Criminal and Constitutional Law-Certificate of Achievement

This certificate addresses a citizen's criminal and civil rights under the United State Constitution.  Students will learn about criminal statutes and protections provided by the Constitution.  Students will review the court system, procedures from incident to final disposition in the criminal justice system, and principles of civil law with constitutional, federal, state and local emphasis.

Learning outcomes:

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Compare the relationship of the legislative and judicial branches of the government as they related to the U.S. Constitution and the Penal Code of California
• Explain each step of the criminal justice process from arrest to trial
• Describe the various types of law
• Evaluate ways that individuals can effectively participate in politics at the national, state, county, and/or local levels
• Analyze the contemporary history and role of race and ethnicity in the American political system

There are no prerequisite skills or enrollment limitations that apply.

This certificate was developed at the request of faculty and students who wanted to be able to implement a better understanding of criminal and constitutional law.

30-50 depending on ability to complete the required courses in one school year.

Occupational goal for students seeking careers in law enforcement is to give them a more comprehensive understanding of criminal law, how the justice system works, the American government process related to the judicial system, ethnicity and politics and how they interact with law enforcement and the court system, and the rights of individuals with respect to the Constitution.  This would also apply to students seeking employment in the political system or non-profits, with the added benefit for them of having a clearer understanding of criminal law and how the justice system works.

See program requirements narrative in program requirements below:

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)

The program requirements narrative information is detailed out in the below that details individual courses, course title, units and year/semester listings:

Certificate of Achievement in Criminal and ConstitutionalLaw

Program Goals and Objectives

The goalof the Certificate of Achievement in Criminal and Constitutional Law is to prepare students for public orprivate sector employment in the legal and judicial employment areas.  Students will learn aboutcriminal statutes and protections provided by the Constitution.  Studentswill review the court system, procedures from incident to final disposition inthe criminal justice system, and principles of civil law with constitutional,federal, state and local emphasis. 

 

Upon completion of this program, students willbe able to:

·        Compare the relationshipof the legislative and judicial branches of the government as they related tothe U.S. Constitution and the Penal Code of California

·        Explain each step of thecriminal justice process from arrest to trial

·        Describe the varioustypes of law

·        Evaluate ways thatindividuals can effectively participate in politics at the national, state,county, and/or local levels

Analyze the contemporary history and role of race and ethnicity inthe American political system

Catalog Description:

This certificate addresses a citizen's criminal and civilrights under the United State Constitution.  Students will learn aboutcriminal statutes and protections provided by the Constitution.  Studentswill review the court system, procedures from incident to final disposition inthe criminal justice system, and principles of civil law with constitutional,federal, state and local emphasis. 

Courses Required for theCertificate of Achievement in Criminal and Constitutional Law

Course	Units	Sequence
Required courses:
ADMJ 52 Concepts of Criminal Law	3.00	Year 1 Fall
ADMJ 54 Principles and Procedures of the Justice System	3.00	Year 1 Fall
POLS1 American Government	3.00	Year 1 Fall
POLS 12 Ethnic Politics in the United States	3.00	Year 1 Spring
POLS 43 The Constitution and Individual Rights	3.00	Year 1 Spring
:
Total:	15 units

It is possible to complete the entire certificate in 1 schoolyear if the student can schedule the classes in two consecutive semesters. 

 

 

Year 1 Fall:  9 units

Year 1 Spring: 6 units

Master Planning:.  More and more, advancementin law enforcement and the justice system  requires at a minimum a two-year degree in Administrationof Justice from a community college, as well as certificates in specific areas,such as Civil and Criminal Law, Homeland Security and Forensics.

 

The G.I. Bill providedmoney for college or vocational education to returning World War II veterans,drawing thousands of returning veterans into higher education. Collegeenrollments soared, and community colleges sprang up and grew nationwide.  Many returning military veterans went intopublic safety employment at a time when education was not an equal partner inthe hiring process.  Ove time this haschanged to where education is an important hiring and promotionalcomponent.  This is whey community colleges,such as City College of San Francisco, constantly look at revamping theircurriculums to reflect current public safety needs.

 

Concurrently, thepatronage system for entry and advancement in local government service cameunder assault. Beginning with the Pendleton Act in 1883 and followed by theHatch Act in 1939, merit-based civil service systems gradually followed thefederal example and moved into state and local governments. And as the needs ofpublic safety, specifically law enforcement and civil and criminal law areas,required more education and professionalism, community colleges have developedand improved that important component.

 

Part of this capabilityis an educational process that prepares prospective employees with thepertinent education in specific areas of public safety.  Criminal law addressespunishment and rehabilitation.  Criminallaw is different in many states and even local areas of states. Criminalprocedures and law enforcement policies address constitutional rights andresponsibilities of the government agency as well as the individual.  The Constitution provides for checks andbalances and judicial interpretation.

The goal of the CityCollege Certificate of Achievement in Criminal and Constitutional law is togive our students seeking a career in law enforcement or the legal system abetter understanding of the Constitutional checks and balances that govern andprotect us as citizens, and those working in these related fields. 

 

Inthe current political environment in the United States, the Constitution iseven more of a living and breathing document and subject to constantinterpretations and analysis.

