This course is divided into units and is organized to provide a logical approach to understanding the operation of criminal justice and public safety in the United States. It gives a brief overview of the entire criminal justice response to crime, the stages of the process from the commission of crime through the law enforcement response and the administration (courts and prosecution) to corrections. This knowledge will help the student understand how the different parts of the process fit together.

With school to career opportunities opening up for students in high schools across the country and the law enforcement and public safety field needing better-educated officers, the need for secondary criminal justice education becomes evident.