Contra Costa College
Course Outline
Department & Number
Course Title
Prerequisite
Challenge Policy
Co-requisite
Challenge Policy
Advisory
ADJUS 122
Criminal Procedures
None
*HOURS BY ARRANGEMENT:
Number of Weeks
Lecture Hours By Term
Lab Hours By Term
*Hours By Arrangement
Units
18
54
3
Hours per term.
ACTIVITIES: (Please provide a list of the activities students will perform in order to satisfy the HBA requirement):
COURSE/CATALOG DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the origin, development, philosophy, and legal basis of criminal procedures in
California. It will include an overview of procedural law, case law, and constitutional law governing arrest; use of
force, motions, rules of discovery and applicable rules of evidence, the California court system, California grand jury
system, pretrial court procedures, adult trial procedures, juvenile trial procedures, sentencing and the appellate
process. Not repeatable
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the completion of the course the student will be able to:
Identify laws of arrest and use of force as defined in procedural statutes, case law, constitutional law, and other
applicable rules. (Laws of Arrest – LD#15)
Identify and describe custodial procedures as it relates to legal commitment to custody, taking of personal property,
search and treatment of prisoners, and prisoner rights. (Custody – LD#31)
Describe the four levels of courts in the California court system including areas of general and original jurisdiction
and the selection/election process for judges/justices.
List various charging documents applicable to each court level in the California court system.
Recite the arraignment process in both the inferior court level and the superior court level. The student will also gain
an understanding of the various applicable due process time lines in reference to in-custody and out-of-custody
defendants.
Describe the preliminary hearing process and the standard of proof required for successful bind over from the inferior
court level to superior court.
Identify the function of the California grand jury system.
Describe various motions that can be taken by the prosecution and the defense during the course of judicial
proceedings from point of arrest through final adjudication. The student will also give examples of discovery
motions.
Explain the purpose and function of the plea bargaining process plus other alternatives to trial.
Describe the jury trial process. This includes jury selection, prosecution’s case-in-chief, witness testimony, marking
exhibits/evidence, motions, defense case-in-chief, rebuttal testimony, jury instructions, deliberations, verdict,
sentencing, and appeals.
Identify the California Juvenile Court System, applicable procedural statutes in the Welfare and Institutions Code and
applicable juvenile case law.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Differentiate between consensual contact, detention and probable cause to arrest.
Apply ethical decision making to arrest situations
Differentiate between the two routes through the accusatory process.
Describe each stage of a criminal trial and the role of the defense, prosecution and judge at each stage.
COURSE CONTENT (Lecture):
Agencies of the Justice System
Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution
Reasonable/Probable Cause
Arrest
Fourth Amendment Rights
Criminal incident through first Court appearance
Local, State, and Federal Courts
The jury system
The trial participants
The criminal trial process
The sentencing process
The appeal process
COURSE CONTENT (Lab):
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
Lecture (Live or Online)
Discussions (Live or Online)
Group assignments
Guest speakers
Research assignments
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:
NOTE: To be UC/CSU transferable, the text must be dated within the last 7 years OR a statement of justification for a text beyond the
last 7 years must be included.
Textbook Title:
Author:
Publisher:
Edition/Date:
Textbook Reading Level:
Justification Statement:
Criminal Procedures
Worrall
Pearson Publishing
1st/ 2013
13
OUTSIDE OF CLASS WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:
Title 5, section 55002.5 establishes that a range of 48 -54hours of lecture, study, or lab work is required for one unit of credit.
For each hour of lecture, students should be required to spend an additional two hours of study outside of class to earn one
unit of credit.
 State mandates that sample assignments must be included on the Course Outline of Record.
Outside of Class Weekly Assignments
Weekly Reading Assignments (Include detailed assignment below, if applicable)
Hours per week
2
Read one chapter per week and take the homework quiz associated with that chapter. After the quiz is graded look
up your wrong answers and retake the quiz.
Weekly Writing Assignments (Include detailed assignment below, if applicable)
The student will complete eight case brief during the semester.
Weekly Math Problems (Include detailed assignment below, if applicable)
1.5
Lab or Software Application Assignments (Include detailed assignment below, if applicable)
1.5
The student will complete a weekly homework quiz associated with each chapter of the book. After the quiz is
graded, the student looks up the material associated with the questions they missed and retakes the quiz. The student
will use this material to prepare for the midterm and final exam.
Other Performance Assignments (Include detailed assignment below, if applicable)
1
The student will spend 6 hours observing local court cases and will identify the stage of trial and develop a case
study for each observation.
STUDENT EVALUATION: (Show percentage breakdown for evaluation instruments)
50
10
20
20
%
%
%
%
Testing
Participation/ Discussion
Case Briefs
Trial Court Case Study
GRADING POLICY: (Choose LG, P/NP, or SC)
Pass / No Pass
x Letter Grade
90% - 100% = A
80% - 89% = B
70% - 79% = C
60% - 69% = D
Below 60% = F
Prepared by: R. Ramos
Date: 11/4/13
Revised form 10/13
70% and above = Pass
Below 70% = No Pass
Student Choice
90% - 100% = A
80% - 89% = B
70% - 79% = C
60% - 69% = D
Below 60% = F
or
70% and above = Pass
Below 70% = No Pass