11 Introduction to Criminal Justice
Criminal justice is the study of practices and institutions directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts. The four components of the criminal justice system are corrections, police, courts, and juvenile justice.
The Criminal Justice program, administered by the Department of Social Science, is a Dual/Joint degree program with John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Students who declare Criminal Justice as their major automatically become part of the CUNY Justice Academy (CJA), a transfer-focused collaboration that links selected associate degree programs at six City University of New York (CUNY) community colleges to baccalaureate degree programs at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Students can either earn an Associate in Science degree from LaGuardia, or a Bachelor’s degree from John Jay through the Dual/Joint Criminal Justice Program.
Learn more on the Criminal Justice program website.
Approaches to inquiry and research
Criminal justice research involves the critical evaluation of empirical evidence. Such evaluation helps explain crime patterns and trends, evaluate the validity of criminological theory, and determine the effectiveness of criminal justice programs and policies. Students will explore issues related to the nature of criminal behavior, police procedure, due process, mass incarceration, and rehabilitation and reentry.
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