In-depth study of a particular topic in criminal justice. Course topics vary by semester.

Fall 2023 – Mediation 1: Syllabus

Fall 2023 – Mediation 3: Syllabus

Fall 2022 – Accounting and Financial Basics: Syllabus

Investigates and analyzes aggression and violence as forms of individual, group, and societal behavior. Includes an assessment of anthropological, biological, philosophical, political, and sociological theories. Combines student presentations and projects with lectures and tutorials.

This course is designed to give doctoral students a broad overview of criminal justice policies. It examines the goals and values underlying justice policy, the social construction of crime problems and the process of policy development, and the ways that policies shape the day-to-day working of the criminal justice system. It also investigates the specific institutions of the criminal justice system including the juvenile justice system, police, courts, and the correctional system, as well as the specific activities and processes carried out by these entities. The course will also provide an overview of best practices for formulating and evaluating criminal justice policy. Required Course – Ph.D.

Syllabus – Fall 2022

The course provides an introduction to methods for analyzing quantitative criminal justice data. Emphasis is placed on understanding data in relation to key methodological concepts, including units of analysis, variables, measurement, and associations. It will teach strategies for presenting data patterns graphically, describing distributions and relationships through summary statistics, and drawing conclusions about sampled populations using inferential statistical methods, including statistical models. In doing so, it will teach methods for assessing univariate, bivariate and multivariate patterns and relationships. Required Course – M.A.

Syllabus – Fall 2023

Analysis of the theories and practices of probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions. Emphasis on understanding—as human-service organizations—the functions of probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions. Special attention given to policy developments in the field.

Examines the police role and law enforcement policy, police organization, personnel issues, management, and operations, as well as coordination and consolidation of police service, police integrity, and community relations.

Syllabus – Fall 2023

This course examines crime and criminal justice from a comparative, cross-national perspective. It investigates the benefits and challenges of comparative research on crime and justice, examines the relationship between crime rates and differential criminal justice systems, and analyzes cases that reveal how globalization and socioeconomic development indicators shape the nature of contemporary crime and criminal justice practices.

This course examines the role of gender in crime, criminology and criminal justice. The course framework and readings emphasize theoretical frameworks brought to bear in the study of gender, emphasizing the social structures of gender, social constructions of gender, symbolic meaning systems, and intersections of race, class and gender. Topics include the impact and nature of gender in crime commission, criminal victimization, and criminal justice processing.

This is the second course of a two-part graduate sequence in statistics. It is an introduction to the general linear model, including underlying assumptions and diagnostic tests. An introduction to the binary response model will also be provided. The use of the computer for data analysis will be an integral part of the course. Prerequisite: 27:202:542. Co-requisite: 27:202:640. Required Course – Ph.D.

First-hand experience in the day-to-day operation of a criminal justice or related agency in government, research or non-profit settings involving 150 hours of on-site placement and participation (but no classroom time). The internship is supervised by the SCJ Director of Community Outreach and a practitioner in the internship-placement area. Requires an agreement between the school, the student intern, and the internship site/agency, and clearly defined deliverables and evaluation parameters. There are no prerequisites to enroll.

This course is designed for both students and professionals in the public and private sectors who are focused on understanding and combating financial crime. It provides an in-depth exploration of fraud, financial crime risks, investigations, and cybersecurity. The curriculum emphasizes practical, hands-on learning over theory, utilizing real-world data and case-solving techniques. This is a core course required for the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice Financial Crime Certificate program.

This class examines major police innovations, such as community policing, broken windows policing, problem-oriented policing, ―pulling levers‖ policing, third-party policing, hot spots policing, Compstat, and evidence-based policing. It considers the evidence on crime control and public safety impacts generated by these approaches, the extent of the implementation of these new approaches in police departments, dilemmas these approaches have created for police management, and critical issues that persist for the policing profession in launching effective crime control strategies such as race, community engagement, and police legitimacy.

