Master Syllabus CJ1523, Criminal Procedure

Credits 3 Lab Hours 0 Lecture Hours 3 Clinical Hours 0
Criminal procedure and courtroom practices most commonly confronting law enforcement officers in the administration of criminal law: inquests, indictments, warrants, appeals, search and seizure, use of force, and evidence.

For each unit of credit, a minimum of three hours per week with one of the hours for class and two hours for studying/preparation outside of class is expected.

Program and/or Department Mission Statement

The mission of the Humanities and Social Sciences is to foster an appreciation of the role that the humanities and social sciences has played in the evolution of civilized society and to explore the ways that an understanding of theory and practice in philosophy, the social and behavioral sciences, the fine arts, and written and oral expression will enable students to participate thoughtfully in a global society.

SCCC Outcomes

Outcome #1: Read with comprehension, be critical of what they read, and apply knowledge gained from their reading to broader issues of the day.

Outcome #2: Communicate ideas clearly and proficiently in writing, appropriately adjusting content and arrangement for varying audiences, purposes, and situations.

Outcome #3: Communicate their ideas clearly and proficiently in speaking, appropriately adjusting content and arrangement for varying audiences, purposes, and situations

Outcome #5: Demonstrate the ability to think critically by gathering facts, generating insights, analyzing data, and evaluating information.

Course Outcomes

At the completion of this course students should be able to apply criminal procedural law in their day to day duties as law enforcement officers. The student will demonstrate their understanding of the subject by demonstrating at least 70% competency of the topics to be covered, including:

  1. Discuss generally the nature and extent of individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
  2. Discuss in depth the rights in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments that constitute the core of the law of criminal procedure.
  3. Discuss generally the structure of the court system of the United States and of Kansas.
  4. Trace the progress of a criminal case through the court system from the initial complaint through appeal and post conviction remedies.
  5. Discuss the history and reasons for the exclusionary rule and its exceptions, and the significance of the exclusionary rule in the law of criminal procedure.
  6. Apply the law of arrest, search and seizure, confessions, and pretrial identification to particular fact situations.
  7. Describe the impact of important court cases involving Constitutional issues.
  8. Participate in practical applications, within a police context of constitutional issues.
Course Outline

The Exclusionary Rule, Privacy, Probably Cause, and Reasonableness

  1. Individual Rights under the United States Constitution
  2. Criminal Courts, Pretrial Process, and Trials
  3. Basic Underlying Concepts:
  4. Criminal Investigatory Search Warrants
  5. Administrative Searches, Special Needs Searches, and Electronic Surveillance
  6. Arrest
  7. Stops and Frisks
  8. Searches Incident to Arrest and Protective Sweeps
  9. Consent Searches
  10. The Plain View Doctrine
  11. Search and Seizure of Vehicles and Containers
  12. Open Fields and Abandoned Property
  13. Interrogations, Admissions, and Confessions
  14. Pretrial Visual Identification Procedures
Instructional Methods
  1. Lecture/Discussion
  2. In-class assignments/exercises Scenario-based exercise
Instructional Resources and Materials
  1. Internet
  2. Law Journals
  3. Videos/DVDs
  4. White Board
Methods of Assessment

Methods of assessing general course outcomes, SCCC and course outcomes include evaluation of tests, written assignments, and participation in class.

Outcome 1

Outcome 2

Outcome 3

Outcome 5

  1. Will be assessed by class participation, writing assignments, and verbal discussion indicating comprehension of material read.
  2. Will be assessed by writing assignments over scenarios.
  3. Will be assessed by verbal presentation of various court cases.
  4. Will be assessed by class presentations, essay, multiple choice, and true/false exams, and class discussions over subject matter.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Statement

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Seward County Community College will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. If you need support or assistance because of a disability, you may be eligible for academic accommodations. Students should identify themselves to the Mental Health Counselor at 620-417-1106 or go to the Student Success Center in the Hobble Academic building, room A149.