Program Purpose and Description
Program Purpose and Description
The Department of Criminal Justice* is dedicated to the study of the critical issues involved in maintaining social order in a dynamic and complex society. The functional processes of the institutions of law enforcement, rehabilitation, corrections, and the judicial system are studied in the classroom and off campus through an optional internship program
Undergraduate Degree in Criminal Justice
Graduate Degree in Criminal Justice
Source: http://www.cj.txstate.edu/
CJ 1310. Introduction to Criminal Justice. History and philosophy of criminal justice: ethical considerations, crime defined, overview of criminal justice system, law enforcement, court system, prosecution and defense, trial process, and corrections.
CJ 2310. Police Systems and Practices. Police profession: organization of law enforcement systems, the police role, police discretion, ethics, police-community interaction, and current and future issues.
CJ 2350. The Courts and Criminal Procedure. Judiciary in the criminal justice system: structure of American court system, prosecution, right to counsel, pre-trial release, grand juries, adjudication process, types and rules of evidence, and sentencing.
CJ 2355. Correctional Systems and Practices. Corrections in the criminal justice system: organization of correctional systems, correctional role, institutional operations, alternatives to institutionalization, treatment and rehabilitation, and current and future issues.
CJ 2360. Fundamentals of Criminal Law. A study of the nature of criminal law: philosophy and historical developments, major definitions and concepts, classification of crime, elements of crimes and penalties using Texas Statutes as illustrations, and justifications of and defenses to criminal responsibility.
CJ 3300. Juvenile Justice. A study of the juvenile justice process to include both the specialized juvenile law and the role of the courts, police and corrections in juvenile justice.
CJ 3322. Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice. examines the relationship between race/ethnicity and the criminal justice system. Theories of race/ethnicity and crime, the criminal justice system, and social systems including media, politics and economics are examined to form a comprehensive understanding of the social construction of race as it pertains to a racially disproportionate system.
CJ 3323. Mid-Level Management in Criminal Justice Agencies. organizational theories of classical behavioral, and systems management concepts. Included in the course content are analyses of the functions of management in modern CJ organizations, internal and external environmental factors, individual & group dynamics, motivation, and leadership styles.
CJ 3325. Incarceration in America. focuses on the role of the institution in the process of incarceration including the philosophy of imprisonment, the inmate subculture and special problems and programs in institutions.
CJ 3329. Forensic Evidence. Investigator’s role in collecting, preparing and presenting evidence in criminal trials. Special attention will be given to electronic evidence in addition to traditional physical evidence.
CJ 3346. Research in Criminal Justice. analysis of criminal justice research, survey methods, and the utilization of research in criminal justice.
CJ 3347. Statistics For Criminal Justice. focuses on the theory and application of statistical inferential techniques and correlation and regression for behavioral science data and its applications in Criminal Justice. Emphasis is placed on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of statistical data in criminal justice settings.
CJ 4309G. Media and Crime. focuses on media's role in social control of society by exploring public understanding of the problems associated with crime and their solutions through a critical examination of the relationships between the media, the criminal justice system, and crime in the larger context of society.
CJ 4309H. Wrongful Convictions. examines factors contributing to wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system’s response from an interdisciplinary perspective using research from the disciplines of law, criminology, and cognitive and social psychology as a foundation for examining how wrongful convictions occur and might be prevented in the future.
CJ 4309I. The Death Penalty in the United States. examines the contemporary controversies that surround the death penalty, including its administration, modes of execution, disparities in application, deterrent effect, related social/economic costs, impact on international relations, and the potential for miscarriages of justice. The history of the death penalty, including Supreme Court developments, will also be reviewed.
CJ 4309J. Sexual Offenders and Sexual Offenses. examines the social and individual mechanisms responsible for the onset, persistence, and desistance of sexual offending using a criminological perspective. The current state of sex offender risk assessment, treatment, as well as policing and legal responses to this type of crime, are also addressed.
CJ 4309K. Intelligence Analysis. provides an overview of the importance of intelligence gathering in the global and domestic war on terrorism, and critically examines issues involved with the gathering of intelligence, techniques for the gathering of intelligence, methods of collecting, collating, analyzing and disseminating intelligence, and a review of current terrorist threats.
