Criminal Justice -Research Topics

CJ-112: Intro to Criminal Justice

• The importance of cultural awareness in all communication from law enforcement, courts, and/or corrections

CJ-120: Cultural Awareness in Criminal Justice

• Reducing Recidivism

• Re-entering Society After Corrections

• Bail Reform (Pretrail Systems, Nonmonetary Release Options)

• Implicit Bias (IAT)

• Professional Training for Criminal Justice Professionals

• Agency Recruitment & Retention of Minority Candidates

• Bridging the Gap Between Criminal Justice Professionals & The Community

• Public Perceptions of Criminal Justice Professionals

CJ-140: Communication Skills for Criminal Justice

• Different Types of Communication Styles & Approaches

• Different Channels of Communication

• Appropriate Verbal & Nonverbal Communication

• Crisis Communication Techniques

• The Importance of Situational Awareness

• The Consequences of Ineffective Communication

• The Importance of Aligning Communications & Mission

• The Importance of Appropriate Communication With Various Groups

• Interviewing Purposes, Techniques, & Strategies

• Developing Interview Questions

• The Importance of the Interview Setting

• How Criminal Justice Professionals Demonstrate Professionalism in Court Proceedings

CJ-207: The U.S. Judicial System

• Organizational Hierarchy and Jurisdictions Within the U.S. Judicial System

• Roles and Responsibilities of Those Participating in the Judicial System (Judges, Prosecution, Defense, Allied Professionals, etc.)

• Court Processes and Procedures, Pretrial Through Sentencing

• The Role of Juries in the Criminal Court Process

• Impact of the U.S. Supreme Court Decisions on Criminal Justice Policy and Professional Practice

• Living Conditions for Incarcerated Individuals, Especially Juveniles

• Steps That Can Be Taken to Avoid Wrongful Convictions

CJ-210: The U.S. Correctional System

• The Various Goals of Sentencing

• The Notable Surge in Incarceration Rates

• Different Sentencing Structures and Their Impacts

• Aspects of Prison Culture; the "Inmate Code" 

• Different Organizational Structures Within Corrections

• Different Physical Structures Within Corrections

• Prison Rape Elimination Act; Sexual Violence in Corrections

• The "Invisible Punishment" Involved in Being a Felon

• Issues of Race in Corrections

• Corrections Issues Regarding Women and Persons Who Identify as Transgender

• Programs That Stress Rehabilitation

• Issues With Juvenile Corrections

• Geriatric Population in Corrections

• How to Decrease Recidivism Rates

CJ-230: Discretion in Criminal Justice

• Exercising Discretion in Criminal Justice Decision Making

• Decision-Making Process and Discretion

• Integrity, Authority, and Discretionary Power

• Morality in the Decision-Making Process

• Discretionary Decisions Made by Criminal Justice Professionals

• Discretionary Decisions in the Different Branches of Criminal Justice

• Aspects of Discretionary Laws

• Objective Summaries

• Discovery and Discretion

• Agency's Culture

• Amount of Discretion and Decision-Making Process

• Internal and External Decision Making

CJ-305: Technology in Criminal Justice

• Technology Platforms Accessible to Law Enforcement

• Pros and Cons of Technology

• Predictive Policing

• The Influence Technology has on Criminal Investigations

• Ways Advancements in Technology will Aid Criminal Investigations in the Future

• Legal Ramifications of Deploying New Technology

• Ways Advancements in Technology Inform Case Law

• Technology's Impact on Community Relations

• Impact of Cybercrime on Society

• The Current State of Cybercrime

• Jurisdictional Challenges of Cybercrime

• Technological Tools and How They can be Used by Criminal Justice Professionals and Offenders

• Repercussions of Criminal Justice Misuse of Technology

CJ-315: Victimology

• The Evolution of Victimology

• Interactions Between Victims of Crime and Criminal Justice Professionals

• How People, Businesses, and Corporations Become Victims

• Experiences of the Victim in the Criminal Justice System

• How Empathy Influences Interactions Between Victims of Crime and Criminal Justice Professionals

• Appropriate Responses to Different Kinds of Victimization

• The Process of Working with Child Victims in the Criminal Justice System

• The Process of Working with Special Circumstance Victims in the Criminal Justice System

• How Victimization Data are Collected and Applied to Address Problems in the Criminal Justice System

• How the Media can Influence Empathy as it Pertains to the Criminal Justice Process

• How Empathy is Applied Throughout the Restorative Justice Process in Criminal Justice

CJ-340: Criminology

• Types and Classifications of Offenders as Defined by Law

• Types of Crime as Defined by Law

• The Relationship Between Sociology and Criminology

• How Classical and Positivist Schools of Thought Have Influenced Criminal Justice Practices

• How Biological and Psychological Theories have Influenced Criminal Justice Practices

• How Sociological Theories have Influenced Criminal Justice Practices

• How Critical and Interactionist Theories May Explain Criminal Behavior and Influence the Criminal Justice System

• How Criminal Justice Professional Utilize Criminological Theories

• How Cultural Views and Values Drive Human Behavior

• The Importance of Applying Theory Versus Making Broad Generalizations to Explain Behavior

• The Role of Ethics in the Application of Theory

• The Correlation Between Criminal Behavior Theory and Criminal Justice Practice

• The Importance of Integrating Biological, Sociological, and Environmental Factors in an Effort to Explain Criminal Behavior

CJ-406: Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice

• Ways that Police Build Rapport and Improve Community Relations

• The increasing Use of Technology in Criminal Justice

• Stress Factors that are Specific to Criminal Justice Professionals

• How the Criminal Justice System Has Adapted to the Drug Addiction Paradigm Shift from an Individual's Choice to Disease Model

• Media Bias and the Role It May Play in Society's Perception of Police

• Mortality Rates Among Criminal Justice Professionals

• How Bail Reform Impacts the Criminal Justice System and Community

• Sources and Habits that can Promote a Positive Work-Life Balance and Reduce Stress for Criminal Justice Professionals

• How Management, Peers, and the Mental Health Community can Reduce the Reluctance of Criminal Justice Professionals to Seek Assistance for Stress

• The Role the Media Plays in Court Proceedings

• How the Decisions and Actions of the Parole Board are Portrayed in the Media