College Schools, Departments & Programs

Criminal Justice

Course Descriptions
  • CJUS-P 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Historical and philosophical background, structure, functions, and operation of the criminal justice system in the United States. Introduction to and principles of formal behavior control devices.
  • CJUS-P 150 Introductory Topics in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Introduction to a specific topic related to crime and justice. Topics vary each semester: see listing in the online Schedule of Classes. Credit will not count toward requirements of the major or minor. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • CJUS-X 170 Service Learning Experience in Criminal Justice (1 cr.) C: Enrollment in an approved criminal justice course and approval of instructor. Students work with community groups related to criminal justice issues. Requirements typically include training, weekly meetings with a community group, related readings, and written statements. Credit given for only one of X170 or P210.
  • CJUS-P 200 Theories of Crime and Deviance (3 cr.) Critical examination of biological, psychological, and sociological theories of crime and deviance. Examination of individual, group, and societal reactions to norm-violating behaviors.
  • CJUS-P 250 Issues in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Thorough review and analysis of issues currently facing the criminal justice system. Topics vary each semester: see listing in the online Schedule of Classes. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • CJUS-X 273 Internship Transfer Hours in Criminal Justice (1-3 cr.) Designed for students who want to transfer internship credit hours completed at another institution. Students currently enrolled at IU Bloomington cannot register for this class. Credit hours will not count toward requirements of the major or the minor. S/F grading. May be completed with different topics for a maximum of 3 credit hours in X273 and P281.
  • CJUS-P 290 The Nature of Inquiry (3 cr.) Introduction to research methodology, nature of scientific inquiry, research design, basic research methods, and presentation of research findings.
  • CJUS-K 300 Techniques of Data Analysis (3 cr.) P: MATH M014 or equivalent. K300 covers the properties of single variables, the measurement of association between pairs of variables, and statistical inference. Additional topics, such as the analyses of qualitative and aggregated data, address specific criminal justice concerns. Credit given for only one of K300, ANTH A306, ECON E370 or S370, MATH K300 or K310, POLS Y395, PSY K300 or K310, SOC S371, STAT K310 or S300 or S301, or SPEA K300.
  • CJUS-P 300 Topics in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Extensive analysis of selected topics and themes in criminal justice. Topics vary each semester; see listing in the online Schedule of Classes. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • CJUS-P 301 Police in Contemporary Society (3 cr.) Examination of the rules and responsibilities of the police, history of police organizations, relations between police and society, and determinants of police action.
  • CJUS-P 302 Courts and Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Structure, organization, composition, functions, and procedures of courts in the United States. Role of lawyers and judges in the criminal justice process.
  • CJUS-P 303 Corrections and Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Historical and comparative survey of prison confinement and the various alternatives within the scope of the criminal justice system’s policies and methods of implementation.
  • CJUS-P 304 Probation and Parole (3 cr.) Study of probation, parole, and community corrections as subsystems of criminal justice, including the police, courts, and prisons. Theoretical and historical developments will be considered along with current management and research issues.
  • CJUS-P 305 Deviant Images/Deviant Acts (3 cr.) Examines cross-cultural theories of deviance and crime. From witchcraft to social construction, study of theories of deviance in different historical and cultural contexts, this course focuses on ways in which theories explain nonconformity and justify social control.
  • CJUS-P 306 Drugs and Society (3 cr.) Analysis of the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that shape the use of consciousness-altering substances. Consideration of the way these factors influence the social and legal response to drug use.
  • CJUS-P 307 Policing Democracies (3 cr.) Policing an open society is a challenge that demands protecting as well as safeguarding individual liberty. Examines the issues of democratic policing by focusing on the U.S., India, and other democracies where plural, diverse and multi-religious populations present an extraordinary challenge of governance by democratic means.
  • CJUS-P 308 Gender and Crime (3 cr.) Course examines diverse perspectives which inform our understanding of how gender impacts crime, particularly sex crimes and domestic violence. Attention is given to social/cultural changes needed to reduce the incidence of these crimes. Students conduct independent research on selected topics pertinent to gender differences in crime perpetration and victimization.
