The criminal justice major provides students with an interdisciplinary perspective that balances both theoretical knowledge and practical application. The major prepares students for the criminal justice/human service professions and provides a solid foundation for graduate or continuing education students. Courses develop a sense of global awareness and a commitment to social justice and responsibility while promoting respect for the dignity of all persons involved in the criminal justice system.

Students take six core criminal justice courses in the first and second years. In the third and fourth years, students, in consultation with their academic advisor, develop a plan of study which furthers the student's intellectual interests and professional goals through the choice of six elective courses. A minimum of four electives must be taken in criminal justice. The remaining two may be from criminal justice or related fields such as psychology, social work, legal studies, public policy, political science, and business. Courses include:

Students in any major may minor in Criminal Justice. In addition to three upper-level criminal justice electives, required courses include:

The recognition of victim's issues has taken on great importance in this day and age. Victims of all types require advocates and service providers that can assist them in understanding their rights and guiding them through the various processes and resources available to them.

In response, Anna Maria College has developed an interdisciplinary minor/certificate program in Victimology and Victim Studies. The curriculum draws on coursework in Criminal Justice, Human Development, Nursing, Psychology and Social Work. The interdisciplinary nature of the program seeks to explore and analyze the history and evolution of victimology; the causes and consequences of trauma and crime on victims and survivors including who is impacted and the systems response; and the developing field of victim advocacy including the history and nature of the victims’ rights movement, basic victims’ rights, communication and service provision, cultural and spiritual skills, and ethical issues.

Students enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in any field or concentration may earn a minor in Victimology and Victim Studies though the completion of four required courses and two electives. Students who currently, or seek to work in law enforcement, the courts, corrections and professional settings involving work with victims of crime, families of crime victims, victims of disaster and the community at large may pursue a certificate program in Victimology and Victim Studies through the completion of four required courses and four electives.

Requirements:
CRJ 362 Victimology
CRJ 370 Legal Issues in Victim’s Services
PSY 342 Counseling for Victims and Families
SWK 242 Introduction to Social Welfare
Two electives from one of four tracks (Generalist, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Victims, Elder Victims)

The Generalist Track Electives listed below or from other tracks:
CRJ 423 Race and Crime
CRJ xxx Disaster Victims
PSY422 Social Psychology
SWK307 Racial and Cultural Minorities
SWK322 Contemporary Social Issues
SWK323 Writing for the Courts

Domestic Violence Track Electives:
CRJ421 Gender Crime and Justice
CRJ422 Domestic Violence
CRJ xxx Victims’ Advocacy
CRJ xxx Sexual Assualt
HDS 490 Fostering Mental Health:  Supporting the Human Spirit
SWK408 Marriage and the Family

Juvenile Victims Track Electives:
CRJ410 Juvenile Justice
CRJ xxx Child Abuse
CRJ xxx Sexual Assualt
PSY207 Child Development
PSY215 Psychology of Adolescence
SWK348 Growth and Behavior and the Social Environment I
SWK350 Child Abuse, Family Preservation, and Permanency

Elder Victims Track Electives:
CRJ xxx Elder Abuse
CRJ xxx Fraud Against the Elderly
HDS101 The Individual and the Social Response to Stigma
NUS202 Human Dilemma:  Positive Outcomes of Grief and Loss
NUS204 Joys of Working with Older Adults
SWK349 Growth and Behavior and the Social Environment II

*Courses with xxx are under development

The security program is indisciplinary and draws upon courses from Criminal Justice, Business, paralegal studies, and fire science.  This minor is designed to offer more options for career decisions of students.  Security is a rapidly growing field and the private security field is out-numbering the public sector security field. The program is designed to provide students with an understanding of the historical foundation and emergence of private security; the principles of risk analysis and risk management and their implications for planning; the application of crisis management and emergency planning in order to safeguard personnel and a company’s assets; and the impact of issues related to crime prevention, both from criminological and criminal justice perspective at both the individual and community level.

This minor/certificate is designed to provide students with the basic understanding of the hardware and software applications that are utilized in computer forensics; the procedures for investigating computer crimes; the methodology of forensic data collection, evidence preservation and documentation; and the potential of the Internet as a tool for gathering data for computer and non-computer crimes.

Requirements:
CRJ 340 Cybercrime I: Legal Issues and Investigative Procedures
CRJ 341 Cybercrime II: Internet Vulnerabilities and Criminal Investigation
CRJ 342 Computer Forensics I: Data Storage and Recovery
CRJ 343 Computer Forensics II: Linux/Macintosh and Lab-based Acquisitions

For more information, please contact:
Elzbieta Manos
Chair, Division of Business, Law and Public Policy
(508) 849-3437
emanos@annamaria.edu