CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• Define key terms related to the justice system
• Discuss the role of the justice system in responding to crime
• Explain the criminal justice process
• Examine the various levels of government that are a part of the justice system
• Analyze goals of the justice system

CATEGORIES, MEASUREMENT, AND THEORIES OF CRIME

• Define categories of crime
• Describe how crimes are measured
• Identify problems with measuring crime
• Compare and contrast theories of crime

CRIMINAL LAW

• Define types of crime
• Identify sources and types of law
• Examine elements that must be present for a crime to be said to have occurred
• Describe features of crime
• Examine arguments used in defending against a criminal indictment
• Discuss the impact of previous systems of laws on how our laws are currently structured

BASICS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Define terms associated with law enforcement
• Describe levels of law enforcement
• Examine the justice system
• Examine innovations in policing
• Discuss expectations of law enforcement
• Describe policing styles
• Examine police subculture
• Evaluate past and current functions of law enforcement
• Examine the impact that history has had on the present system of law enforcement
• Examine issues of gender and race as related to law enforcement

LEGAL ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Define key terms related to policing
• Describe the different types of force that can be used by police
• Identify challenges to traditional policing
• Discuss symptoms of and solutions to police stress and burnout
• Examine the Fourth Amendment
• Describe various procedural laws

ORGANIZATION OF COURTS

• Define key terms related to the court system
• Trace the history of the courts
• Describe the development of the jury
• Chart the organization of the courts
• Define the roles of members present in a courtroom

ADJUDICATION

• Define key terms related to the justice system
• Define key terms related to corrections and capital punishment
• Differentiate among the types of plea bargaining arrangements
• Describe the steps in the trial process
• Examine rights afforded to defendants in a criminal trial
• Describe the types of sentences that a defendant can receive
• Describe capital punishment
• Compare and contrast the pros and cons of capital punishment
• Identify issues that arise in most courts

HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS

• Define key terms related to the courts and the prison system
• Map the history of control before prisons
• Map the history of prisons in America
• Examine the impact that history has had on the present prison system in the United States
• Explain how prisons have evolved
• Explain the differences between prisons and jail
• Compare private and public prisons

PRISON LIFE AND ALTERNATIVE SANCTIONS

• Define key terms related to the courts and the prison system
• Describe the relationship between courts and prisons
• Discuss various elements of prison life and the subcultures that exist within prisons
• Identify the goals of the criminal justice system
• Examine alternative programs established for offenders

JUVENILES IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

• Define key terms related to the juvenile justice system
• Map the historical treatment of children and the juvenile justice system in the United States
• Explain the differences between adult and juvenile justice systems
• Examine the impact that history has had on the American juvenile justice system
• Examine current issues in the juvenile justice system

DRUGS AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

• Define drug abuse and other crimes
• Discuss how illegal drug use is being addressed in the United States
• Map the history of drug use and drug laws in the United States
• Evaluate the effectiveness of programs to address illegal drug use in the United States

PURPOSE AND SOURCES OF CRIMINAL LAW

• Define types of crime
• Define types of law
• Discuss the purpose of law
• Compare and contrast the differences between criminal law and other forms of law
• Describe the U.S. federal system of laws (the U.S. Code)
• Examine the efforts made in the U.S. to standardize American criminal law between jurisdictions
• Define stare decisis
• Debate the notion that stare decisis is an inexorable command

CRIMINAL LIABILITY

• Define terms related to criminal liability and the elements of crime
• Define corpus delicti
• Describe the adversarial system
• Discuss elements of crime
• Describe how negligence can occur
• Evaluate whether simple negligence can provide the basis for criminal liability
• Determine what constitutes the corpus delicti of an offense

EXTENDING CRIMINAL LIABILITY

• Define terms related to criminal liability
• Define inchoate crimes
• Identify elements of the crime of attempt
• Compare conspiracy and criminal solicitation
• Explain the common law categories used to describe parties to a crime
• Examine what constitutes a "substantial step" toward commission of a target offense
• Describe when a private corporation can be held liable for the crime of homicide

DEFENSES

• Define terms related to criminal defenses
• Describe the nature of defenses
• Illustrate categories of justifications and excuses as defenses
• Examine when deadly force can be used as a claim of self-defense
• Debate the use of the "battered woman's" defense
• Analyze what constitutes entrapment by government agents

INSANITY

• Define insanity
• Map the history of the insanity defense
• Explain how competency to stand trial is assessed today
• Examine insanity as a defense

PERSONAL CRIME: HOMICIDE

• Define death as a legal term
• Identify types of criminal homicide
• Classify categories of murder and manslaughter
• Examine statutes regarding the crime of aiding in a suicide
• Analyze the differences between murder and involuntary manslaughter

PERSONAL CRIME: ASSAULT, BATTERY, AND OTHER PERSONAL CRIMES

• Define terms related to types of personal crime
• Discuss different types of assault
• Differentiate between assault, battery, and aggravated battery
• Identify laws designed to protect individuals from personal crimes
• Debate what constitutes the crime of stalking

