Amber R. Gaines
FYE - Wansink
Criminal
Justice
WHAT IS CRIMINAL JUSTICE?
The criminal justice system is the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime
and impose penalties on those who violate laws. There is no single criminal justice system in the United States
but rather many similar, individual systems that have five components:
 Law Enforcement
 Prosecution
 Defense Attorneys
 Courts
 Corrections
This offers extensive opportunities for jobs and careers of graduates who major in Criminal Justice that offer
a substantial income starting from $38,000, and even more for those with a minor in other areas such as
psychology and sociology.
THE HISTORY OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The basis of our Criminal Justice system is highly influenced by English law and customs that
spread from the settlement people of Colonial America.
 Modern police forces began with Alfred the Great, an English king who ruled within the seventh century. Families
that swore their allegiance to Alfred organized patrols in their regions, and appointed an official to oversee them
which was called the “reeve” of the shire, later called a sheriff as we know today. Later on, between the American
Revolution and Civil Wars, population growth and industrialization spurred the development of metropolitan
police departments.
THE HISTORY OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE (CONT.)
Modern-day courts can date themselves back to the Pre-Revolutionary courts of
America, which followed the laws of Great Britain.
The American court system was plotted out by the U.S. Constitution that the states adopted in
1787.
 Fifth Amendment
 Sixth Amendment
 Fourth amendment
 Fifteenth amendment.
THE HISTORY OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE (CONT.)
Apart from our current ways of corrections, during Colonial times, the British penal system was used,
which relied heavily on punishment and execution.
During the 1800s, more states turned to imprisoning offenders rather than executing them or subjecting them
to whipping, pillorying, or the stockade. Soon, the idea of reforming criminals took hold but was short lived
as by the mid-1800s, reformers lost patience and focused on deterrence and rehabilitation. Many penitentiaries
became reformatories. In time, Zebulon Brockway, created a system of inmate classification and parole. It was
thought that criminals could be treated for their criminal habits with corrective therapies such as imposing
total silence on the prison population and requiring inmates to wear striped uniforms.
Today’s criminal justice programs focus on rehabilitating offenders who will eventually be
released. Rehabilitation services ranging from job training to housing assistance are provided to
offenders as they near their release dates.
Course Number & Title
Total W/ Internship
Total W/o
Internship
54 hours
44 hours
A student majoring in Criminal
Justice at Virginia Wesleyan is
required to complete a minimum
of 39 credit hours in specified
coursework, 24 of which must be
in criminal justice courses. The
remaining 15 hours may be
completed in areas of social
science, humanities or natural
sciences and mathematics.
Semester Hours
CJ 205
Issues in Criminal Justice
4
CJ 301
Criminology
4
CJ 350
Introduction to Social Research
4
CJ 387
Criminal Law
4
CJ 489
Senior Integrative Assessment
4
Six additional courses at any level, including one or two
from the allied course list: CJ 210, 250, 300, 340, 348, 360,
385, 388, 389, 393, 400, 420, 460
24
Internship (optional)
CJ 483
Internship Preparation (2 sem. Hrs.)
CJ 484
Internship in Sociology & Criminal justice (8 semester
hours)
10
Suggested Allied Courses (see advisor):
SOC 270 Social Problems
SOC 227 Social Psychology
SOC 353 Applied Sociology
POLS 371 Constitutional Law II: Substantive Rights
PSY 350 Psychology and the Law
MBE 203 Accounting II
MBE 204 Accounting II
MBE 216 Taxation
SW 384
Drugs of Abuse
SW 385
Substance Abuse & Chemical Dependency
ART 208 Photography I
COMM 222 Public Speaking
SPAN 307 Topics in Advanced Conversation &
Composition
MATH 210 Statistics
CHEM
(any course)
CS
(any course)
General Studies Requirements
105 English or English 001
Fall
120 Chemistry Intro
Spring of Odd Yrs
233 Religious Battles in Court
Aftr ENG 105 (Selctd Sem)
259 Literature of Mystery, Crime, & Nior
L
V
T
Required Courses Of Criminal Justice Major
All Year
205 Issues In Criminal Justice
Spring
301 Criminology
All Year
350 Introduction to Social Research
All Year
387 Criminal Law
Junior/Senior
489 Senior Integrative Assessment
Spring
385 Applies Criminal Profiling
Fall of '15 & '17
388 Global Terrorism and Homeland Security (4)
Spring (after 2 CJ classes)
389 Criminal Investigation (4)
Fall
483 Internship Preparation
All Year
210 Mathematics Statistics Intro
I
Q
Spring
270 Social Problems & Social Solutions
All year
100 Computer Concepts and Applications
Required Courses of Sociology Minor
All Year
Spring
Spring after SOC 100
(SAME as ENG 319)
Fall
100 Introduction to Sociology
270 Social Problems and Social Solutions
345 Foundations of Sociology
319 Feminist and Gender Theory
311 Family
S
W
W
INTERNSHIP(S)
Students may complete a 9-credit, 300-hour internship during the course of
the semester.
Examples of internship sites include:
 Local police departments
 State social services
 Probation/Parole District
 Corrections
 Courts
 U.S. Pre-Trial Services
POST-GRAD ACQUIRED SKILLS
 Mediating/negotiating conflicts
Understanding complex problems



Skills You Will Gain as a
Criminal Justice Major:
Conceptualizing/implementing
projects
Interpreting issues and data



Listening critically
Engaging in appropriate ethical
and professional behavior
Understanding and appreciating
human, socio-economic, cultural, and
intellectual differences
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
In VWC:
 Close to a 100% retention rate
 Between 80 and 85 percent of seniors in internships receive job
offers upon graduation
 Employed in a number of fields
and agencies, including:
CIA
FBI
Secret Service
Diplomatic Security
Marshal’s Office
Local and state government
A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
Fully aware that solving crime in reality is no-where near as perfect as on TV, since I was a child I
was always drawn to mystery. I enjoy analyzing things and having physical evidence, and logic in
order to support a claim, not just theory. I also have a passion for fairness and justice. Too many
people lose loved ones and have no answers as to why or how. I want to do something to my best
abilities to help.
NECESSARY
VALUES/CHARACTERISTICS
 Sociability
 Analytical Skills
 Honesty
 Attention to detail
 Reasonability
 Resolution
PROFESSORS POINT OF VIEW
Do you think that this Criminal Justice major is distinctive?
“It is very different, unique, just as any other major is. Because of
this, there is much effort to show that there
is a separation from others while maintaining a pride in community. We focus on teamwork within the liberal
arts for good training and making connections to other majors, not just within the Criminal Justice and
Sociology departments. We promote diversity.”
Quote:
“I am a proud recovering lawyer, I’m still sober.”
- Associate Professor Scott Liverman
STUDENTS POINT OF VIEW
- Khadijah Andrews:
“What drew me in was the fact that I could help get the dangerous people of this world off of
the street, also watching the work of a detective and a CSI drew me in. A pro is helping the
[innocent] citizens and a con is the stereotypical thoughts of people outside of the criminal
justice [system] view.”
- Brittany Brandon:
“I decided to venture off into another major because I decided to change my career path and take
more specific classes. What I did like about the Criminal Justice major is that the classes are easy,
and the terms seem like basic information. What I didn’t like was that in order to start the career
I wanted, I had to go to school for a lot of years.”