  • CJUS-P 309 Preventing Antisocial Behavior (3 cr.) Examination of the vast array of prevention models and approaches in existence and exploration of new directions in antisocial behavior/crime prevention. The emphasis is on the implementation, evaluation, and critique of prevention strategies. Credit given for only one of P309 or P405.
  • CJUS-P 311 Private Security (3 cr.) Examines individuals, not-for-profit agencies, and corporations that supplement the efforts of the traditional criminal justice system. Private components of each major segment of the criminal justice system are explored. The course specifically highlights private policing, alternative dispute resolution, private prisons, and private juvenile centers.
  • CJUS-P 312 Child Maltreatment and the Law (3 cr.) Exploration of how the legal system defines what constitutes the major forms of child maltreatment deemed worthy of state intervention. Examination of the nature of families assumed problematic and how the state directly intervenes. The legal challenges faced by prevention efforts.
  • CJUS-P 314 Law and Social Science (3 cr.) Structure and operation of law, legal systems, and legal processes across both civil and criminal justice; the potential role of social science in aiding in understanding that law's creation and implementation, and the potential need for change. Credit given for only one of P314 or P202.
  • CJUS-P 316 Crime in the Movies (3 cr.) This course is designed to examine the way that crime and criminals have been portrayed throughout the last 80 years in popular movies. Crime has always been a favorite source of material for Hollywood, and we will be exploring the way that the depiction of criminal activity reflects the social mores of a particular era. Thus, this course draws from a variety of disciplines as we critique the films and analyze the messages they convey about crime and criminals in society.
  • CJUS-P 318 Gender, Crime, and Justice: A Global Perspective (3 cr.) Examines global perspectives on such topics as rape, domestic violence, gendercide, hate crimes, prostitution, human trafficking and incarceration. Discussion also includes theories of gender, media, social justice and current events.
  • CJUS-P 320 Foundations of Criminal Investigation (3 cr.) The pertinence to criminal investigation of physical evidence, people, and documents. Discussion of ethical problems, impact of legal systems on investigative process, and elements of effective testimony. Lectures and case materials.
  • CJUS-P 330 Criminal Justice Ethics (3 cr.) Study of major ethical theories with emphasis on their application to components of the criminal justice system. Personal and professional dilemmas and problem-solving strategies are emphasized.
  • CJUS-P 340 Law and Society: The Cross-Cultural Perspective (3 cr.) Roles of legal institutions and processes in social and cultural systems. Cross-cultural examination of the foundations and contexts of legal forms and content and their relation to social, economic, and political systems and institutions. Analysis of legal impact, legal change, and legal development.
  • CJUS-P 360 Psychology and the Law (3 cr.) Introduction to the use and misuse of psychology throughout the criminal justice system and its processes. The course also examines the psychological development of offenders, the psychological impact of crime on victims, and the role of psychology in enacting effective criminal justice policies.
  • CJUS-P 362 Sex Offenders (3 cr.) Examines a wide range of topics related to sex offenders, such as theories of deviance, sex crimes, sex addictions, pedophilia, adolescent offenders, rape and sexual assault, incest, legal responses, predator laws, risk assessment, and treatment. Content of interest to future investigators, prosecutors, police officers, and probation and treatment specialists.
  • CJUS-P 370 Criminal Law (3 cr.) Definition of common crimes in the United States and factors involving the application of criminal law as a formal social control mechanism. Behavior-modifying factors that influence criminal liability and problems created when new offenses are defined.
  • CJUS-P 371 Criminal Procedure (3 cr.) Fundamental legal problems of criminal justice system processes. Emphasis on pretrial and trial phases of American system procedures.
  • CJUS-X 371 Teaching Internship (1-3 cr.) P: Minimum overall GPA of 3.300, permission of the instructor, and consent of department chair. Supervised experience in assisting in an undergraduate course. Discussion of good teaching practices. Students will complete a project related to the aims of the course in which they are assisting. Students and instructor will complete a form agreeing on responsibilities at the beginning of the relevant semester. S/F grading. May be repeated for a maximum of 3 credit hours in X371 and P497.