CJ 4309L. Gangs and the Criminal Justice System. introduction to street gangs and crime in the United States. Topics covered include the definition of gangs, gang members and gang activity, the history and development of gangs, the structure of gangs and gang members, the nature of gang activity, theoretical explanations of gangs, and the criminal justice system's response to gangs.
CJ 4310. Special Problems in the Criminal Justice System. a study of contemporary problems in the administration, management, organization and operation of criminal justice agencies.
CJ 4314. Terrorism in the United States. Terrorist groups operating in the U.S. are examined with special emphasis on the far-right (militia, Christian identity, neo-nazi, other racist groups). Analyzed are their belief systems and structures, organizational structure, tactics and targets, and weapons. Future trends are discussed, including the threat posed by nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism.
CJ 4316. Treatment in Community and Institutional Corrections. a study of community based programs for adult and juvenile offenders, treatment modalities in various correctional settings, administration, legal issues, and future trends associated with community-based and institutional based treatment.
CJ 4321. Occupational Crime. A study of the problems of organized and upper social status criminal activities with emphasis on statutes and their application to fraud, embezzlement, deceptive trade practices and illegal trade practices.
CJ 4323. Special Operation Units in Law Enforcement and Corrections. basic principles of Special Operations Units (SOUs) within criminal justice agencies. Topics include the necessity for such units, the changing nature of communities and policing in America, the principles of crisis management, the development/implementation of SOUs, selection/training/operationalizing of personnel, and types of SOUs.
CJ 4326. Women and Criminal Justice. explores women’s involvement in three primary areas of criminal justice - as victims, criminals and practitioners employed in criminal justice agencies. Topics covered include the impact of sex and gender on criminological theory, sentencing, prison subcultures, victimization and career choices.
CJ 4329. Organized Crime. Survey of organized crime in contemporary society. Includes attention to crime types and methods, motivation, affiliations, and the effects of this type of criminality. Related legal and law enforcement perspectives will be covered, along with international and cyberspace issues.
CJ 4331. Serial Murder. phenomenon of serial murder and the police investigative response. Theories, concepts, and law enforcement analytic methods are covered in detail. Emphasis is placed on understanding the reality versus the myth of serial murder, serial killers, and criminal profiling.
CJ 4332. Advanced Criminal Justice Management. critical analysis of the nature of organizations within the criminal justice system. An analysis of theories of organizations and of organizational changes within law enforcement agencies. An examination of the quantitative data gathered by the Criminal Justice System and its effective use and presentation.
CJ 4335. The Psychology of Antisocial Behavior. examines how psychological perspectives are used to explain antisocial behavior, by drawing on the intersection between theory and research in the following areas of psychology: developmental, child psychopathology, biological, personality, cognitive, and social.
CJ 4340. Crime Theory and Victimization. examines the causes of crime, crime victimization and competing explanations for crime and the impact of crime on crime victims. The course draws on perspectives advanced by a number of diverse fields of inquiry, for example, biology, psychology, sociology, and the political and economic sciences.
CJ 4350. Contemporary Legal Issues in Law Enforcement. in-depth study of recent developments in criminal law and procedure. Their effects upon the criminal justice agency official in society will be given special attention. Includes specific case studies with emphasis on analyzing factual situations and legal issues.
CJ 4352. Contemporary Legal Issues in Corrections. A study of the developing body of law defining the rights and duties of persons confined in penal institutions with equal emphasis on legal issues associated with probationers, parolees, and similar status’s within the corrections branch of the criminal justice system.
CJ 4362. Readings in Criminal Justice. An individualized readings course tailored to the academic and professional interests and needs of the student. Emphasis is placed on developing in-depth knowledge of selected criminal justice subjects through directed research.
CJ 4365. Comparative Criminal Justice. A survey of the organizational, administrative and philosophical principles of criminal justice systems around the world.
CJ 5310. Administration of Justice. Introduction to the study of crime; explanations of criminal behavior; typologies of criminal behavior; the criminal justice system; and social reaction to crime and the criminal justice system.