 

City College will continue to be a comprehensivecommunity college that will provide opportunities for student transfer, careerand technical education, basic skills, and English as a Second Languageinstruction as well as opportunities for lifelong learning and personalenrichment. City College willcontinuously align its Career Technical Education (CTE) programs with marketrealities in order to meet students’ educational needs.

 

Although CCSF can and does develop new coursesor programs in response to demonstrated industry need, the DWM frameworkrequires Colleges to interact, pursue and manage grants, and plan workforce andCTE offerings in a new way.  Colleges areexpected to follow a sector strategy model, work regionally to align programs withindustry needs, leverage existing programs throughout the region, pursuefunding through collaborative efforts, and report data on student outcomes onthe Launchboard, a statewide system.  Newprograms, Associate degrees, and Certificates of Achievement must be endorsedby voting members of BACCC which includes CTE and Workforce Deans from the 28regional colleges.

 

The CCSF Master Educational plan report comparesdegree and certificate offerings in the Bay Area, explores the breadth ofexisting programs in the Bay Area, and identifies those programs that areunique to City College and those programs that overlap with other, similarinstitutions.  This analysis uses 23institutions labeled as “two-year or less” operating in a 25-mile radius ofCity College of San Francisco.  Futureapproaches will more fully incorporate the Bay Area Community CollegeConsortium (BACCC), our “competitors” and colleagues in collaborative effortsfrom 28 regional colleges.  These includeBerkeley, Cabrillo, Canada, Chabot, College of Alameda, College of San Mateo,Contra Costa, De Anza, Diablo Valley, Evergreen, Foothill, Gavilan, Hartnell,Laney, Las Positas, Los Medanos, College of Marin, Merritt, Mission, MonterreyPeninsula, Napa Valley, Ohlone, CCSF, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Skyline, Solano,West Valley.  

 

There are 117,402 credit students enrolled inpublic and private postsecondary institutions offering two-year degrees or lessin a 25-mile radius of City College. Credit enrollment at the City College numbered 30,106, representing 26%of student population for two-year degree or less institutions within the25-mile radius.  Two-year public collegesaccount for 95% of the total enrollment among all 2-year degree and lessinstitutions in this radius.  The secondlargest set of “competitors” was private 2-year for-profit institutions at acombined percentage of 4%.

 

For a school of its size, it is not surprisingthat City College offers a large number of courses, as well as a large numberof degree and certificate programs compared to other, neighboring institutions.  There are 53 programs offered at CCSF thatare not offered elsewhere by two-year institutions in the Bay Area. Upon reviewof College of San Mateo campuses and Chabot College, it is noted that there areno similar certificates in Criminal and Constitutional Law. 

 

TheCCSF Strong Workforce Program (SWP) 2017-2020 Strategic Plan (referred to as“Plan” heretofore), embodies this core commitment. The Plan provides a guidefor how CCSF can support student achievement and career readiness through the strategicapplication of funds from the state Strong Workforce Program (SWP), a newsource of workforce development funding available to public two-year collegesstatewide through the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office(CCCCO).

 

Enrollmentdevelopment is designed to strengthen CTE outreach and enrollment. ProgramEnhancement is designed to focus on: strengthen existing CTE programs andoccupational clusters at CCSF; address gaps in funding; encourage thedevelopment of innovative curriculum; support student success strategies, suchas learning communities, decrease system barriers to completion, such assequencing and program advising; increase job placement support; deepenindustry engagement; and fund updated equipment supplies and facilities.

 

 

Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs

This proposed certificatecomplements other certificates in our Department: Administration of Justice,Forensics, Homeland Security, Fire Science, Fire Academy and Company Officer, andimproves career opportunities for our students. In addition, STEM programs atCity College also prepare our students for the technical analytical aspects of lawenforcement and the legal job positions, such as computer intelligence and dataanalysis and development systems.

 

Similar Programs at Other Colleges in Service Area

While other community colleges in the Bay Arearegion have Administrative of Justice program, none has been found to have aspecialized certificate such as we are applying for approval.  Our Certificate of Achievement in Criminaland Constitutional Law is one that was developed by the Departments ofPolitical Science and Administration of Justice, to address a need based onfaculty and student inquiries into the interaction of the legal and judicialsystems.

 

Labor Market Information (LMI)and Analysis

Seedocument attachment prepared by the San Francisco Bay Center of Excellence

 

 

Advisory Committee Recommendation

Advisory board minutes reflect both board members and faculty in agreement on implementation of new and revised major and certificates.  This was discussed at January and October 2017 meetings.

Regional Consortium Recommendation

 

Request submitted 10/7/18 so no BACCC agenda available as of this date.

 

Thank you,

JimConnors

Dept.Chair, Adm. of Justice/Fire Science

CityCollege of San Francisco

jconnors@ccsf.edu/415-239-3202

The focus of this certificate was a result of collaboration between Adm. of Justice Dept. and the Political Science Dept. to address inquiries into course work that addressed the law enforcement and sciences side of the legal and judicial systems.

In checking College of San Mateo and Chabot College, no comparable programs were noted, so there is no impact issue.