Welcome to the Criminal Justice Program at Penn State University, Altoona College

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Welcome to the Criminal Justice Programat Penn
State University, Altoona College

• L. Edward Day, Ph.D., Program Coordinator
• Michael Arter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Vidisha Barua, LLM, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Scott Kelly, Ph.D. Student, Lead Advisor
• Robert Worley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

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Overview

• Students receiving a baccalaureate degree in
  criminal justice, either B.S. or B.A., should
  develop an understanding of each of the three
  main components of the criminal justice system
  and their interrelationships, be able to evaluate
  critically both current and future crime control
  policy proposals and criminal justice research,
  and understand the complexity of the phenomena of
  crime an criminal behavior and its relationship
  to the individual, social, and cultural factors.

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• This program includes the study of law
  enforcement, courts, and corrections. These
  courses will include study as individual courses
  and as components of a system, plus work in
  theories of crime causation, and crime control
  policy. Reading, writing, and critical thinking
  skills are absolutely essential to successful
  completion of this degree, as well as successful
  careers in criminal justice. Students should
  enter well-equipped in these skills, and should
  expect them to be rigorously applied and
  developed throughout the degree program.

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• The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal
  Justice provides a broadly based liberal arts
  background for the study of crime, justice, and
  the criminal justice system. The Bachelor of
  Science offers and opportunity for educational
  enrichment in fields not traditionally considered
  part of the liberal arts. Either degree is
  excellent preparation for a career in criminal
  justice, graduate or professional study, or
  informed citizenship. Both degrees require a
  minimum of 128 credits.

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What Do Criminal Justice Majors Do?

• A degree in criminal justice is solid
  preparation for many careers. While many
  criminal justice majors indicate a preference for
  law enforcement, others find careers in prisons,
  community corrections, or court administration.
  Government positions in criminal justice are
  available at the local, county, state and federal
  levels, and private security is a growing and
  important source of jobs for criminal justice
  students.

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• The criminal justice major at Penn State
  Altoona focuses on one of the most important
  public policy areas in our county today, and is
  good preparation for graduate study in law,
  criminology, and other fields. Also, like
  students in other majors, criminal justice
  students often find employment and build careers
  in fields not directly related to their major,
  such and insurance, journalism, human services,
  and the military. It is an excellent major both
  for a career and for life.

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Why Major in Criminal Justice?

• Nationwide, criminal justice is a labor
  intensive, growth industry careers in criminal
  justice, especially corrections, continue to show
  strong growth. According to Pennsylvania
  Workforce 2005, two of the major employment areas
  for criminal justice majors, legal services and
  protective services, will provide many more
  opportunities in the future.

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• Workforce 2005 projected that legal services
  occupations would grow by 11,100 positions, with
  paralegal employment increasing by over 40.
  Protective services occupations were expected to
  expand by 6.1, for a total of 3,175 job
  openings. Positions for corrections officers and
  jailers (16.7), detectives and investigators
  (20.8), and guards (11.8), shows the strongest
  growth trends within protective services
  occupations.

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Program Highlights

• The criminal justice program at Penn State
  Altoona offers various options
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Science
• Associate of Science
• Minor in Criminal Justice (18 credits)

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• As important part of the Bachelor of Science
  Degree is a sequence of four courses chosen by
  students based on their own interests and career
  goals.
• All baccalaureate students are required to
  complete a minimum three-credit internship with a
  criminal justice agency.
• The criminal justice major at Penn State Altoona
  is based on the Academy of Criminal Justice
  Sciences standards for criminal justice
  education.
• In addition to studying police, courts, and
  corrections, students learn about computer,
  statistics, ethics, social research and
  multi-cultural issues, as well as other key
  issues in modern criminal justice.

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The Criminal Justice Organization

• The Criminal Justice Organization (CJO) was
  created by, and designed for, students with an
  interest in criminal justice. The organization
  was designed with four factors in mind a social
  element, and educational element, a service
  component, and a support component.

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CJO Social Element

• The CJO was developed to provide a forum for
  those students with common interests in criminal
  justice. This could include such things as
  Pizza parties, movies, casual get togethers,
  etc. There is also a CJO phone e-mail
  directory with the names of members and officers.

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CJO Educational Element

• Educationally, the CJO is a key instrument in
  helping with career decisions and academics. The
  CJO works towards bringing speakers to the campus
  who are working as a professional in some area of
  criminal justice. The criminal justice program
  also has an active Mock Trail Team and this
  coming fall, a new Mediation Team will be
  initiated (please see your advisor for
  information). Anyone interested is encourage to
  join.

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CJO Service Component

• The CJO was designed with a service component in
  mind. This is intended to allow students to work
  within the community and represent, not only
  themselves and the CJO, but, Penn State Altoona
  as well. This is done by coordinated volunteer
  work in the nearby communities.