  • CJUS-P 375 American Juvenile Justice System (3 cr.) Structure and operation of the juvenile justice system in the United States, past and present. Analysis of the duties and responsibilities of the juvenile police officer, the juvenile court judge, and the juvenile probation officer.
  • CJUS-P 380 Dispute Management (3 cr.) This course examines the processes through which individuals and groups publicly manage and settle their conflicts. Concentration on the processes of negotiation, mediation, and adjudication. Types of social and cultural situations in which these processes are used and developed to settle disputes. Processes that are most effective in settling particular types of disputes.
  • CJUS-P 381 History of Social Control in the United States (3 cr.) Historical survey of ways in which Americans have tried to introduce social stability and curtail disorder within a democratic context. Includes changing definitions of deviance; development of institutions, such as prisons, mental hospitals, schools, and juvenile courts; moral reform movements; and the emergence of the corporate state.
  • CJUS-P 399 Reading for Honors (1-6 cr.) P: Approval of departmental honors advisor. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • CJUS-P 400 Extreme Punishment (3 cr.) Examines the legal, empirical and normative issues raised by extreme forms of punishment. Challenges students to rethink their instinctive reactions against certain extreme forms of punishment, some of which may initially seem repulsive.
  • CJUS-P 401 Environmental Justice (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary course on comparative justice focuses on critical issues in a range of continents, communities, and cultures. Examines the changing dynamics of law, crime, ecology, and social activism at local, regional, and global levels.
  • CJUS-P 402 Criminal Careers (3 cr.) Law-abiding citizens have careers that can be intermittent or careers that last a lifetime. Criminal behavior (or "criminal careers") follows a similar pattern. This course identifies and examines why individuals have distinct criminal careers and the policy implications of the criminal–career approach.
  • CJUS-P 403 Developmental Criminology (3 cr.) Examination of the development of antisocial behavior and offending, the bio-psychosocial risk and protective factors at different ages, and the effects of life events on the course of development.
  • CJUS-P 406 Unequal Justice (3 cr.) Focuses on controversial issues related to the intersection of race and criminal justice practice. Readings and class discussions examine racial disparities in criminal sentencing, racial profiling, high rates of incarceration among African American men and women, and acts of police violence against racial minorities.
  • CJUS-P 407 Terrorism (3 cr.) Terrorism is a serious challenge today and its policing demands varied responses. In this course we study how terrorists evolve and carry out their operations. The course will analyze police responses and debate the issues of legal boundaries and systems of checks and balances using case studies.
  • CJUS-P 408 Mass Imprisonment (3 cr.) From 1970 to 2010, the United States quintupled its prison population. This course investigates the factors (cultural, legal, political, and economic) that led to the incarceration boom and provides students with the empirical and normative tools to evaluate its causes and consequences.
  • CJUS-P 409 Capstone Course in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) P: Senior standing or advanced Criminal Justice student. Designed to help students synthesize prior coursework and to promote an active and practical engagement with a range of criminal justice issues.
  • CJUS-P 411 Criminal Justice Management (3 cr.) Examination of the ideas and concepts from various disciplines contributing to modern administrative theory, and translation of these insights to the management of criminal justice agencies.
  • CJUS-P 412 Sex, Drugs, AIDS, and Criminal Law (3 cr.) An ethnographic and legal analysis of the AIDS epidemic and its implications for criminal justice. Consideration of the institutional, scientific, and symbolic dimensions of the epidemic and of ethnographic research regarding illegal behaviors, and the transmission of HIV.
  • CJUS-P 413 Police-Community Relations (3 cr.) Examination of the relations between police and urban communities. Consideration of the social, economic, and political factors that shape these relations and alternative approaches to improving police-community relations.
  • CJUS-P 414 Adolescents and the Law (3 cr.) Examination of the place of adolescents in American law and policy. Consideration of adolescents’ rights, limits to these rights, and their relationship to socio-cultural images of adolescents.
  • CJUS-P 415 Crime and Madness (3 cr.) The study of the chronic mentally ill and of career criminals. Examination of the groups so labeled, the responses of the criminal justice and mental health systems to them, and their movement back and forth between the streets, prisons, and psychiatric centers.
