Community and Justice Services

This introductory course provides the student with an overview of the Canadian Criminal Justice System with an emphasis on its history, function, role and organization. Students will be introduced to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the impact of the Charter on the Canadian Justice System. Students will have the opportunity to critically analyze and reflect upon their own thoughts, feelings and biases towards the Canadian Criminal Justice System. The operation of the criminal justice system will be examined and analyzed considering contemporary issues affecting the system. Students will explore how criminal matters proceed through the system from enforcement, the trial process, sentencing, corrections and rehabilitation and reintegration.

This course focuses on ethical issues faced by individuals in the field of Community and Justice Services. The role of the Community and Justice Services professional is emphasized. It gives students an opportunity to examine and clarify their own beliefs and values and establish a specific framework for ethical decision-making. Ethical issues in the field of Community and Justice Services, which relate to a wide variety of concerns, are identified and explored. Students examine how professional ethical codes guide behaviour and apply ethical decision-making models to dilemmas in their professional lives.

This course introduces the student to the concepts of wellness and provides practical strategies for developing a healthy lifestyle. Students, through lectures, practical experience and self-evaluation will address physical fitness, nutrition, self-responsibility, self-care strategies and social interaction. The student will develop strategies to effectively design and implement a personal fitness program that would enhance future career success in the community and justice services field.

This introductory course provides the foundation for understanding human development, behaviour, and enculturation in Canadian society. The students will analyze the scientific study of human behaviour and mental processes. Students will also be provided with the tools necessary to explain human society and social behaviour through the examination of various sociological perspectives and concepts.

This course introduces students to the core competencies and skills required for a career in the field of community and justice services. This course is the first delivery in a series of four courses which are designed to assist the student in developing professionalism, self-growth, communication skills, and career readiness. This course will identify strategies needed for the successful transition into college, provide an overview of the essential competencies for the field, and introduce the Community and Justice Services Professional Readiness and Field Placement requirements.

This course briefly examines a variety of theoretical explanations of criminal and deviant behavior involving biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives. Criminological theory is also looked at in relation to various types of criminal activity and the reality of crime in Canada. Victimology is examined through crime statistics which again focus on the reality of crime in Canada as well as the correlates of criminal behavior. Finally, the impact of theory on the development of an effective criminal justice system is discussed with an emphasis on public policy and future trends.

Interpersonal skills are recognized as being increasingly important in the field of Community and Justice Services. This course focuses on developing self-awareness and interpersonal skills to enhance the student’s ability to interact with others effectively. Topics include leadership, norm setting, conflict resolution and effective group decision-making. 

This course uses an experiential approach allowing each student the opportunity to communicate effectively, and act as both team leader and team participant to fulfill all roles within a group.

Students are introduced to the guiding principles for community development practice and learn to identify and explain how networks of community services operate and how clients benefit from these services. Students examine social determinants of health, and advocacy in the field of community services while exploring social justice and community engagement.  Students practice their role as an advocate in inter-professional situations and explore a range of social justice issues and deepen empathy for people impacted by these issues and how to engage in practices that address systemic and structural issues in communities. 

Society has come to recognize that personal wellness is essential to the quality of life for the individual and to the wellness of society as a whole. Through lectures, practical experience, and self-evaluation, students address lifestyle factors such as physical fitness, stress management, coronary heart disease, shift work, and back health. Students implement an effective lifestyle plan that develops physical capacities and improves their overall wellness and self-care in preparation for future employment.

Client reports, critical incidents, plans of care, disciplinary actions, data collection, and other interactions in the Community and Justice Services field are recorded to ensure the safety of staff, agencies, clients, and the community. This course provides an overview of the various forms and reports used in the field of Community and Justice Services and focuses on the skill of completing reports and the content of reports as required by law. A strong emphasis is placed on critical thinking, effective use of language and terminology, grammar and spelling used in the preparation of legal documents.

This course provides the student with an in-depth analysis of Criminal Law in Canada. The student will examine the division of power among the federal, provincial, and municipal governments and examine the legislative process for creating criminal laws. The student will locate and analyze selected offences in the Criminal Code of Canada. The student will identify the elements of the offence, and prosecution options, analyze case law relating to the offence, and examine sentencing options for each offence. The student will identify and apply potential defences to criminal offences. The student will examine the Legal Rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

This course is the second delivery in a series of four courses which are designed to assist the student in developing professionalism, self-growth, communication skills, and career readiness. This course will identify strategies needed for the promotion of self-care, wellness, and prevention of occupational stressors. The course will assist the student in identifying and developing techniques for maintaining positive working relationships, strengthening their professionalism, and the importance of effective boundary setting and confidentiality. Students will continue to develop their professional communication skills and will assess their own strengths and weakness via the Community and Justice Services Professional Readiness and Field Placement requirements.

