CRMJ 254
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Fall 2024
Contact Information
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Instructor Name: Dr. Michelle Manasse
Email Address: mmanasse@towson.edu
Course Meeting Location/Time: Liberal Arts 3315 - Tuesday/Thursday, 9.30-10.45am
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday, 12.30-2pm & by appointment!
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Course Overview: This course will provide a broad overview of the purposes, processes
and issues of the American criminal justice system. The class will be divided into four
main sections: Law; Police; Courts; Corrections.
In the first section of the course, we will examine how laws in the United States come
into existence and the rules by which those laws are applied. The next section will focus
on how those laws are enforced, with special emphasis on the day-to-day experiences of
American police and the issues of police misconduct. The unit on courts will provide a
look at the structure/function of American courts as well as how bail/plea bargaining
processes work and how sentences are determined. Finally, the last section of the course
will address methods of punishment and control in the United States and the way the
correctional facilities today attempt to deal with offenders.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After completing this course students will be able to:
• Identify and describe the primary functions of the three branches of the criminal justice
system: policing, courts, and corrections
• Describe the ways in which offenders and victims interact with the various agencies and
institutions within the criminal justice system
• Describe the roles of actors involved in the CJ system such as police officers,
prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, correctional officers, and probation officers
• Analyze and critically evaluate the way we generate knowledge about the criminal
justice system and how that knowledge informs criminal justice policies and practices
• Identify and analyze sources of inequality within the criminal justice system
The required text for this course is:
Criminal Justice: The Essentials, 6th edition, edited by Steven Lab & colleagues.
2021. Oxford University Press.
There are also multiple reserve readings/media for this course. You can easily access
these readings/videos ONLINE through the Blackboard course site.
