Criminal Justice Minor

Carroll’s Criminal Justice minor provides an appreciation and understanding of the criminal justice system; how it operates within society and culture; and how crime and criminals are developed. It uses a social justice foundation that analyzes what practices and policies are sustainable and what needs improvement. Students are asked to develop an appreciation for the human side of the criminal justice system to foster conceptions of employees of the system, offenders, suspects, defendants and victims.

Classes provide general information about the criminal justice system, criminological theory, and the social world. You also can pick from courses discussing law enforcement, corrections, courts, criminal law, race and ethnicity, victims, juveniles and research methods.

This minor not only develops knowledge about the criminal justice system but skills inherent to the workforce. You will learn about how the system operates but more importantly you will be pushed to seek answers and solutions for problems and concerns within the system. You will write and orally present ideas and arguments that help you analyze problems. You will help lead classes through small and large groups to learn how to create your own scholarly knowledge and test ideas. Criminal justice courses help you be a more well-informed individual about a major societal institution that shapes lives.

The minor pairs well with a variety of majors, including political science, communication, sociology, psychology, English, business, health administration, Spanish, education and history.