This course provides students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed to recognize, prevent, and manage disruptive and aggressive behaviour arising from diverse and at-risk client groups.

This course provides an overview of the federal and provincial legislation that impacts the delivery of community and justice services in Canada. Students become aware of how the various laws affect the management of children and youth at risk, young people in conflict with the law, and adult offenders at the provincial and federal levels.

In this course students will continue to explore ones self and their attitudes and biases towards diverse populations in the Community and Justice Services field. The impact of stigma and discrimination on people will also continue to be analyzed along with the concepts of power, privilege, intersectionality, and the importance of inclusivity within the Community and Justice Services field.  Students will explore the history and traditional practices of Indigenous cultures and the current social and political climate.  Students will also have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge regarding diverse populations in the Community and Justice Services field.  In addition to this, students will explore the concept of mental health and the symptomology of mental illness to enable them to recognize mental health struggles within the field.

This course introduces students to foundational interviewing skills and the dynamic nature of case work. Students study the assessments and interactions between the client and the professional in both community and institutional environments. The course addresses case management, goal development, exploring social histories and protocols within the community and justice environments, system navigation and ancillary human service agencies. Students practice interviewing skills through role-plays and a variety of other structured learning activities.

This course is the third delivery in a series of four courses which are designed to assist the student in developing professionalism, self-growth, communication skills and career readiness. This course will identify strategies needed for success while on placement by examining a variety of situations that may be found in the field. This course will prepare the student to deal with assigned field placement duties and effectively manage their responses to the many demands of the field. Students will continue to enhance their professional communication skills by examining reporting requirements while on field placement.

This course introduces students to the foundations of trauma informed care, recovery-oriented approach and the biopsychosocial plus model.  Students develop an understanding of the connection between trauma and criminalization and trauma and human behaviour and how experiences of trauma can impact the trajectory of one’s life.  Adverse Childhood Experiences and stress responses are explored along with a focus on trauma's relational and systemic components. In addition to this, students will apply the causation and treatment of specific problems by using the Biopsychosocial Plus approach to recovery. Students will apply critical thinking of how such trauma informed approaches, such as transformative justice intersect with diverse populations and how to reduce barriers to prevent re-traumatization while focusing on safety choice, collaboration and respect for diversity.

This course offers a supervised placement within a designated organization. Placement provides an opportunity to integrate the knowledge gained in the classroom with current practices in the field and to develop skills across a wide spectrum of community and justice service organizations.

This course is the final delivery in a series of four courses which are designed to assist the student in developing professionalism, self-growth, communication skills, and career readiness. This course will allow students to reflect and share experiences gained during their first field placement. Students will also be given the opportunity to explore career options and develop their oral and written communication skills which are necessary for successful career management. Students will be able to develop a professional and targeted portfolio to assist the student in representing themselves to prospective employers.

Prerequisite(s): CCJS 3000

This course offers a supervised placement within a designated organization. This course builds on knowledge and skills developed throughout the program. Students synthesize knowledge gained in the classroom with current practices in the field and develop skills across a wide spectrum of community and justice service organizations.

In this course, students will explore addictions and harm reduction to obtain a broader knowledge base when working in the community and justice services field. This course provides an analysis of the physiological, psychological, and social impact of the use and abuse of psychoactive drugs, an overview of terminology, and current approaches to addiction and recovery are explored including harm reduction and relapse prevention. Students examine the services available through the Ontario addiction treatment system, barriers to accessing services within the system and the importance of addressing individual factors for change. Students will employ various intervention techniques through case studies and role-play activities.

This course further develops the program planning skills needed to implement innovative programs to strengthen the community. Students work collaboratively to identify a social problem within the community and work to establish a plan to assess, respond, and strengthen the needs associated with that challenge. Students will plan and present an implementation strategy that will promote inclusive practices and meet the needs of a diverse population. Students develop leadership skills and the ability to evaluate and critique the effectiveness of programs.

This course will blend theory with practical applications based upon case studies and role plays that examine situations across the lifespan. Students will discuss and practice contemporary approaches to rehabilitation and recovery used in the field such as CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused and Strengths Based interventions that support identified clients in the Community and Justice Services field.   Students will critically reflect and practice on ways in which to support clients to find a sense of safety in the present and connect with resources along with strengthening skills of empathetic approaches.