There are quite a few students who grow up dreaming of being a police officer or being the next F. Lee Bailey or Clarence Darrow. These two career choices have in common the field of criminal justice. When students attend college as majors in this field they're required to take a course called Introduction to Criminal Justice. This course is a pre-requisite for anyone who has an interest in furthering their knowledge base in this wide arena.
Most colleges have such courses and programs. These programs are characterized by the variety of areas in which someone can choose to participate in the system of crime and punishment. Many colleges graduate students who later become lawyers, judges, or stenographers. There are some who would like to be police officers or corrections officers. All must pass through an introductory course.
The first part of the class is the creation of the foundation of ideas of crime, punishment and those who are responsible for regulating those areas. Students will learn a definition of what constitutes a criminal act, along with the different levels within the justice system that an offense will be categorized as.
The second area of study is the police force. Students must learn how police officers ply their trade. There are a myriad of laws, regulations and other procedures that police officers must be aware of. Students will learn about resource allocation for police officers and how the police and the community they serve must work together to prevent crime.
The next area where students will gain familiarity thanks to the material covered in this introductory course is the court system. Students will be familiarized with the variety of duties performed by the judge, jury, stenographers and the attorneys. Students will also learn how a case makes its way through the judicial system all the way to the final resolution of the matter.
After learning about the courts, students will be confronted with the harsh reality that is known as the corrections department. The corrections department concerns itself with the rehabilitation and reintegration of an offender back into the society. Students will be confronted with the reality that is prison life and quite possibly will gain a greater appreciation for those who have decided to become corrections officers.
The last part of the course is where students get to take their knowledge that they've recently acquired and use it to confront the problems plaguing the justice system. These problems range from the infestation of drugs within the community to the ever-increasing rate of violent juvenile offenders. Students are confronted with the inflexibility of sentencing guidelines and are forced to see the pitfalls of the justice system within the United States.
A career in this sector of society can be very rewarding. The completion of criminal justice courses following the introductory one produces the men and women who are at the forefront of helping keep the rules of society. A free online college course in this subject can help you determine if this is where you want to spend your life and how you want to make a difference.
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