Catalog Course Search Details

 Department:    CJ

 Course #:    208

 Credits:    3

 Variable:     No

 IUs:    3

 CIP:    430103

 EPC:    832

 REV:    2018

 Course Description  

Rules of evidence as they apply to criminal justice, why we have them, how they work, their relevance. Understanding of the hearsay rule, evidence presentation, burden of proof, witness competency/impeachment, judicial notice and privileges.

 Prerequisite  

Prerequisite: CJ& 101 and CJ 111, or department chair approval.

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 33

Lab: 0

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0

Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Vocational Preparatory Elective  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the principles involved in the application of the role of the investigator to the rules of evidence.
2. Relate the categories of evidence, their meaning and influence in the criminal field.
3. Specify the elements of relevancy, competency, and materiality, furnishing examples.
4. Identify the factors involved in determining competency in matters of insanity, infancy, prior convictions, and husband and wife--it is to include a working knowledge of the Washington State statutes and pertinent cases as they apply.
5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of privileged communications in the five categories--husband and wife; doctor-patient; lawyer-client; priest-penitent; and government secrets; all as specified in the Washington State statutes and cases.
6. Relate the meanings and application of three judicial doctrines: presumptions, judicial notices and stipulations.
7. Identify the �best evidence� rule and furnish examples.
8. Demonstrate a practical knowledge of the meaning of venue and jurisdiction.

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

0. Application and Integration

Definition: Applying information from one or more disciplines and/or field experiences in new contexts (Outcome 0.1); developing integrated approaches or responses to personal, academic, professional, and social issues (Outcomes 0.2-0.5).

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
0.3 Identify and evaluate the relationships among different perspectives within a field of study and among different fields of study.

1. Information Literacy

Definition: Recognizing when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
1.3 Evaluate information and its sources critically.
1.4 Evaluate issues (for example economic, legal, historic, social) surrounding the use of information.

2. Critical Thinking

Definition: The ability to think critically about the nature of knowledge within a discipline and about the ways in which that knowledge is constructed and validated and to be sensitive to the ways these processes often vary among disciplines.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
2.1 Identify and express concepts, terms, and facts related to a specific discipline.
2.2 Analyze issues and develop questions within a discipline.
2.4 Evaluate decisions by analyzing outcomes and the impact of actions.

3. Communication

Definition: Understanding and producing effective written, spoken, visual, and non-verbal communication.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
3.1 Recognize, read, and comprehend academic and/or professional writing.
3.2 Recognize, produce and demonstrate appropriate interpersonal, group, and public speaking skills.

6. Individual Awareness & Responsibility

Definition: Understanding, managing, and taking responsibility for one’s learning and behavior in varied and changing environments.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
6.2 Demonstrate standards of professionalism in manner, appearance, and setting appropriate to the context, including the classroom, workplace, and community.
6.4 Use self-reflection to recognize and define a sense of self-identity in personal, social/gender, and/or cultural/global terms and in relationship to others.

Course Contents

1. Trial procedure.
2. Evidence--rules and kinds.
3. Witnesses.
4. Credibility of witnesses.
5. Hearsay.
6. Confessions, admissions, and statements.
7. The United States Constitution 4th Amendment Exclusionary Rule.
8. Circumstantial evidence, documents, and discovery.
9. Physical evidence, photographs and testimony.