Due Process
Criminal Justice Module 3
Policing Roles & Planning
  • Evolution of Policing in the U.S.
  • Law Enforcement Agencies
  • Organizational Structure of Policing
  • Responsibilities of the Police
  • Strategies of Crime Control
  • Criminal Investigation
  • Community-Oriented Policing
  • Police & the Law
  • Responsible Arrests
  • Searches without Warrants
  • The Miranda Warnings
  • The USA Patriot Act of 2001
  • Police Corruption
Criminal Justice Module 4
The Court System
  • The Structure of the Court System
  • The U.S. Supreme Court
  • The Courtroom Work Group
  • The Selection of Judges
  • The Roles of Prosecutors & Defense Counsel
  • The Pretrial Process
  • The Right to Counsel
  • Testing Government’s Case
  • The Role of the Jury
  • The Criminal Trial Process
  • Plea Bargaining & Plea Negotiations
Criminal Justice Module 5
The Correction System
  • The Purposes of Punishment
  • Types of Sentences
  • Determining Sentences
  • The Death Penalty
  • Probation & Parole
  • Community Corrections
  • The Evolution of Probation & Parole
  • Community Corrections Today
  • Intermediate Sanctions
Criminal Justice Module 6
Prisons, Jails, & Prisoners
  • Prison Populations
  • Penal Institutions
  • Corrections Officers
  • Major Characteristics of Prisoners
  • Prison as a Total Institution
  • The Male Inmate verses Incarcerated Women
  • Prison Violence
  • Common Prison Programs
  • The Juvenile Justice System
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • The Juvenile Court System
  • Juvenile Corrections

System Requirements:

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:
  • Cable and DSL internet connections are recommended for the best experience.
Hardware Requirements:
  • CPU: 1 GHz or higher
  • RAM: 2 GB or higher
  • Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
  • Speakers / Headphones
  • Microphone (Webinar / Live Online sessions)
Operating System Requirements:
  • Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
  • Mac OSX 10 or higher.
  • Latest Chrome OS
  • Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:
  • Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
  • Latest Mozilla FireFox
  • Latest Microsoft Edge
  • Latest Apple Safari
Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):
  • Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
  • PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
  • Courses may require other software that is denoted in the above course outline.


** The course outlines displayed on this website are subject to change at any time without prior notice. **