Courses

Discussion of individual rights vs. public order; crime data and UCR terminology; sentencing; probation, parole and intermediate punishments; overview of prisons and jails, with an emphasis in Pennsylvania; prison life; and highlighting Pennsylvania’s state criminal justice agencies. Fall/Spring.

Violent crime in America today; history of mass murder in the U.S.; serial rape; the organized/disorganized offender personalities; the relevance of fantasy; sexual sadism; and answers to the question “Why They Kill.” Fall.

Overview of serial murder in the U.S.; FBI involvement and the history of serial murder in the U.S., including explanations of its place in pop culture; male, female, team and healthcare serial killers; foreign serial killers. Spring.

The controversy over the death penalty and lethal injection today; the life-sentenced inmate in Pennsylvania and the development of public policy in corrections; the clemency and commutation process in Pennsylvania today; and the wrongfully convicted inmate and the Innocence Project. Spring.

A capstone course allowing senior CJ students an opportunity to discuss their Mansfield and CJ academic experience; resume-building and job interviewing; discussion of graduate education in CJ; and construction of a brief PowerPoint project and presentation to the class on any “controversial topic in CJ today.” Fall/Spring.