The University offers a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. This section focuses on the undergraduate program. Information on the Graduate Program in Criminal Justice can be found in the Graduate Studies section of this Catalog.

The Bachelor of Science program is designed to provide students with a thorough knowledge of the nature and operation of the Criminal Justice System. It includes courses in the following core areas as well as specialized electives: criminal justice and juvenile justice processes (law, crime, and administration of justice); criminology (the causes of crime, typologies, offenders, and victims); law enforcement (police organization, discretion, subculture, and legal constraints), law adjudication (criminal law, criminal procedure, prosecution, defense, and court procedures and decision-making), and corrections (incarceration, community-based corrections, and treatment of offenders). The program introduces concepts related to legal, legislative, and social processes and how they influence the criminal justice system. The program further addresses current methods in criminal justice processes and analyzes their strengths and weaknesses.

The Criminal Justice Program seeks to educate students in the skills required for a successful professional career. These skills include: critical thinking, the ability to communicate thoughts effectively in oral and written form, research methods, statistical and data analysis, and computer technology. In addition, the program teaches students to use ethical behavior in applying the knowledge acquired to factual situations and problems.

A major in Criminal Justice requires a minimum of thirty-seven (37) credit hours including Criminal Justice 110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330, 410, 415, 430, and 492S and nine (9) hours of Criminal Justice electives. At least 18 credit hours of criminal justice courses must be completed in residence at Southern University at New Orleans in order to graduate. In addition, majors must receive a grade of "C" or better in all criminal justice courses.

A minor in Criminal Justice requires the completion of the following eighteen (18) credit hours:  Criminal Justice 110, 210, 220, 310, 410 and a three credit hour criminal justice elective.

                                                                  Curriculum in Criminal Justice

                                                                            FRESHMAN YEAR
                                                                           Hrs.                                                                                          Hrs.
Course                                                              Credit             Course                                                              Credit
ENGL 111 (English)............................................     3                 ENGL 112 (English)............................................     3
MATH 151 (College Algebra)................................     3                 CRMJ 110 (Criminal Justice System)...................     3
BIOL 105 and 105L  Intro. to Biology....................     4                 MATH 232 (Finite) or 250 (Elem. Statistics)..........     3
FIAR 101 or MUSC 101.......................................     3                 POLI 110 (American Government)........................     3
CMIS 164 (Intro. to Information Processing)..........     3                 BIOL 106 (Intro. to Biology).................................     3
JRDV 111 (College Survival Skills)........................     1
JRDV 111A (Freshman Assembly).......................     0
                                                                      -----                                                                                           -----
                                                                        17                                                                                             15

SOPHOMORE YEAR

Foreign Language 101.........................................     3                 Foreign Language 102 or CMIS Elective................     3
CRMJ 210 (Adjudication Function).......................     3                 SUBA 215 (Intro. to Alcohol & Drug Abuse)..........     3
ENGL 260 (Prof. and Technical Writing)................     3                 PSYC 210 (General Psychology).........................     3
CHEM or PHYS 101...........................................     3                 CRMJ 220 (Corrections Process).........................     3
HIST 210 or 220.................................................     3                 Course in Minor Area..........................................     3
                                                                           -----                                                                                           -----
                                                                        15                                                                                             15

JUNIOR YEAR

Speech 210 (Fundamentals of Speech)................     3                 CRMJ 320 (Police Process).................................     3
Philosophy Elective............................................     3                 CRMJ 330 (Juvenile Justice)................................     3
Literature/Humanities..........................................     3                 General Elective.................................................     3
CRMJ 310 (Meth. of Crim. Justice Research)........     3                 Course in Minor Area..........................................     3
Criminal Justice Elective.....................................     3                 Course in Minor Area..........................................     3
-----                                                                                           -----
   15                                                                                             15

                                                                               SENIOR YEAR

CRMJ 410 (Criminal Law/Procedure)....................     3                 Criminal Justice Elective.....................................     3
CRMJ 415 (Crime and Social Causation)..............     3                 General Elective.................................................     3    
Criminal Justice Elective.....................................     3                 CRMJ 430 (Criminal Justice Practicum)................     3
Course in Minor Area..........................................     3                 Course in Minor Area..........................................     3
Course in Minor Area..........................................     3                 CRMJ 492S (Seminar for Majors).........................     1
-----                                                                                           -----
   15                                                                                             13

Total Hours:  120

Suggested General Electives:

POLI 320  Introduction to Public Administration                POLI 210  State/Local Government
POLI 351  American Constitutional Law I                          POLI 352  American Constitutional Law II
PSYC 268  Abnormal Psychology                                   ECON 200  Survey of Economic Principles

CRIMINAL JUSTICE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

crmj 110.  THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM                                                                                          3 credit hours
This course is an overview of the Criminal Justice System; roles of law enforcement personnel, the courts, and correctional agencies; and the philosophical and theoretical views.

