Administration of Justice Certificate of Achievement

Program Description

The Administration of Justice certificate is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in a wide range of law enforcement services, including the courts, corrections, law enforcement, and private security.

Students working for certificates must have a basic knowledge of arithmetic, reading and writing in order to learn and work in the occupations they select.

The pathway below represents an efficient and effective course taking sequence for this program.  Individual circumstances might require some changes to this pathway.  It is always recommended that you meet with an academic counselor to develop a personalized educational plan.

Division

Social Sciences, Human Development, Kinesiology & Health

Department

Administration of Justice

Career and Academic Pathway (CAP)

Public Service, Culture, Society

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply knowledge and skills required in securing and maintaining employment.

  2. Analyze the interrelations between the courts, law enforcement, and corrections.

  3. Demonstrate the sequence of events necessary in determining admissibility or suppression of evidence.

  4. Demonstrate analysis of basic legal definitions of criminal law.

  5. Develop a world view that values why law enforcement is necessary in diverse populations and societies.

Program Map

GE General Education
O Available Online
Program Requirement
P Program Prerequisites

1st Semester

12 units
ADJUS 101 - Introduction to Administration of Justice
This course is an introduction to the philosophy and history of the criminal justice system including the roles and functions of the local, state, and federal jurisdictions. Additional discussion topics will include the roles, functions and interrelationships among law enforcement agencies, courts and corrections as well as crime causation, correctional theory, analysis, and the social impact of crime.

Course Details:

  1. Departmental Advisory: READ 015
  • Transfers to CSU
    • ADJUS 102 - Principles and Procedures of the Justice System
    This course provides an examination and analysis of due process in criminal proceedings, from pre-arrest through trial and appeal, utilizing statutory, state and constitutional precedents.

    Course Details:

    1. Departmental Advisory: READ 015
  • Transfers to CSU
    • ADJUS 105 - Community Relations
    This course examines the complex and dynamic relationship between communities and the justice system in addressing crime and conflict with an emphasis on the challenges of administering justice within a diverse multicultural population. Topics include the consensus and conflicting values in culture, religion, and the law.

    Course Details:

    1. Departmental Advisory: READ 015 or eligibility for READ 100 as determined by the SBVC assessment process.
  • Transfers to CSU
    • One course from the following:
    This course covers the principles of various types of investigations utilized in the criminal justice system, including concepts of investigation, and the analysis, evaluation, preservation and documentation of evidence.   The course will also include dealing with the public, techniques for handling crime scenes, interviews, evidence, surveillance, follow-up, technical resources, and case preparation.

    Course Details:

    1. Departmental Advisory: READ 015 or eligibility for READ 100 as determined by the SBVC assessment process.
  • Transfers to CSU
    • This course examines the theories, philosophies, and concepts related to the role expectations of line enforcement officers. The emphasis is focused on patrol, traffic and public service responsibilities and their relationships to the administration of justice.

    Course Details:

    1. Departmental Advisory: READ 015 or eligibility for READ 100 as determined by the SBVC assessment process.
  • Transfers to CSU
    • This course is an examination of the origin, development, and organization of the Juvenile Justice System as it evolved in the American Justice System. The course explores the theories that focuses on juvenile law, courts and processes, and the constitutional protections extended to juveniles administered by the American Justice System.

    Course Details:

    1. Departmental Advisory: READ 015 or eligibility for READ 100 as determined by the SBVC assessment process.
  • Transfers to CSU

    • 2nd Semester

    9 units
    ADJUS 103 - Concepts of Criminal Law
    History, philosophy and the development of U.S. criminal law. Introduction to common law, legal concepts and codes.

    Course Details:

    ADJUS 104 - Legal Aspects of Evidence
    Origin, development, philosophy, and constitutional basis of the use of evidence; constitutional and procedural considerations affecting arrest, search and seizure; types of evidence, and rules governing admissibility; judicial decisions, interpretation of individual rights; and case studies.

    Course Details:

    One course from the following:
    This course will focus on the legal issues, probation and parole, specific laws and general operation of correctional institutions. The relationship between historical trends of adult and juvenile corrections and other components of the judicial system will be examined.

    Course Details:

    Overview of the techniques in counseling and interviewing available to practitioners in corrections. Use of appropriate techniques and theories in confidence building which the correctional employee may use in client interviews and counseling.

    Course Details:

    This course is designed to provide students with a base of knowledge as it relates to the impact of gangs in both correctional and community settings. It includes a review of the types of gangs, history, and criminal activities associated with gangs.

    Course Details:

    This course will emphasize local, state, and federal institutions in the role played by the offender and the correctional worker. Topics will include inmate subculture, violence and effects of crowding on inmates and staff, coping techniques for correctional officers in a hostile prison environment.

    Course Details:

    The historical framework, concepts, and precedents that guide correctional practice. Course material will present a broader perspective of the correctional environment such as the civil rights of prisoners, responsibilities and liabilities of correctional officials, the courts, and police.

    Course Details:

    This course is a study of the historical and contemporary view of the application of probation and parole procedures in the criminal justice system. Community corrections as applied to probation and parole, probation as an entity of the courts and parole as an entity of corrections compose the main focus of this course. This course material will broaden the student's concept of community corrections and the rights and liabilities of a person on probation or parole.

    Course Details: