CJS/221 - Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice

Course Description

This course offers a comprehensive, critical, and balanced examination of the issues of crime and justice with respect to race and ethnicity. Procedures and policy in a pluralistic and multicultural society are examined relative to law enforcement, courts, and corrections environments.

This undergraduate course is 5 weeks.

This course has a prerequisite. Please see details in the Prerequisite section below.

PLEASE NOTE:
Attendance and participation are mandatory in all university courses, and specific requirements may differ by course. If attendance requirements are not met, a student may be removed from the course. Please review the Course Attendance Policy in the Catalog for more information.

Course Objectives

Week 1

• Identify the categories of race.
• Define the terms race, minority, inclusion, discrimination, and diversity.
• Explain the difference between diversity and discrimination.
• Differentiate between bias, discrimination, stereotyping, and cultural competency.

Week 2

• Explain the importance of understanding offender rates and statistical data for race, minority, and ethnic groups.
• Examine how police practices and court decisions affect community relations and public opinions about the criminal justice system. 
• Define and examine interracial and intraracial crimes.
• Examine theoretical explanations for offending and victimization related to race and ethnicity, with a focus on juveniles and gangs.

Week 3

• Discuss disparity and discrimination in courtroom proceedings and the effect on the judicial system.
• Explain the difference between implicit biases and stereotypes and explicit stereotyping and attitudes.
• Describe the effect of racial disparity in sentencing.
• Explain the importance of diversity among courtroom and corrections personnel. 

Week 4

• Discuss the needs of special populations in correctional facilities and post-reintegration programs.
• Explain the benefits of diversity in corrections staff (warden, correctional officers, detention deputy, parole and probation officers) and retention practices.
• Identify issues of disparity and discrimination in corrections.

Week 5

• Explain the value of cultural competence in the criminal justice field and the benefits of intercultural communication skills.
• Discuss challenges facing the criminal justice system.

Notes

A prerequisite is required for this course. The purpose of a prerequisite is to ensure students have the knowledge and/or skills needed to be successful in the course. Students are required to provide proof of prerequisite during the enrollment/registration process. To meet to a course prerequisite requirement, a student must have successfully completed the prerequisite course at University of Phoenix, provide proof via transcript of completing a comparable course (at least 75% match) or higher level course with at least a grade of C at another institution or have a University of Phoenix approved Student Appeal on file with the University.

During the checkout process you will be prompted to provide proof of the requirement(s). If you completed the prerequisite at another institution, be prepared to upload an official/unofficial transcript. If you have questions about meeting the prerequisite requirements for this course, please contact an enrollment representative.

This course requires the prerequisite below. Click on the prerequisite course to review the course topics and objectives.

Disclaimers

The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses.

While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with an Enrollment Representative.

Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.