CRMJ 210.  THE ADJUDICATION FUNCTION                                                                                             3 credit hours
This course includes the objectives, process setting, roles, and perspectives of the court, prosecution, and defense. (Prerequisite:  CRMJ 110)

CRMJ 220.  CORRECTIONS PROCESS                                                                                                      3 credit hours
This course covers an historical view of the development of methods of offender treatment: operation of correctional systems; the effect of institutionalization upon individuals; and alternatives to incarceration.  (Prerequisite: CRMJ 110)

CRMJ 300.  CONCEPTS AND ISSUES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE                                                                   3 credit hours
This course includes issues relating to criminal justice policies, perspectives, techniques, roles, institutional arrangements, management, uses of research, and innovative patterns. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 110)

CRMJ 302.  SENTENCING                                                                                                                         3 credit hours
This course covers theories, practice and reform of sentencing.  It includes the study of the philosophical justifications of punishment, the history and nature of criminal sanctions, sentencing/parole practices, and reforms of law and practice of sentencing. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110 and one upper division Criminal Justice course)

CRMJ 310.  CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCH METHODS                                                                            3 credit hours
This course concentrates on theories and methods of research with emphasis on research designs most relevant to Criminal Justice data and problems. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110)

CRMJ 319.  CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THE ADDICTIONS                                                                            3 credit hours
This course is designed to acquaint students with legal, judicial and enforcement procedures and how they relate to the problem of drug and alcohol use and abuse.  The criminal justice perspective is examined from historical and contemporary points of view with the central objective to provide a working knowledge of how the legal system affects drug/alcohol prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.  Special emphasis is placed on the dignity and human rights of those who have become dependent upon drug and alcohol.

CRMJ 320.  POLICE PROCESS                                                                                                                 3 credit hours
This course is a critical study of the objectives, strategies, programs, institutional arrangements, roles, perspectives, and interagency relationships of police. (Prerequisite CRMJ 110)

CRMJ 330.  JUVENILE JUSTICE PROCESS AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY                                               3 credit hours
This course is a critical study of the objectives, strategies, programs, institutional arrangements, roles, perspectives, and interagency relationships of police. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 110)

CRMJ 360.  LAW AND SOCIAL CONTROL                                                                                                 3 credit hours
This course is a study of resolution of social issues through the application of law as an agent of social control; nature, sanctions, and limits of law; and categories of law and schools of jurisprudence. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110, and one upper division Criminal Justice course)

CRMJ 409.  ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM                       3 credit hours
This course is a system-wide analysis of organizational structures; management and administrative policies of criminal justice agencies-law and schools of jurisprudence. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 110 and one upper division Criminal Justice course)

CRMJ 410.  CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE                                                                        3 credit hours
This course includes examination of criminal liability, crimes against person, property and society; the criminal process; constitutional and legal problems associated with criminal procedures; and the due process of law. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110 and one upper division Criminal Justice course)

CRMJ 411.  DISCRETIONARY JUSTICE                                                                                                     3 credit hours
This course examines the use of discretionary authority throughout all phases of the criminal justice system; and effect of discretionary authority. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110 and one upper division Criminal Justice course)

CRMJ 412.  SPECIAL TOPICS ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE                                                                              3 credit hours
This course includes topics chosen from various fields of criminal justice. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110 and one upper division Criminal Justice course or consent of the department chairperson)

CRMJ 413.  PRO-SEMINAR                                                                                                                       3 credit hours
This course provides small group-study and research for advanced students.  (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110 and one upper division course or consent of the department chairperson)

CRMJ 414.  INDEPENDENT STUDY                                                                                                            3 credit hours
This course provides original study or investigation in the advanced student’s field of interest under the supervision of a faculty member; it may be repeated for credit but not more than 6 hours may be applied toward the major. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110 Senior status, major GPA of 3.0 or better and consent of the department chairperson)

CRMJ 415.  CRIME AND SOCIAL CAUSATION                                                                                         3 credits hours
This course is an examination of theories of deviance and crime as they relate to social policies and specific response of the criminal justice system, including crime prevention. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 310, 330 or consent of the department chairperson)

CRMJ 416.  CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION                                                                                   3 credit hours
This course is a study of the administrative policies and practices used in criminal justice agencies and their application to the various facets of the criminal justice administrative process. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 110, 210 and 330)

CRMJ 417.  WOMEN AND CRIME                                                                                                              3 credit hours
This course is a study of the nature and extent of female crime, causation theories, and the treatment of female in the criminal justice system. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 415)

CRMJ 418.  JUVENILE DELINQUENCY                                                                                                       3 credit hours
This course is an in depth study of delinquency, including causation theories, alternative definitions of delinquency, official statistics and the critique, and an analysis of the interaction between social institutions and youth. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 415)

CRMJ 420.  PROBATION AND PAROLE STRATEGIES                                                                               3 credit hours
An examination of the process which an individual follows as he enters the federal, state or local judicial system.  The strategies studied focus on the actual practices followed from the individual’s intake into the system until termination. (Prerequisite: CRMJ 220)

CRMJ 430.  CRIMINAL JUSTICE PRACTICUM                                                                                            3 credit hours
This course provides assignments in a criminal justice agency, designed to further the student’s integration of theory and practice.  Placements are arranged through consultation with students and agencies.  Students must work 120 hours in their assigned placement. (Prerequisites: CRMJ 110, 310 and 410)

CRMJ 492S.  Seminar For Majors                                                                                                       3 credit hours
This seminar focuses on preparing majors for standardized tests required for graduate and professional schools and for civil service employment.  It also serves to monitor whether students have completed all University requirements for graduation.