Criminal Justice Studies Minor

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will have the ability to:

• Develop and apply the skills and knowledge required to critically analyze the formation of laws, crime causation, and the practice and structures that make up the American criminal justice system
• Understand the constitutional powers and limits in enforcing the criminal law, including rights for criminal suspects, defendants, and prisoners
• Understand the key elements and stages in the criminal process, from lawmaking to law enforcement, to prosecution/defense to conviction/punishment, and the political, economic and social factors shaping the incentive system of criminal justice actors
• Understand the politics, and also the pros and cons of key crime policies, such as three strikes and you’re out laws, mandatory sentencing, drug criminalization, private prisons, and law and order crusades

Minor Requirements (20 units)