PROPERTY AND COMPUTER CRIMES

• Define theft
• Identify wrongful acquisition crimes
• Summarize the definitions and principles of crimes of theft
• Describe elements and types of burglary
• Identify types of computer crime
• Discuss computer crime laws and enforcement agencies
• Analyze what constitutes the crime of computer tampering

CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND THE GOVERNMENT

• Define public order offenses
• Identify three categories of social order crimes
• Discuss different public order offenses
• Identify categories of crimes against the administration of government
• Summarize crimes against the administration of government
• Debate issues related to public conduct and the law

CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC DECENCY AND MORALITY

• Define victimless crimes
• Identify categories of crimes against public decency and morality
• Discuss crimes against public decency and morality
• Analyze laws that regulate public decency and morality
• Determine when laws related to the transfer of computer-generated information have been violated

VICTIMS AND THE LAW

• Define terms related to criminal law and victim's rights
• Define the word victim
• Explain how criminal victimization is measured in the United States
• Map the history of laws that have addressed the needs of victims
• Debate the constitutionality of notoriety-for-profit laws

PUNISHMENT AND SENTENCING

• Define terms related to criminal punishment and sentencing
• Explain primary sentencing rationales
• Illustrate ways to impose criminal sanctions
• Debate the issue of capital punishment
• Summarize hate crime laws
• Examine factors that a jury might consider in determining if the death penalty is an appropriate sentence

RECOGNIZING ETHICAL DECISIONS

• Define morality
• Define critical thinking
• Recognize values
• Recognize ethical decisions
• Explain the origins of moral rules
• Explain how ethical decisions affect others
• Summarize how critical thinking is related to ethics
• Differentiate between morals and ethics

VIRTUE ETHICS

• Define virtue
• Define moral virtue
• Explain the history of virtue ethics
• Describe the Socratic Method of teaching
• Identify the hierarchy of goods
• Explain the philosophy of Stoicism
• Differentiate between stoicism and hedonism
• Interpret Aristotle's views of moral virtue
• Explain approaches to evaluating ethical dilemmas

FORMALISM

• Define deontological ethics
• Define categorical imperative
• Define practical imperative
• Explain Kantian ethics
• Discuss how the philosophy of categorical imperative is thought to guide all conduct
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of Kant's philosophy regarding ethics
• Distinguish between virtue ethics and formalism

UTILITARIANISM

• Define terms related to utilitarianism
• Explain the central principle of utility
• Paraphrase John Mill's ethical perspective as related to pain and pleasure
• Illustrate the differences between motivation and consequences
• Explain utilitarianism
• Articulate criticisms of utilitarianism

CRIME AND LAW

• Define virtue ethics
• Discuss the consensus view and conflict view of criminal law
• Differentiate between what is illegal and what is immoral
• Examine the four major approaches to explaining criminal behavior

ETHICAL THEORIES, CRIME, AND LAW

• Define virtue ethics
• Define formalism
• Define utilitarianism
• Differentiate between virtue ethics, formalism, and utilitarianism in terms of similarities and differences
• Examine how laws reinforce existing moral beliefs of citizens

POLICE: HOW SHOULD LAW BE ENFORCED?

• Define terms related to law enforcement and ethics
• Identify the three forms of police corruption
• Describe the ethical challenges facing police when performing investigations and surveillance
• Discuss ethics in relation to procedural law
• Identify where ethics influences police corruption
• Explain the Miranda warning and how it relates to ethics
• Examine the ethics of lying in court

COURTS: HOW OUGHT A CASE BE ADJUDICATED

• Define two kinds of judicial decisions
• Describe the role of the defense attorney and prosecutor
• Explain what constitutes ethical behavior of the prosecution and the defense
• Discuss ethical issues within a trial
• Analyze the moral responsibility that attorneys have to protect others

PUNISHMENT AND CORRECTIONS

• Define key concepts related to the ethics of punishment
• Identify ethical problems within sentencing
• Restate ethics of corporal punishment
• Discuss the ethics of innovative penalties
• Express ethical issues involved with capital punishment

LIABILITY

• Define key concepts related to the consequences of unethical conduct
• Describe ways to test individual ethical conduct
• Identify civil remedies for ethical misconduct
• Debate ethical versus unethical behavior in corporations and government
• Analyze ethical dilemmas and determine the consequences

THE FUTURE: MORE OR LESS ETHICAL

• Define "scarcity mentality"
• Identify ethical decisions
• Explain how ethical decisions affect others
• Examine the moral permissibility of a course of action
• Apply ethical principles to a moral decision

BEING ETHICAL WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING

• Define ethical behavior
• Identify the frequency of making ethical decisions in everyday life
• Develop a code of ethics to assist one in making ethical decisions
• Examine the moral permissibility of an ethical decision

Note: This program can be completed in 6 months. However, students will have online access to this program for a 24-month period.