The study of criminal justice includes exploration of our system of legislation, the courts, and corrections involving jails, prisons, probation, and parole. It traces the process of arrest, evidence collection, prosecution and defense of the accused, sentencing and incarceration and supervision of those found guilty of criminal offenses.

The Major in Criminal Justice (33 credit hours)

Starting fall semester 2011 both a BA and BS degree with a 33-hour major in Criminal Justice are available. This major offers students the flexibility to add a minor area of study; the 18 hours minors in sociology and psychology are good choices that complement the CRJ major.

Required CRJ major courses:

CRJ 2070 Intro to Criminal Justice
CRJ 3080 Criminology CRJ
3320 Corrections in America
CRJ 3340 Intro to Criminal Investigations S
OC 3400 Cultural Diversity
CRJ 3410 Criminal Law
CRJ 3420 Constitutional Law
CRJ 4600 Research Methods in CRJ
POS 3500 The American Judicial System
CRJ 4050 Internship
COM 4350 Conflict Management
CRJ/SOC/POS Electives as advised

The required internship will expose students to professional settings in which they can learn how classroom concepts are applied in the work setting, and practice the skills needed for future employment in their field. Potential internship sites include local law practices, nearby prisons, county or city jails, and public or private probation/parole facilities.

Careers in Criminal Justice

The US Department of Labor reports that such a degree is expected to grow by 18% over the 2006-2016 decade, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Increased population growth and security-conscious society are driving demand. The 33-hour Criminal Justice major will provide academic preparation for occupations such as police, paralegal, detectives, investigators, security guards, gaming surveillance officers, social workers, pre-law, federal jobs, private sector security job, and correctional officers.

Faculty

• Mr. Rick Crawford, Assistant Professor of Political Science, J.D. Georgia State University School of Law, M.A. Political Science, Georgia State University. Mr. Crawford has practiced law for 20 years and currently serves as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, a position to which he was first elected in 2006.
  
  
• Dr. Barsha Damron, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia, with specialization in the areas of American government and political theory.
  
  
• Mr. Steve Cox, Adjunct Instructor of Criminal Justice, J.D. University of Georgia School of Law. Mr. Cox has served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Floyd County District Attorney’s Office since 1987.