Criminal Justice

• MET CJ 101: Principles of Criminal Justice
  This course provides a comprehensive overview of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, the courts, and corrections) while developing students' critical thinking skills. In addition to class lectures, the course provides multiple venues for learning, to include group activities, guest lectures, a prison tour, and carefully selected films that highlight some of the most contentious issues in criminal justice today.
• MET CJ 209: Crime and Delinquency
  Analysis of criminal and delinquent behavior. Evaluation of current theories and research into causes and sociological implications of these behavior patterns. Examination of criminal justice systems, including police, courts, and corrections.
• MET CJ 251: Police and Society
  This course provides a foundation for understanding the implications of policing in the United States. The course examines the historical development of policing in the U.S., the role of police in our society, police organizations and decision-making, policing strategies, as well as issues of authority and accountability. Throughout the course, several contemporary issues and controversies facing the police will be discussed including: police discrimination, police use of force practices, and other special topics.
• MET CJ 271: Corrections
  This course provides an overview of models of punishment and rehabilitation from the perspectives of the humanities and social sciences, including a review of correctional practices and procedures, institutional treatment, probation, parole, prison conditions, programs for juveniles, and comparative systems. Correction administration topics are covered including personnel, legal, operating practices, overcrowding, and planning.
• MET CJ 300: Applied Social Science Theory
  Applied Social Science Theory introduces students to major authors and seminal works that continue to inform theory and research in social sciences. The focus is on reading primary source materials to examine not only the major conclusions of these authors, but the arguments they use to justify those conclusions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking, Research and Information Literacy. Students cannot take both METCJ 300 and METSO 300 for credit.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry II
• MET CJ 305: Family and Intimate Partner Violence
  This course will look at American family violence across the life span including child abuse, teen dating violence, wife battering and elder abuse. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse will be examined. We will consider how family violence differs by class and ethnic group and its differential impact on women. Institutional responses to family violence in the legal, medical and social service systems will be included as well as the role played by the women's shelter movement. Ideological supports for family violence in gender expectations, religious teaching and the media will also be studied.
• MET CJ 344: Drugs and Society
  Course examines the nature, causes and public policy implications of drug use in our society. Students will critically evaluate various approaches to regulating drug use, including those across the justice system and other policy domains.
• MET CJ 351: Criminal Law
  Theory and practice of criminal law, including sanctions, individual liability, limitations on state action, criminal and victim rights, evidence, defense, deterrence, mandatory sentencing, decriminalization, intent, entrapment, vagueness, and capital punishment. Case studies of recent court decisions.
• MET CJ 352: Courts and Criminal Procedure
  Federal, state, and local criminal courts and their relationship to contemporary social and political issues. Historical background of the current criminal court system. Institutional functions of the courts. Role of the courts in reducing crime. Judicial process and criminal procedure, case studies and court decisions.
• MET CJ 420: Directed Study
  Undergraduate-level independent study in criminal justice. Students seeking to complete a directed study project should identify and discuss the project with a faculty supervisor, then seek approval and registration from the department. Email cjmet@bu.edu for guidance.
• MET CJ 510: Special Topics in Criminal Justice
  Topics vary. Please see notes for current topic. Contact listed instructor or department at cjmet@bu.edu for more information.
• MET CJ 511: Rehabilitation and Re-Integration
  What does it really take to rebuild a life after prison? For millions of people leaving correctional facilities each year, successful reentry depends on more than serving a sentence—it requires opportunity, support, and systems designed to help people change. Examine the ideas and policies that shape rehabilitation in modern corrections. You will explore competing philosophies of punishment and reform and see how those ideas play out inside prisons and in community programs. Discussions focus on the realities of delivering education, treatment, and other services in correctional settings, the influence of prison culture on personal change, and the tension between security and rehabilitation. Gain insight into how justice systems can better support successful reintegration.
• MET CJ 512: Sexual Violence
  How do we understand sexual offending, support survivors, and develop effective responses to sexual harm? Examine sexual deviance and sexual trauma through multiple perspectives, including psychology, sociology, criminal justice, public health, and social justice perspectives. You will explore how laws, cultural norms, and historical activism have shaped society’s responses to sexual violence. The course also examines the treatment of sexual offending, survivor experiences, and the roles played by institutions such as the media, mental health systems, and the criminal justice system. Collaborative group work encourages critical inquiry and practical problem-solving as you apply theory and research to develop informed responses to issues of sexual violence and trauma.
