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1.2: Criminal Justice Is Dynamic

  • Page ID
    47354
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    Criminal Justice Is Dynamic

    Criminal justice is a fascinating and ever-changing field of study. The field of criminal justice (for the sake of easier note taking—known as CJ) is not like some fields where one can memorize a chart of elements or understand a few static functions such as division; it is alive with new discoveries and follows elements that are always changing. You may find that many “lay persons” such as the general public or perhaps parents do not understand how diverse and complex CJ is. When they hear the term CJ, they often think, “Oh, so you are studying to be a cop?” without understanding that criminal justice can be studied as a minor, as a major, for a master’s degree, for a law degree, or even for a Ph.D.—and a lifetime of continued learning. In the field of criminal justice, there is not just one right answer to many of the problems in our field. Should drugs be legalized? Should murderers be executed? Should insanity excuse one’s conduct? Is there something magical about setting the age for legal drinking at 21? Although I’m sure you have an opinion on these issues, I encourage you to keep an open mind as we go through the material, so you can look at all sides of an issue and then form a more educated opinion.

    No matter your opinion on these issues, I encourage you to keep an open mind as we go through the material, so you can look at all sides of an issue and then form an educated and informed opinion which may be the same or different from the opinion you currently hold.


    This page titled 1.2: Criminal Justice Is Dynamic is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Wendelin M. Hume and Sherina M. Hume,  University of North Dakota.