Criminal Justice Program Evaluation – CJUS 601

Course Description

This course has two primary focuses. First, in today's environment of Evidence Based Policing, proper program evaluation is necessary. This class builds the student's skill set to conduct and understand criminal justice program evaluation. Second, as a sub-component of program evaluation and as a major component of CompStat, statistical analysis should be understood by the criminal justice leader. This course addresses the understanding of the measurement of crime.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The need for police leaders to understand basic statistical processes and pitfalls in order to create and assess programs and policy is crucial. This is a foundational course in the understanding of statistical information and processes. The student shall be able to call upon the lessons learned in this course in order to be better informed leaders. This skill is crucial in evidence-based policing.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (8)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to write a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 250 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150 words. The thread must have a minimum of 2 references, and the replies must have a minimum of 1 reference. The references must be in current APA style, and the references must be reflected in the text (in-text citations) as well as at the end of each post. Discussion threads and replies must be posted directly to the discussion and not as an attachment; attachments will not be graded. Each reply must contain 1–2 sentences addressing issues, questions, or statements from a Christian worldview.

Policy Issue and Solution Paper Assignments (2)

The student will write a 12–15-page research-based paper in current APA format. The paper must focus on policy analysis in policing. The paper must include a minimum of 12 references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. The student will submit a draft as well as a final version of the paper.

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Textbook material for the module in which it is assigned. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 14 multiple-choice questions as well as 1 essay question, and have a 1-hour time limit.