2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Course Number & Title 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)
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.
7. General Studies Requirements
105 English or English 001
Fall 120 Chemistry Intro
L
Spring of Odd Yrs 233 Religious Battles in Court
V
Aftr ENG 105 (Selctd
Sem)
259 Literature of Mystery, Crime, & Nior
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
I
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
Q
Spring 270 Social Problems & Social Solutions
All year 100 Computer Concepts and Applications
Required Courses of Sociology Minor
All Year 100 Introduction to Sociology S
Spring 270 Social Problems and Social Solutions
Spring after SOC 100 345 Foundations of Sociology
(SAME as ENG 319) 319 Feminist and Gender Theory W
Fall 311 Family W
8. 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
9. Skills You Will Gain as a
Criminal Justice Major:
Mediating/negotiating conflicts
Understanding complex
problems
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
10. 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
11. 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.
13. 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
14. - 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.”