Advanced Paralegal Course Criminal Law

Advanced Paralegal Course Criminal Law

45 hours

Description

The predominance of criminal law cases within the legal system has caused an increasingly high demand for paralegals trained in this field. This course prepares students to participate, as criminal law paralegals, in pretrial, trial, and post trial preparations and procedures. It discusses the criminal justice system and its components as well as the paralegal’s multifaceted role in this system. The course also covers the specific elements of crime, including homicide, assault and battery, arson, burglary, embezzlement and extortion, among many others. Students are challenged to apply their legal reasoning skills to realistic case scenarios, analysis problems and other exercises. Ethical concerns and performance standards are also emphasized throughout the course.

Criminal law is the area of law that names behaviors and actions that are subject to prosecution and penalty by the government, and the process through which justice is administered within the legal system. Criminal law is one of the most interesting areas of law. Its predominance within the legal system has caused an increasingly high demand for the services of criminal law paralegals, which has, in turn, created a multitude of job opportunities for paralegals specializing in criminal law. The Criminal Law Paralegal course prepares students for entry-level positions within law firms, government offices, corporate legal departments, and various other agencies dealing with the prosecution of crime within the United States.

Tuition includes textbook, Protrain's exclusive Study Guide and access to the Online Student Center. 12 month access.

Outline

a. To understand criminal law and the criminal legal system of the United States.

b. To explain the paralegal’s role in the prosecution of crimes and the administration of justice in criminal proceedings.

c. To identify the components of and classification of various criminal acts.

d. To explain the elements of crimes against property, public order and safety, property, and justice and administration, as well as inchoate and organized crimes.

e. To explain different types of defenses and their elements.

f. To identify the paralegal’s role in the intake procedure in a prosecutor’s office and in drafting a complaint.

g. To understand the legal elements of search and seizure, including the legal use of warrants and the preparation of warrants.

h. To discuss a defendant’s rights concerning confession.

i. To explain and understand the paralegal’s role in pretrial procedures from initial appearance to pretrial conference.

j. To describe the paralegal’s duties and tasks during the trial procedure.

k. To understand terms and forms of sentencing and punishment procedures.

Lesson 1: Criminal Law 1

Textbook: Criminal Law and Procedure: A Systems Approach, third edition, by James W.H. McCord and Sandra L. McCord, West Legal Studies (Thomson, Delmar Learning), 2006, ISBN-13: 978-1-4018-6564-1, ISBN-10: 1-4018-6564-X

A. Chapter 1

Introduces students to criminal law and the legal system; explains classification of crimes; discusses punishment, retribution, deterrence, and rehabilitation for crimes; introduces an overview of crime within the United States.

B. Chapter 2

Discusses administration of justice and the paralegal’s role within the prosecution of crimes; introduces law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies; explains the criminal court system; introduces the professional ethics and other professional considerations within the practice of criminal law and as a criminal law paralegal.

C. Chapter 3

Discusses the components of a crime; introduces the classification of crimes; explains the role of mens rea and motive within classification; introduces the concepts of causation and complicity; discusses vicarious and corporate liability.

Examination

Lesson 2: Criminal Law 2

A. Chapter 4

Presents the elements of a crime; discusses the facets of crimes against persons such as homicide, assault and battery, civil rights violations, sexual battery, criminal abuse, and kidnapping, false imprisonment, and custodial interference; discusses the aspects of crimes against habitation such as arson, vandalism, and burglary.

B. Chapter 5

Discusses the elements of crimes against property such as larceny, embezzlement, fraud, and extortion; explains the factors of crimes against public order and safety such as terrorism, disorderly conduct, and riot; discusses aspects of crimes against public morals, including nonviolent sexual conduct, gambling, and drug offenses; explains elements of crimes against justice and public administration such as bribery, perjury, and resisting arrest.

Examination

Lesson 3: Criminal Law 3

A. Chapter 6

Discusses inchoate crimes such as attempt, conspiracy, and solicitation; discusses organized crimes such as those performed by racketeering influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO), continuing criminal enterprise (CCE) offenders, and criminal gangs.

B. Chapter 7

Introduces students to types of defenses; defines constitutional and statutory defenses such as freedoms of religion, expression, and assembly; introduces types of justification, including self-defense and resisting unlawful arrest; introduces excuses such as duress, necessity, and insanity; explains the defenses of missing elements and syndromes.