CJ 5315. Advanced Research Methods in Criminal Justice. The study of scientific research methods as used in the criminal justice system to include a review and critique of research on crime causation, law enforcement, courts, and corrections.
CJ 5316. Quantitative Data Analysis. This course provides an introduction to quantitative data analysis in criminal justice and makes extensive use of statistical software via command line interface. For the purposes of research and exploratory data analysis in criminal justice, topics include data construction and cleaning, variable coding, descriptive and inferential statistics, summary measures, and visual presentations of data.
CJ 5319. Crime Analysis. focuses on the evaluation, synthesis and dissemination of crime data to multiple audiences. Topics include the identification of local crime trends, the development of usable crime maps, and the assessment of practical police responses.
CJ 5320. History and Philosophy of Justice. exploration of historical approaches to social control of nonconforming behavior. The principal contributions of architects and theorists of systems of social justice are examined with emphasis on major Western European schools of thought. Special emphasis given to the development of the scientific method and its role in the contemporary system of justice.
CJ 5321. Current Legal Issues in Criminal Justice. Case law and legislation, both state and federal, which have contemporary impact on practices and policies of criminal justice agencies will be examined in this course. Topics may vary to include such matters as civil rights liability, substance abuse and the law, juvenile crime, organized crime, tactics of enforcement, unionization, and other legal issues.
CJ 5322. Police in Society. provides an in-depth assessment of policing and the various types of community crime control. Core topics include the history of police, organizational and individual police discretion, police culture, use of force, minorities and the police, community oriented policing, and police problem-solving.
CJ 5323. Special Operation Units. acquaints students with basic principles of Special Operation Units (SOUs) within law enforcement, including the necessity for such units in the changing nature of policing communities. The principles of crisis management, the development of SOUs, selection/training/operationalizing of personnel and other strategic planning issues are emphasized.
CJ 5324. Investigations. explores issues related to investigations. Topics covered include the history and state of investigations, investigative theory, interviewing, interrogation, polygraph, geographic profiling, serial crimes, and investigative failures.
CJ 5325. Statistics for Criminal Justice. The study of basic and advanced descriptive and inferential statistics, with an emphasis on applications in the criminal justice system will be taught. Focus will be given to various multivariate statistical procedures.
CJ 5330. Management Principles in Criminal Justice. The study of behavior in complex bureaucratic or administrative organizations with an emphasis on organizational behavior, group processes, and the managerial function. Concepts and practices of managing criminal justice agencies within the United States will be stressed.
CJ 5333. Race, Class, and Crime. addresses issues related to racial/ethnic minorities, socioeconomic status, crime trends, perceptions of crime and criminal behaviors. The social/historical constructions of race and class are covered as well as their intersectionality within the criminal justice system. Topics include racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in offending, victimization, law enforcement and sentencing.
CJ 5334. Sex Offenders and the Criminal Justice System. explores sex offenders and the criminal justice system, and the issues faced by criminal justice professionals. Recent trends in assessment tools, sex offender treatment approaches, and legal responses to sex offenders are emphasized.
CJ 5335. Advanced Crime Theory. analytical skills surrounding a wide range of theoretical concepts, assumptions, propositions, and variables aimed at explaining crime-related outcomes. In the process, students will learn how social scientists empirically (i.e., quantitatively and qualitatively) access theory and how theory influences public policy.
CJ 5340. Personnel Practices in Criminal Justice. study of personnel decision-making within the criminal justice agency. Topics emphasized will include recruitment and selection, promotion, training, performance evaluation, and human resource allocation.
CJ 5350. Current Issues in Criminal Justice. An in-depth presentation and discussion of vital contemporary issues in criminal justice, including research, process, procedure, and substance. General issues addressed remain constant and specific emphasis will vary depending on changes in contemporary issues.
CJ 5355. Intelligence Gathering and Operational Issues As Applied to Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operation. overview of the importance of intelligence gathering in the global and domestic war of terrorism, and critically examines issues involved with the gathering of intelligence, techniques for the gathering of intelligence, methods of collecting, collating, analyzing and disseminating intelligence, and a review of current terrorist threats.
CJ 5380A. Ethics and the Criminal Justice System. explores ethical issues that are faced by criminal justice professionals, basic ethical systems, and applications to dilemmas of criminal justice professionals.
