Criminal Justice

1. Amber R. Gaines FYE - Wansink Criminal Justice

2. 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.

3. 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 forcesbegan 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 themwhich 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. The history of Criminal Justice (Cont.) • Modern-day courtscan 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. 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.

6. Major requirements 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. Class Choices

8. 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

9. Post-Grad acquired Skills • 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. 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

11. 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.

12. Necessary Values/Characteristics • Sociability • Honesty • Reasonability • Analytical Skills • Attention to detail • Resolution

13. 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

14. 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.”