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CJO Support Component

• Members of the CJO are willing to lend a helping
  hand to fellow students who are having problems
  with their academics. This comes about in the
  forms of mentoring and tutoring.

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Alpha Phi Sigma (?FS)

• Alpha Phi Sigma (APS) is the nationally
  recognized honor society for students in criminal
  justice.
• The society recognizes academic excellence by
  undergraduate, as well as graduate students of
  criminal justice and criminology.
• Our local APS chapter can be a fulfilling
  experience, as its members decide it to be. The
  chapter can be a forum for guest speakers,
  organized trips, tour facilities, and become
  involved in community service projects.
• Some examples are recent tours to state prisons,
  K-9 training facilities, crime labs, and our ever
  present need for fund raising.

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APS Membership Requirements

• Students must have a declared major, minor or
  equivalent in criminal justice field.
• Have completed three full time semesters or
  equivalent.
• Must maintain at least a 3.2 overall GPA on a
  scale of 4.0.
• 3.2 GPA in their criminal justice courses.
• The student must also have completed a minimum of
  4 courses within the criminal justice field.

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Internships

• A key element for the Criminal Justice Degree
  student is the Internship Program. The
  Internship Program, CJ495, allows students to
  gain valuable experience using the application
  process (what is learned in the classroom and
  applying it hands on in the field).
• Some internships are paid internships, which
  means, the student gets paid while applying
  practical solutions learned in the classroom to
  their job. Most internships are not a paid
  position, but either paid or unpaid you will be
  earning credits for graduation and, you will earn
  valuable experience by applying what you have
  learned in the classroom to the real world.
• Prior interns, act as student guides by
  discussing their experiences. There are booklets
  and pamphlets on internships available in your
  advisors office for review. The opportunity for
  research is also provided.

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Advising

• Students entering the Criminal Justice Degree
  Program are strongly encouraged NOT to engage in
  Self Advising (this happens when students do
  not meet with their advisors on a regular basis
  and take it upon themselves to make course and
  career decisions and end up still having classes
  to take when they should be graduating and moving
  on to Graduate School or their careers). Please
  visit your academic advisor on a regular basis.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE COURSES (CJ)

• CJ 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice (3)
• Overview of the criminal justice system,
  including legal foundations, processing and
  correction of offenders, extent and types of
  crime, and victims.
• There are five parts The Foundations of Crime
  and Justice, The Police, The Courts, Corrections,
  and Juvenile Justice. This course gives and
  in-site into other criminal justice courses that
  you will encounter as part of the CJ curriculum.

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• CJ 210 The Law Enforcement Function (3)
• Purpose and function of police in society,
  recruitment, training, duties, socialization
  organization of police agencies.
• Review police discretion, and important key
  element in policing.
• CJ 220 Courts and the Prosecution Process (3)
• Purpose and function of criminal courts in
  society, organization, jurisdiction and staffing
  prosecution, adjudication and sentencing of
  offenders.
• Review Landmark Supreme Court Cases, two models
  or value systems that compete for priority in the
  operation of the criminal process which are the
  Crime Control Model and the Due Process Model,
  Substantive versus Procedural Justice, Equal
  versus Individualized Justice, these are just to
  name a few topics that will be covered over the
  course of the class semester.

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• CJ 230 Correction is America (3)
• Punishment and treatment of sentenced offenders,
  correctional institution organization, staffing,
  inmates and subcultures.
• The history of corrections is reviewed for an
  understanding of the modern day and future trends
  of correctional institutions.
• CJ 297 Special Topics (1-9)
• CJ 420 Criminal Law and Procedure (3)
• Common law and statutory crimes, Constitutional
  rights of accused persons, liability of criminal
  justice professionals.
• Prerequisite CJ 220

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• CJ 430 Community Corrections (3)
• Control and treatment of offenders in the
  community, probation and parole organizations,
  diversion programs, innovative sentences,
  supervision techniques.
• Prerequisite CJ 230
• CJ 450W Criminal Justice Policy (3)
• Two major criminal justice paradigms of the late
  20th century historical, political and social
  contexts policy initiatives and outcomes.
• Prerequisite Senior standing CJ 100, 210, 220,
  230, and SOC 012 or permission of instructor.

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• CJ 460 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency (3)
• Identification and processing of young offenders,
  delinquency correlates, juvenile courts and
  corrections.
• Prerequisite SOC 012.
• CJ494 Research Project (1-12)
• Prerequisite SOC 007.
• CJ 495 Criminal Justice Internship (3-12)
• Field experience in a criminal justice agency.
• Students will given a binder with step-by-step
  instructions on how to complete a successful
  internship and how to choose the right internship
  for their career interests.
• Prerequisite 12 credits in CJ courses prior
  approval of proposed assignment by instructor.

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• CJ 496 Independent Studies (1-18)
• Prerequisite 12 credits in CJ.
• CJ 497 Special Topics (1-9)
• Prerequisite CJ 100.