CJ 5380C. Drugs in Society. This special topics course will explore issues related to the “War on Drugs.” Topics covered include theories of addiction, legal and philosophical issues of government response to drug use, and treatment strategies.
CJ 5380F. Police Problem-Solving Practicum. contemporary police problem-solving tools and techniques (including SARA, COMPSTAT, crime mapping, intelligence led policing and computer enhanced problem solving) to real world problems with practicum problems derived from situations commonly facing police practitioners such as common law enforcement “problems” such as noise abatement, property offenses and traffic violations.
CJ 5380H. Police Problem Solving Methodologies. addresses police problem solving methodologies. The course covers the history, state, and theory of police problem solving. Emphasis is placed on using problem solving methodologies to address real issues facing the community.
CJ 5380L. Geospatial Intelligence and Geographic Profiling. addresses the use of geospatial intelligence and geographic profiling in the military and intelligence environments. The course covers the theory, concepts, methods, and analysis of human geographic information. Emphasis is placed on understanding how geospatial knowledge can inform decision making and action plans.
CJ 5380Q. Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis. provides students with a detailed and participatory introduction to the principles and use of common qualitative methods and data analysis used in social science research with a particular focus on the field of criminal justice.
CJ 5380R. Criminal Justice Policy. covers contemporary public policies designed to prevent and reduce crime and criminal offending. There is also an emphasis on different levels of evaluation that should be used to address specific criminal justice issues.
CJ 5380S. Criminal Justice Leadership. examination and critical analysis of the important theories, concepts, and current issues relevant to the field of public leadership in general, and criminal justice agency leadership in particular.
CJ 5380T. Crime, Criminal Justice and the Media. focuses on the relationship between crime, the criminal justice system (CJS), and the media. The role of the media in shaping knowledge about crime- and CJS-related issues is explored in depth, using examples from current events.
CJ 5390. Criminal Justice and Security Internship. provides students with experiential learning opportunities with selected public and private external employers in the fields of criminal justice and security. The internship promotes the integration of academic and professional experience and provides a deeper knowledge of the issues faced by criminal justice agencies, security firms, and other organizations/companies that respond to crime problems.
CJ 7301. Instructional Assistant Supervision. prepares doctoral students employed as research or teaching assistants to perform effectively in diverse instructional settings. The course provides for regular and planned opportunities for continuing evaluation of students. This course does not earn graduate degree credit.
CJ 7309. Proseminar. introduces students to information that is useful to their success as Ph.D. students and after graduation. Topics include the criminal justice discipline, teaching, publishing, grants and fellowships, writing dissertations, and post-doctoral employment. Emphasis is placed on identifying and coordinating opportunities for research and scholarship among faculty and students. Must have completed 12 hours of doctoral credit in Criminal Justice to enroll in this course.
CJ 7310. Philosophy of Law, Justice, and Social Control. A current, thorough, and comprehensive review of the criminal justice system focused on how the system functions, and its current needs and future trends. Students submit extensive critiques and participate in panel discussions.
CJ 7311. Advanced Criminological Theory. major criminological paradigms is presented focusing on the causes of crime and deviant behavior. The course includes a discussion of criminological theories from a philosophy of science perspective focusing on such issues as theory construction, theoretical integration, and the formal evaluation of theory and policy.
CJ 7313. Race and Ethnicity in Crime and Criminal Justice. exploration of how issues related to racial and ethnic minorities and criminal behaviors impact criminal justice reactions. Topics include racial disparities related to law enforcement and sentencing, and policy implications related to policing, probation, pre-sentencing and post-release issues.
CJ 7314. Policing. examines current problems in American policing and the role of research in their examination and solution. Official crime and victimization statistics and measure of police performance are explained, with a focus on their collection, development, limitations, and utility. Methods and issues in policing research are explored.
CJ 7315. Corrections. examines the history, forms, and functions of correctional institutions, their programs and policies, as well as theories of punishment. Topics include the structure and functions of prisons and jails, community corrections, intermediate sanctions, reentry, supermax prisons, and the death penalty.