  • CJUS-P 416 Capital Punishment (3 cr.) Consideration of issues raised by the use of the death penalty in the United States. Emphasis on critical thinking and open dialogue.
  • CJUS-P 417 Urban Crime Patterns (3 cr.) Perspectives from sociology and urban geography are used to analyze urban crime. Emphasis on urban spatial structure and its impact on crime rates, crime patterns, criminal behavior, and social ecology.
  • CJUS-P 418 Street Crime (3 cr.) Examination of a variety of street crimes. Consideration of acts so labeled, their incidence, participants, context, and manner of commission.
  • CJUS-P 419 Race, Class, and Crime (3 cr.) Examination of the contemporary realities associated with race and crime. Consideration of the social, political, and economic factors that shape the life chances of American minorities; theories of minority crime causation; minorities in the criminal justice system; definitional problems associated with concepts of race and crime.
  • CJUS-P 420 Violence in the Black Community (3 cr.) Analysis of the causes and consequences of interpersonal violence among African Americans. Analysis of various social factors (e.g., racial discrimination, female-headed families, drug abuse, conceptions of masculinity) that contribute to this problem.
  • CJUS-P 421 Crime Prevention: Environmental Techniques (3 cr.) Analysis of criminal behavior and victimization from the perspective of environmental criminology. Examination of situational techniques that may be applied for their prevention.
  • CJUS-P 423 Sexuality and the Law (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary analysis of topics pertaining to sexuality and the law. Examination of legal and cultural debates regarding sexual images and acts, the criminalization of motherhood, the international prostitution industry, and mass rape.
  • CJUS-P 425 Women and the Criminal Justice System (3 cr.) Examines the extent of participation and the role of women in all aspects of the criminal justice system. Topics include women as offenders, victims, prisoners, parolees, probationers, and as professionals (law enforcement officers, lawyers, judges, and correction and parole officers) in the legal system. Readings are interdisciplinary and include an intersectional approach in recognition that the term "women" encompasses individuals from diverse race, ethnic, class, and sexual orientations. Professionals from criminal justice agencies may participate in class discussions.
  • CJUS-P 426 Juvenile Delinquency (3 cr.) Focuses on the critical analysis of the impact of significant individual, social, and institutional influences on delinquency including the family, delinquent peer groups, schools, and the community to respond to the question, “What causes juveniles to break the law?”
  • CJUS-P 427 Girls, Violence, and Antisocial Behavior (3 cr.) Investigates the causes and consequences of girls’ involvement in antisocial behavior, in particular violent offenses, and potential intervention and treatment.
  • CJUS-P 428 Police Misconduct (3 cr.) Examines the cause and consequences of three types of police behavior (the decision to arrest, use of force, and police deviance) drawing from empirical literature from criminology, criminal justice, sociology, public administration, and psychology.
  • CJUS-P 429 Crime Mapping (3 cr.) The application of crime mapping to problems ranging from terrorism trafficking, illicit drug activity, and everyday crimes. Students develop skills in GIS analysis, analyzing crime patterns in terms of related social, economic, political demographic, and physical features under the rubric of Environmental Criminology and Geographical Profiling.
  • CJUS-P 430 Law and the Legal System (3 cr.) Readings from fiction, history, sociology, and anthropology that illuminate English Common Law and its American adaptations. Supreme Court process, judicial review and judicial restraint, and the role of the judiciary in creating as well as reflecting social change. May address contemporary controversies before the courts.
  • CJUS-P 431 Social Structure and Violence (3 cr.) Examines patterns and causes of variation in violence rates. Discussion of what is unique about the scientific study and measurement of violence. Demographic, temporal, and spatial patterns of violence and discussion of several potential causes of these patterns.
  • CJUS-P 432 Defending the Accused (3 cr.) Defense attorneys are polarizing figures: seen as protecting individuals' rights and the innocent from the power of the state, or viewed as lacking moral scruples while knowingly representing the guilty. This class examines the basis of those conceptions and how they relate to the right to counsel.
