CRJS 373: Evidence and Procedures (3 credit hours). The overarching goal of this course is to provide the student with an overview of the procedures for conducting civil litigation and criminal trials as well as the rule of evidence applicable to criminal cases. The course will then specifically focus on evidence concepts including, but not limited to: procedures, constitutional rights witness competency and impeachment, relevance, presumption, hearsay, admissions & confessions, circumstantial evidence, testimonial, documentary & physical evidence and the exclusionary rule. An analysis of laws and court decisions relating to admissibility is emphasized.
Learner Outcomes
By the end of this course, a successful student would be able to:
- Apply the rules of evidence to different evidentiary scenarios.
- Be able to define and explain pretrial identification procedures.
- Define what constitutes a proper arrest.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the overall operation and function of the judicial system.
- Demonstrate the knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and individual rights under the Constitution.
- Describe admissions and confessions and what the legal rights of defendants are.
- Describe the search warrant procedures that must be followed to meet legal requirements.
- Describe the stages of a criminal trial.
- Determine the relationship of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights to the criminal justice system.
- Develop an understanding of the basic rules of evidence applicable in criminal proceedings.
- Develop an understanding of the rationale for various evidentiary rules.
- Explain the importance of appellate court decisions related to proof/evidence.
- Identify ethical dilemmas encountered during the criminal procedure process.