Criminal Justice Program
The Criminal Justice program is designed to prepare students in law enforcement, corrections, and related fields. This program covers various aspects of criminal behavior, legal processes, and the functioning of law enforcement agencies through a diverse set of core and elective courses as follows:
Introduction to Criminal Justice provides an overview of the criminal justice system, covering its primary components: law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Students will learn about the justice sytem, from arrest to sentencing, and current challenges facing the courts. In the criminology course, students explore the causes of crime, examining theories of criminal behavior and the societal impacts of crime. Topics include biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives on why individuals commit crimes and the methods used to study criminal behavior.
Criminal Law delves into substantive criminal law, focusing on the legal definitions, elements of crimes, and defenses. Students will study case law to understand how laws are applied and interpreted, gaining insights into the legal principles that govern criminal acts. Students in the Criminal Procedure course learn about the procedural rules that govern the criminal justice process. Topics include the rights of the accused, the rules of evidence, and the procedures for arrests, searches, seizures, and interrogations, emphasizing the constitutional protections afforded to individuals.
Legal Program Certficates
Certificate in Cybercrime: This certificate addresses the growing need for professionals trained in the prevention and investigation of computer-related crimes. The curriculum includes courses on digital forensics, cybersecurity, and the legal issues surrounding cybercrime. Students learn to detect, analyze, and combat cyber threats, preparing them for roles in law enforcement agencies, private security firms, and corporate cybersecurity departments.
Certificate in Criminal Investigation: This certificate program provides advanced training in the methodologies and techniques used in criminal investigations. Students learn about crime scene management, evidence collection, forensic interviewing, and investigative report writing. Topics include crime scene management, evidence collection, interview and interrogation techniques, and the use of technology in criminal investigations. Advanced Criminological Theory provides an in-depth analysis of criminological theories, exploring their application to contemporary issues in criminal justice. Students will critically evaluate various theoretical perspectives and their implications for policy and practice.
Law Tests - Free Practice!
This section offers practice tests in several subject areas. Each of the following multiple-choice tests has 10 questions to work on. No sign-up required, just straight to the test.
Paralegal Education
Paralegals assist attorneys by reducing case loads, investigating the facts of cases, interviewing clients and witnesses, and performing legal research. A paralegal may draft pleadings, deposition notices, subpoenas, briefs, and other legal documents. Further, job duties may include filing documents with the court, and assisting at hearings, administrative proceedings, and court trials. Paralegals cannot give legal advice, represent a client in court, establish legal fees, or sign any legal documents. Paralegals generally possess at a minimum, a 2-year associates degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a paralegal certificate.
Paralegals must develop an understanding of legal terminology, and the rules of legal procedure. They must have excellent organizational skills in order to manage case files and multiple exhibits. Communication skills are paramount because paralegals must interact with clients, experts, court personnel and attorneys. Strong research and writing skills are necessary in drafting pleadings, research memos, and other documents.
Vehicle Searches
Inside view of drug busts, including one man who was hiding paraphernalia in his shoe, and one woman who had multiple different substances in her vehicle.
Officer Patrol
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Limit your answers to giving your name, and required documents.
Prison Gangs
Get an inside look into gang life in prison in this Behind Bars compilation, featuring several fights that break out with rival gangs, and a shakedown that uncovers one inmate's secret gang affiliation.
O.J. Simpson Trial
O.J. Simpson appears to struggle to put on one of the gloves recovered from the crime scene, which would lead Johnnie Cochran to famously quip in closing arguments, 'If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.'
Copyright Protections
There are two ways to demonstrate the similarity of an allegedly infringing work and the original copyrighted work. 'Fragmented literal similarity' may be shown by demonstrating that the infringing work contains specific copied elements of the original work. For example, in today’s music scene, certain genres of music use samples of previous sound recordings that are then mixed into a new sound recording. Unless the artist doing the sampling licenses the sound recording, and maybe the underlying musical work as well, the sampling could be considered infringing on the original artist's copyrights. Similarly, a composer of a song might write lyrics and music that closely mimics a particular song, even though he or she did not use the exact same words and notes.
In this case, the burden of proof would lie on the originator to prove that the similarity was close enough to their work to establish damages. In this case, infringing a copyrighted recording can carry significant penalties. The copyright owner has the right to recoup damages and lost profits from infringement. There are two kinds of damages that may be awarded, actual and statutory. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for example, was awarded major damages due to willful statutory infringement of copyrighted songs that she had uploaded music sharing site, Kazaa.
Sometimes, though, the copyright owner’s most important remedy for infringement will be an injunction that forces the infringer to stop illegal actions that cause continuing damage to their rights. The grounds for getting that injunction, however, have tightened in recent years and now require the plaintiff, or copyright owner, to provide substantial evidence of infringement.
Criminal Law vs Civil Law
Criminal law addresses behaviors that are offenses against the public, society, or state. Examples of criminal law offenses include assault, drunk driving, and theft. In contrast, civil laws address behavior that causes an injury to the private rights of individuals in areas such as child support, divorce, contracts, property, and the person. Examples of civil law offenses include libel, slander, or contract breaches. Criminal ases are only initiated by the government in response to a law being broken. The prosecution is an attorney, or group of attorneys, hired by the government to present a case against the accused. In contrast, private parties initiate civil cases when they feel that someone has injured them. The person, group, or business who initiates the case is referred to as the plaintiff or complainant. The accused is referred to as the defendant, in both criminal and civil proceedings.
Typically, there is a difference in the burden of proof for the two types of cases. In a criminal case, the defendant must be proven guilty 'beyond a reasonable doubt.' In a civil case, the defendant must be proven liable through a “preponderance of the evidence.” In other words, the prosecution in a civil case must prove that it is more probable than not that the defendant is liable. In criminal cases, the defendant is entitled to an attorney and may be appointed an attorney if he or she is not able to afford one. The state appoints the attorney. In contrast, all parties involved in a civil case are required to secure their own legal representation.
Civil and criminal laws use different terminology, and being found guilty or accountable in each type of case results in different consequences. In a civil action (lawsuit), the plaintiff is the person who is alleging that he or she has actually been harmed, and the defendant is the one who is asked to pay damages or otherwise compensate the plaintiff. Outside of financial compensation, the plaintiff may be ordered to do something or refrain from doing something, which is referred to as injunctive relief.