This course introduces the theory and practice of geographic information systems (GIS) for public safety. This hands-on course teaches students how to produce crime maps and analyze geographic crime data. The class presents the theories of “crime and place” and how contemporary spatial analysis techniques inform place-based crime prevention strategies, assist in problem-solving activities, and support the co-production of public safety. This course may count towards an MA certificate, Spatial Analysis for Public Safety and Security.

Seminar. Analyze theory and research on crime control, including theories of deterrence and social control, their applications in crime control strategies, and the impacts of crime control strategies based on general and specific deterrence, as well as incapacitation strategies. Review and critique research on the effects of criminal and civil legal sanctions and problems in implementing effective sanctions. Methodological issues in the research on crime control assessed. Research on applications of crime control theory to specific crime problems reviewed.

This course examines the risks and consequences of crime for its victims. Issues considered include victim-offender relationships, characteristics of victims, the nature of the injuries they experience, and criminal justice procedures that involve them.

Theoretical background to opportunity-reducing crime prevention through situational prevention (including key concepts of rational choice and displacement) and its relationship to crime prevention through environmental design, defensible space, and problem-oriented policing. Case studies illustrate the practical and policy difficulties of situational prevention.

This course defines organized crime and its history and examines criminological theories to explain it. It also covers nontraditional or so-called emergent organized crime groups, such as urban street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs. The course examines various investigation, prosecution, and sentencing policies and considers the policy implications for the future.

This course provides a critical introduction to (i) the policy-making process and the role of research evidence and (ii) approaches to generating evidence about effective criminal justice policies. The course will highlight contemporary debates about the role of experimental and non-experimental research, the accumulation of knowledge, large-scale implementation of promising programs, factors that compete with evidence in real-world policy-making, and problematic consequences of evidence-based approaches.

Topics vary yearly and may include one or more of the following: design and analysis of longitudinal research, including time series analysis and panel models; quantitative methods for categorical and limited dependent variables; quasi-experimental methods for observational data; or other topics. The course may be repeated for credit when topics change. The use of the computer for data analysis will be an integral part of the course. Prerequisites: 27:202:542, 27:202:543, 27:202:640.

Syllabus – Fall 2023

This course will provide a tutorial on research design features (as opposed to statistical models) that enhance a researcher ‘s ability to establish cause-effect relationships. Such features generally include a well-defined intervention, a generalizable research setting, pre-and post-test measures, comparable treatment and comparison groups, and random assignment. The course will emphasize the potential threats to causal inference that arise when at least one of these elements is absent, compromised, or poorly approximated. Prerequisites: 27:202:542, 27:202:543, 27:202:640.

An Independent Study is an opportunity for a student to work closely with a full-time faculty member in the School of Criminal Justice on independent research or a special project. A student may take one (1), one (1) to three (3) credit independent study course per term with approval from the program director. A student may take no more than two (2) independent studies, for a total of six (6) credits towards the completion of their degree.

The student arranges independent study through contact with an individual faculty member who has interests or expertise that match those of the student. Substantial initiative and preparation are normally required, and these are the responsibility of students who wish to arrange for independent study. Students will earn academic credit by completing a written research project, which is evaluated and graded by the supervised faculty member.

In most cases, an independent study is arranged to provide instruction in areas not offered through regular courses. Proposed independent study arrangements that duplicate or closely follow scheduled courses will not be approved.

To be eligible for independent study, MA or PhD students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. A master’s degree student needs to complete six (6) credits of coursework before enrolling in an independent study course, unless approved by the M.A. director. A doctoral student must complete eighteen (18) credits of coursework before enrolling in an independent study course, unless approved by the Ph.D. director. In addition, the student must complete an “Application for Supervised Academic Work” and prepare a short proposal detailing the work plan and research or project they wish to undertake. Application and proposal must be submitted to the student’s program director for approval before the start of classes in the semester the student wishes to take the independent study. Students whose applications are not accepted will be informed in writing.

Meeting times will be determined by the faculty advisor upon consultation with the student.

In-depth study of a particular topic in criminology. Course topics vary by semester.

Fall 2023 – Psychology and Law: Syllabus

Fall 2022 – Human Smuggling and Trafficking: Syllabus

Students who hold teaching assistantships are required to enroll in this course for 3 or 6 “E” credits per term.