CJ 7320. Quantitative Research Methods. demonstrates the practical aspects of conducting criminal justice research that uses quantitative methodologies and design. Topics include the philosophy of science; research ethics; methodological designs in establishing causation; nonexperimental/descriptive research; sampling techniques; secondary data sources and data gathering techniques.
CJ 7321. Linear Regression for Criminal Justice Research. advanced linear modeling techniques in criminal justice research is addressed. After completing this course, students should be able to evaluate quantitative research articles in the major criminal justice journals and be prepared to complete a major quantitative research project of their own.
CJ 7322. Advanced Research for Planning and Evaluation. introduction to evaluation and research design methodologies, assessment techniques including modeling and case studies, agency management issues, and on-going policy implications. Course gives students an understanding of the principles and techniques commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice interventions.
CJ 7323. Applied Statistics and Quantitative Data Analysis. statistics and data analysis for the purposes of original quantitative research. Topics include descriptive statistics, statistical inference for single and multivariable analysis, and principles underlying the techniques. This course makes extensive use of statistics software and data preparation techniques.
CJ 7330. Qualitative Research Methods. methods and techniques used for achieving interpretable qualitative results in social research. Topics covered include ethnography, focus groups, in-depth interviewing and case studies. Students will be trained in inductive reasoning and coordinating qualitative with quantitative methods.
CJ 7331. Law and Behavioral Science. review of the issues addressed in the application of the behavioral sciences to the criminal law system. Topics include criminal sanctions and diminished responsibility, civil commitment, victimology, psychology in the courtroom, the role of media, drugs, and alcohol to violence, and how the justice system reacts to violent offenders.
CJ 7336. Survey Research Methods for Criminal Justice. addresses the procedures and techniques used to create social surveys including question formulation, metrics, and question scaling. Students learn how to prepare face-to-face, telephone, and mail surveys, and are trained in sampling procedures related to survey administration.
CJ 7350A. Forecasting, Trend Analysis, and Data Interpretation. A review of quantitative approaches to public policy analysis, the diverse conceptions of the goals and objectives that should be served by policy, and the appropriate role of the policy analyst. Policy consequences are traced to indirect and subtle incentives and disincentives.
CJ 7350B. Academic Scholarship and Communication. conducting academic research, interpreting results and how to prepare manuscripts for publication in refereed journals. Included is a survey of the audiences, topical focus, and submission requirements of the major criminal justice, criminology, and law publications, along with specialized knowledge on achieving success in the scholarship environment.
CJ 7350C. Qualitative Data Collection, Coding and Analysis. takes a structured approach to understanding and implementing the various information collection methods used in qualitative research, including formatting the information for coding, coding schemes, and information interpretation.
CJ 7350E. Discrete Multivariate Models. focuses on regression models for discrete outcome variables, sometimes called limited or categorical dependent variables. Topics include maximum likelihood estimation, binary and multinomial logistic models and negative binomial models.
CJ 7350F. Environmental Criminology. Crime distributes unevenly in space/time. As such, the course examines such questions as (1) What places are dangerous? (2) Why do we study specific crime types? (3) Where do crime types concentrate? (4) Where do offenders go in their normal activities? (5) What are the temporal patterns for crime?
CJ 7350G. Seminar in Macro Criminology. a macro focus, examining criminological theory and research that takes cities, geographical regions, states, and nations as the units of comparison. The importance and relevance of macro criminology for understanding the causes of crime and key criminal justice issues, such as police resources, are explored in depth.
CJ 7350I. Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling. provides an introduction to structural equation modeling, which is sometimes called mean and covariance structure analysis or latent variable analysis. Topics include recursive and non-recursive models, path analysis, measurement models, and factor analysis.
CJ 7350K. Criminal Justice Forecasting and Policy Analysis. examines the inputs and outputs of criminal justice programs. It covers forecasting methods using statistical bootstrapping techniques including line fitting methods, moving averages, cohort propagation matrixes, and systems simulations.
CJ 7350L. Sex Offenders: Theory, Research & Policy. focus on application of theory to explain sexual offenses, research design issues related to researching this salient population of offenders (e.g., ethical issues, gaining IRB approval, research design limitations, social desirability problems in self-report data, and examining available data sources), and examining policy related issues.