Examination

Lesson 4: Criminal Law 4

A. Chapter 8

Explains the steps of the intake procedure in a prosecutor’s office and a paralegal’s role in that procedure; discusses the paralegal’s interview with the client; explains the elements of a prosecutor’s decision to charge; describes duties involved in drafting a complaint, as well as preparing a summons and warrant; explains docket tracking.

B. Chapter 9

Discusses Fourth Amendment (search and seizure) rights; outlines requirements for a warrant, as well as exceptions to these requirements; discusses consent searches; introduces issues concerning electronic surveillance and the Patriot Act; discusses the legal use of secret agents, as well as the exclusionary rule.

Examination

Lesson 5: Criminal Law 5

A. Chapter 10

Discusses issues involved in confessions and pretrial identification procedures; introduces the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination; explains Miranda’s role in arrest, confession, and interrogation; outlines the paralegal’s role in confession; discusses eyewitness identification procedures such as line-ups and photo identifications.

B. Chapter 11

Outlines pretrial procedures from a defendant’s initial appearance in court to the preliminary hearing; defines types of bail and pretrial release services; outlines terms of pretrial detention; explains the paralegal’s role in the pretrial interview of the defendant and of witnesses; introduces other preliminary investigation and preparation duties of defense and prosecution teams; outlines the events of a preliminary hearing.

C. Chapter 12

Outlines pretrial procedures from grand jury and indictment to the pretrial conference; explains the roles and powers of a grand jury; highlights the paralegal’s role in assisting the prosecution or defense in preparation for the grand jury; explains the information and arraignment; introduces the process of discovery and the paralegal’s role in this process; discusses pretrial motions and notice of defenses; explains plea bargaining; discusses the pretrial conference.

Examination

Lesson 6: Criminal Law 6

A. Chapter 13

Discusses the pretrial rights of a plaintiff and defendant; outlines the paralegal’s role in preparing for trial, including preparation of the trial notebook, client, witnesses, and various trial materials; discusses the paralegal’s role in the trial procedure, including preparation for voir dire and for the opening statement; discusses the elements of a trial from the presentation of the prosecution’s case to post trial motions

B. Chapter 14

Explains sentencing and terms of serving a sentence; describes different forms of punishment, including capital punishment, incarceration, fines, restitution, forfeiture, and probation; outlines sentencing statutes, guidelines, and procedure; introduces the process of appeal; explains the habeas corpus procedure.

Examination

Computer Requirements

Students will need to have access to an IBM compatible PC with the following minimum requirements to complete BCI's Allied Health programs:

• Pentium 100 or higher processor
• Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows® 98 Second Edition, Windows®
Millennium Edition, Windows® NT 4 with Service Pack 6 or later or
Windows® 2000 Professional or later operating system
• 24MB RAM (Windows® 98/Windows® 98 Second Edition);
• 32MB RAM (Windows®/Me/Windows® NT 4.0);
• 64MB RAM (Windows® 2000 Professional)
• Plus an additional 8MB for each application running simultaneously
• 100MB available hard disk space minimum
• 2x CD-ROM drive or higher
• 16-Bit Sound card or higher
• Standard USB port
• Speakers connected to your sound card
• Microsoft® mouse or other compatible pointing device
• Printer
• Audio Cassette Player (Allied Health Courses)

Protrain Online Student Center Technology Requirements

In addition to the above requirements, we recommend the following computer equipment for use with our Online Student Center:

• Pentium-II Class or higher processor
• 56.6 Kbps Modem or faster
• 64 MB RAM or greater
• 50-100 MB free hard disk space
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0+, Netscape Navigator 6.0+ or equivalent, or America Online 7.0+
• An active account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Course Materials

Textbook: Criminal Law and Procedure: A Systems Approach, 3rd Edition, 2006, by James W.H. McCord and Sandra L. McCord. Paperback edition.

We offer free registration in our Online Student Center to all active Protrain students, so you can select the course delivery method that best fits your educational preferences and your learning style.

Delivering courses electronically allows you maximum flexibility when accessing and completing your career program. You can choose to read lessons on-screen, download the study guide for later use, or print out your own hard copy immediately. In the Online Student Center, courses can be completed on the computer using our own Protrain course management system. You receive all the program materials by mail upon enrollment, then log into the Online Student Center with a username and password. Once logged on, you can access your study guides, take exams, and contact your instructors and fellow students.

Our study guides are set up in an easy-to-use PDF format, which allow graphically sophisticated screen displays to be viewed in large format. In addition, you have resources such as online testing with instantaneous results; access to student records, payment history and grade history; chat and discussion boards; online student support; and web resources.