Criminal Justice Course Specifics

The Criminal Justice Program is an introduction for students who have interest in a future with a career in the Criminal Justice field. The course work covers a wide range of topics as well as basic concepts that include but are not limited to: state and federal laws, law enforcement, crime scene investigation, court systems and social work.

The program has great success with being able to provide an array of guest speakers who provide students with open and honest accounts in regards to the specific field of work they may eventually choose in Criminal Justice. Guest speakers include police officers, military officers, crime scene technicians, forensic personnel, social workers, attorneys, probation officers, St. Joseph County coroner and communication personnel.

The program also implements numerous hands on activities where students engage in mock fieldwork of the aforementioned Criminal Justice positions. Throughout the course students incorporate what they learn to build and broaden their knowledge of the Criminal Justice system. An example of this is when each class held a trial in regards to an alleged intoxicated subject. From start to finish students participated in the entire process that included the arrest and due process provided by the court system.

Recently, students learned the methodology of police reports, wrote police reports, were taught how to fingerprint, were shown and performed tactics in regards to indexing/room entry, were instructed on and performed SFSTs.

It is a privilege to be a part of the Criminal Justice field and therefore its standards must be maintained for the course that represents it. The subject matter we study is of great social importance and requires a certain level of maturity. Because the Criminal Justice field regularly involves great precision, power, and authority students in the Criminal Justice course are held to a much higher standard. My students are expected to respect one another and are urged to perform to their best ability regardless of their limitations and differences. As the students grow with the mature nature of the subject matter they are rewarded with activities that require that learned measure of responsibility and discipline. Everything in the Criminal Justice course is learned and earned. My philosophy owns the fact that no two students are alike and guides them to thrive with the encouragement of their greatest personal strengths and improvement of their greatest personal weaknesses. The course knowledge and polished principles obtained in the Criminal Justice course are not only for the sake of school but the sake of life.

Dual Credit: The students will receive dual credits through Vincennes University for the following courses:

LAWE-100- SURVEY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE (3 credits)

LAWE-150-INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY (3 credits)

2nd year classes and credits:

LAWE- 106-INTRODUCTION TO TRAFFIC CONTROL (3 credits)

LAWE-160-CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS (3 credits)