• MET CJ 531: Youth, Crime and Justice
  Why do some young people engage in delinquency, and how should the justice system respond? Explore the latest research on juvenile delinquency and the complex challenges facing justice-involved youth. Students will critically examine the developmental factors that contribute to youth involvement in risky and delinquent behavior and explore evidence-based strategies to help youth navigate these challenges successfully. We will investigate the unique needs and capacities of justice-involved youth and evaluate how these needs are addressed within the justice system. Students will learn how developmental research has shaped U.S. Supreme Court decisions and influenced legal policies affecting young offenders, and will identify gaps where policy and practice lag behind scientific understanding.
• MET CJ 570: Criminology and Crime Policy
  Why do people commit crime, and how should those explanations shape public policy and practice? Explore crime through a range of criminological perspectives and examine how different ways of understanding crime lead to different responses from the justice system and society. You will study major theories from across the social sciences and consider what they suggest about the causes of crime, the development of law, and the design of effective policies and programs. Along the way, you will connect theory and research to contemporary crime problems and evaluate how well current justice practices reflect the evidence. By the end of the course, you will be better prepared to use criminological theory and research to assess competing ideas about crime and to inform decisions about law, policy, and practice.
• MET CJ 571: Criminal Justice Administration and Ethics
  How should justice organizations be led and managed within the legal and ethical constraints that govern their work? Explore the practical challenges of administering policing, court, and correctional institutions in ways that comply with law, policy, and professional standards. You will examine how justice organizations operate and how leadership, organizational culture, and management practices shape decision-making. The course introduces key ideas from organizational theory and applies them to real-world justice settings, including employee motivation, professional socialization, stress and burnout, and organizational deviance. Through case analysis and discussion, you will examine how laws, policies, and legal and professional obligations guide professional judgment and shape how justice leaders translate policy into practice.
• MET CJ 590: Research and Evaluation Methods
  How do justice leaders know whether a policy or program is actually working? In many criminal justice and community organizations, professionals are expected to use research and data to guide decisions, evaluate programs, and improve outcomes. Develop practical research and evaluation skills used in justice administration and related fields. You will learn how to move through the research and evaluation process—from developing questions to collecting, analyzing, and communicating evidence. The course emphasizes applied research settings, particularly the evaluation of justice policies and programs. You will examine common research designs and the strengths and limitations of different approaches. Topics include sampling, survey design, interviews, participant observation, case studies, and process evaluations. By the end of the course, you will be better prepared to interpret research and use evaluation methods to assess and improve real-world programs and policies.
• MET CJ 591: Applied Analytical Methods
  Evidence-based and data-informed approaches are now central to modern criminal justice practice. How can data help you understand crime problems, evaluate programs, and support better policy decisions? Develop practical skills for analyzing and interpreting quantitative data used in justice policy and administration. You will learn how to frame research questions, summarize patterns in data, and draw meaningful conclusions from statistical evidence. The course introduces key analytical tools—including descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and measures of association—and demonstrates how they are used to analyze crime and justice data. Working with real datasets and justice-system contexts, you will build experience conducting analyses and communicating findings clearly to diverse audiences. By the end of the course, you will be able to interpret statistical evidence and “tell the story” behind the numbers.
• MET CJ 599: Capstone in Applied Social Science
  This course engages upper level undergraduate Department of Social Science majors in a capstone experience through applied research. It focuses on integrating competencies gained through the student's major and BU Hub requirements with specific focus on applied theory and research. The capstone integrates the principles and applications of the major areas of study in Applied Social Sciences, including criminal justice, psychology, sociology and urban affairs. The course will specifically address questions of public policy, social justice, and mental health. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • The Individual in Community
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• MET CJ 610: Cybercriminology
  Why do individuals and groups commit crimes in digital environments? In this course, you will explore how criminological theory helps explain cybercrime and how these insights inform modern criminal justice responses. Drawing on both micro-level and macro-level theories of crime, you will examine how traditional criminological frameworks are adapted to understand offenses such as online fraud, hacking, and other forms of cyber-enabled crime. Through case studies of real cybercrime incidents, the course explores patterns of offending, victimization, legal responses, and the broader social costs of cybercrime. By the end of the course, you will understand how theory, law, and policy shape strategies for preventing and responding to cybercrime within contemporary justice systems.