Criminal Law

Are you interested in becoming a police officer, an attorney, or working in another part of the Criminal Justice System?  Maybe you just love watching shows like NCIS, SWAT or Law and Order.  If so, this is the class for you.  Students will learn the basics of the Criminal Justice System from a veteran teacher of the subject.  The class proceeds as if one goes from laws being passed to someone breaking the law and proceeding through the Justice System. Many of the sessions will consist of the students learning a concept and then applying what they learned to various scenarios related to that concept.  The students will be highly involved and engaged in the course.  There a numerous opportunities to participate and share your thoughts with the class about scenarios and cases. Criminal law has many controversial topics that the students will be discussing, so the students need to be mature and respectful of each other.  

The class will include topics such as:
 1. Laws--what is law and how are they interpreted
2. Crimes--the causes of crime and how to prove a crime was committed
3. Policing-the different roles of police officers as well as amendments that guide investigations
4. Rights of Citizens based in the Criminal Justice System--Focus on the 5th and 6th Amendments
5. Courts--levels of courts, their role and landmark court cases
6. Corrections--various forms of punishment including the death penalty

The course will provide a great introduction to the Criminal Justice System.