  • CJUS-P 439 Seminar in Corrections (3 cr.) P: P290, K300. Seminar on selected topics in corrections, correctional theory, or pertinent current issues.
  • CJUS-P 440 Privacy, Law and Security (3 cr.) Exploration of the legal underpinnings of the concept of privacy and their role in ensuring individual and civic security.
  • CJUS-P 444 Victimization (3 cr.) P: P290, K300 or consent of department. The extent and nature of victimization (generally and for specific population subgroups), the effects of crime on victims and the services available to deal with those effects, the experiences of victims in the criminal justice system, the victims’ rights movement, and alternative ways of defining and responding to victimization.
  • CJUS-P 450 Pleas, Trials, and Sentences (3 cr.) P: P290, K300 or consent of department. Examines nature and roles of jury trials and pleas in the disposition of criminal cases, with attention to issues of jury decision making, the role of case pressure in plea bargaining, outcomes for defendants and society, and alternatives to plea-dominated systems. Historical and comparative dimensions are considered.
  • CJUS-P 457 Seminar on White-Collar Crime (3 cr.) The nature and incidence of white-collar crime. In addition to studying the etiological theories relating to white-collar crime, the course will also focus on both the criminal and civil (regulatory) processes used to control corporate, organizational, and elite misconduct.
  • CJUS-P 458 Wrongful Conviction (3 cr.) Investigates the factors associated with wrongful convictions and discusses possible remedies for minimizing such miscarriages of justice. The goal of this course is to systematically describe, explain, analyze and evaluate the factors associated with, and the consequences of, the wrongful prosecution, conviction, and incarceration of the innocent in the American criminal justice system. Includes a review of actual allegations of innocence by inmates currently in our prisons, and case studies of wrongly convicted individuals who have been exonerated.
  • CJUS-P 460 Public Control of Deviant Behavior (3 cr.) Description and etiology of selected deviant behavior patterns of a criminal or quasi-criminal nature.
  • CJUS-P 461 Lethality: Homicide and Self-Destruction (3 cr.) An interdisciplinary approach to the study of suicide and homicide, drawing on the contributions of criminology, psychology, anthropology, and sociology. Empirical literature relating to theories of homicide and self-destruction.
  • CJUS-P 462 Child Abuse and Neglect (3 cr.) Cultural, societal, and personal components that lead to child abuse. Approaches to treatment and prevention.
  • CJUS-P 474 Law, Crime, and Justice in Post-Soviet Russia (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary course examines how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are being influenced by the forces of transition. Analysis of Russian crime, including corruption, patterns of interpersonal violence, human trafficking, and drug use. Last section focuses on the Russian criminal justice system, including juvenile justice, policing, and prisons.
  • CJUS-X 477 Field Experience in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) P: Permission of instructor, including approval of project. Field experience with directed readings and writing. I Sem., II Sem., SS. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in X477 and P481.
  • CJUS-P 482 The Family and Formal Control Systems in America (3 cr.) P: P290, K300 or consent of instructor. Interdisciplinary examination of family factors in the causation, prevention, and correction of norm-violating behavior (juvenile delinquency, intrafamilial violence, etc.). Relationships between American family structures and social control systems.
  • CJUS-X 490 Individual Readings and Projects (1-6 cr.) P: Consent of instructor and chairperson. Individual study project under guidance of faculty member or committee. Students and instructor will complete a form agreeing on responsibilities at the beginning of the relevant semester. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in X490 and P495. I Sem., II Sem., SS.
  • CJUS-P 493 Seminar in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Intensive study and analysis of selected problems in criminal justice. Topics will vary. May be repeated for a total of 9 credit hours with different topics.
  • CJUS-X 498 Research in Criminal Justice (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor and chairperson. Active participation in a research project and related activities under the direction of a faculty member. Students and instructor will complete a form agreeing on responsibilities at the beginning of the relevant semester. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in X498 and P496.
  • CJUS-P 499 Senior Honors Thesis (3-6 cr.) P: Consent of departmental honors advisor. Honors thesis to be written under direction of a faculty member. Oral examination over thesis conducted by three faculty members. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours.