Criminal Justice

All students interested in the Criminal Justice field may enroll in this curriculum. Those identified as needing developmental coursework must satisfactorily complete the appropriate English and mathematics courses as part of their degree program.

All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request For Course Substitution Of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College's general education requirements is also available.

To qualify for the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Criminal Justice, the student must complete a minimum of 60 prescribed credit hours and attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 ("C" average).

The Criminal Justice program provides the education, knowledge, and skills needed to protect the public and work within the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. A sequence of courses is offered to help students 1) establish a knowledge base about Justice, 2) develop a set of professional values and 3) improve skills related to professional activity.

Upon completion of the program, persons already working in a justice setting will substantially enhance their knowledge, values and skills. Students will also be prepared to transfer to a four-year institution or to enter a justice setting at an entry level.

Students completing the Criminal Justice program will be prepared to work as state or municipal police officers/troopers, state or municipal corrections officers, parole and probation officers, private security managers, private investigators, homeland security investigators/screeners and youth detention counselors.

Digital Investigation Proficiency Certificate:

Please note that by selecting specific classes in the Criminal Justice program, students are able to earn a proficiency certificate in digital investigation that will provide them with an understanding of digital investigation, including fundamentals of crime scene investigation, chain of custody, and constitutional concerns relating to admissibility of evidence at trial. Through completion of this certificate, students will learn how to recover digital evidence in a legally defensible manner in criminal investigations.

Philadelphia Police Officers and Correctional Officers:

Persons who have graduated from the Philadelphia Police Academy may be eligible to receive academic credit for Justice 101, Justice 151, Justice 221, Justice 241 and Justice 261.  Graduates of the Philadelphia Correctional Training Center may be eligible to receive credit for Justice 235 and BHHS 241.

Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to:

• Identify the foundation, structure and components of the contemporary criminal justice system.
• Identify and analyze the core principles, practices and skills required for a successful career in criminal justice.
• Describe and evaluate the role of the criminal justice concepts of reasonable suspicion, probable cause and proof beyond a reasonable doubt from interrogation, arrest, prosecution and conviction.
• Describe the legal concept of juvenile delinquency including the traits and social characteristics that are the common correlates of delinquent behavior, explaining the difference between the juvenile process and procedures and the adult processes and procedures.
• Analyze the role of ethical principles and behavior that permeate multiple aspects of the criminal justice system.
• Observe, interact with, and participate in the criminal justice system through multiple experiential learning opportunities.