CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT

Upon graduation from Bunker Hill Community College with an Associate in Science Degree from the Department of Criminal Justice and Public Safety each student will be able to complete the below listed competencies. Other departments, besides Criminal Justice and Public Safety, aid students in the successful completion of these competencies (in certain cases).

ETHICS

• Explain how the duties of a criminal justice professional are to be performed without malice or favoritism.
• Demonstrate an awareness of ethical standards; respect for the rights, dignity and worth of: criminal justice personnel, victims, the accused and those convicted of a crime.

APPLYING THEORY TO POLICY AND PRACTICE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• List the structure and differing levels of jurisdiction, judicial and prosecutorial duties, and the role of the defense attorney and defendant in the criminal justice process.
• Identify and apply major theories in criminology as analytical frameworks for under the etiology of crime and delinquency and as foundations for policy and human services to criminal justice issues.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• Identify and demonstrate an understanding of the role and interrelationship between structure of criminal justice and the community.

CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES IN CRIMINAL LAW

• Define, identify, and explain the Constitutional processes, substantive law, and the federal and state court system.
• Understand selected current issues in criminal justice and relate them to future constitutional directions.

CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES

• Describe the correction profession: Its history, role, goals and objectives, style, function and evolution.
• Explain the differences in correctional agencies, and define present and future trends in corrections.
• Explain the role of correctional institutions in the criminal justice system, the impact of opposing philosophies of “punishment vs. rehabilitation,” the formal and informal organizational structures of prison institutions, and current trends in institutional programming.

CRIME, JUSTICE AND SOCIETY

• Identify the components of the criminal justice system and describe the history, function, operations, and services of the primary agencies.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the issues concerning the nature of crime, justice and society, as well as an overview of the role, organization, and operations of the American system of criminal justice.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION

• Provide a detailed description of the due process system to include: investigation, apprehension, prosecution, adjudication, sentencing, commitment, rehabilitation, and release.
• Identify career and educational opportunities in the criminal justice sector.
• Describe and apply basic administrative and managerial theories and practices to the organization and operation of criminal justice agencies.

CRIMINAL LAW

• Describe the history and structure of criminal law, and the differences between criminal and civil law.
• Analyze the historical and legal context in which behavior has been prohibited as “criminal.”
• Describe the application of the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and the rules of evidence to the prosecution and defense of crimes.

FORENSICS

• Demonstrate understanding of the scientific and technical processes and methods used in criminal investigation and gathering of evidence, and of the legal standards for admissibility of evidence developed through these processes.

INNOVATIONS IN POLICE POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

• Describe the law enforcement profession: its history, role, goals and objectives, style, function and evolution.
• Explain the differences in law enforcement agencies (federal, state and local) and define present and future trends in policing.
• Use one or a combination of organizational, managerial, and policy development perspective to analyze, explain, and develop innovative solutions for issues facing the police.

ISSUES OF RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• Articulate ways in which the effectiveness of the criminal justice system is affected by the factors of race, class and gender.

LEGAL AND MORAL DILEMMAS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• Demonstrate an appreciation for competing ideas, views and differences among people.
• Demonstrate an analytical understanding of major legal and moral dilemmas in the criminal justice system.

RESEARCHING CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES

• Recognize and delineate the cognitive explanations for current crime trends, and identify and explain the causes and theories of crime causation.
• Demonstrate the ability to interpret information logically, analyze an issue or problem, synthesize information, evaluate information, and determine if the information is accurate, reliable or useful.
• Demonstrate an ability to write as a process which proceeds from determining the audience and purpose, through idea gathering, planning, writing, revising, and editing of a final draft.
• Demonstrate the ability to write a composition that is well focused, well organized and well developed; and use language appropriate for the audience and writing situation.
• Apply basic research methods to elementary issues or questions in criminal justice.

GENERAL EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL STANDARDS

• Read and comprehend textbooks, professional materials, periodicals, abstracts and other written materials at a 14th grade level.
• Communicate both written and orally with language appropriate to the audience.
• Demonstrate the ability to use the Internet, e-mail, retrieve information from the Internet, and perform basic word processing functions to include writing and editing papers.
• Show an understanding of the impact of human behavior (deviant and normal) on society, and demonstrate and understand the relationship between criminal justice and its effects on the workings of society.