CRJ @ UNLV
This is the three-letter abbreviation students often use when talking about the Criminal Justice major at UNLV
What is CRJ?
This long-running procedural drama, set in New York, begins each episode with the iconic line: "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups..."
What is Law and Order?
Learn More In:
CRJ 333 – Criminal Justice in Film
This courtroom professional represents the government during criminal cases
What is a prosecutor?
Interested in Being a Prosecutor? Take:
CRJ 130 - Survey of Criminal Law
CRJ 235 - Legal Method and Process
CRJ 432 - Criminal Justice Process
This former NFL player was tried in 1995 for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in what was called the “Trial of the Century”
Who is O.J. Simpson?
Learn More In:
CRJ 130 - Survey of Criminal Law
CRJ 235 – Legal Method and Process
CRJ 432 - Criminal Justice Process
This type of evidence includes fingerprints, DNA, and weapons
What is physical evidence?
Interested in a Career in Forensics? Take:
CRJ 164 - Criminal Investigation
CRJ 225 - Criminal Evidence
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science
Criminal justice is made up of these three main parts: law enforcement, courts, and this system that deals with incarceration and rehabilitation
What is corrections?
Learn More In:
CRJ 104 - Introduction to Criminal Justice
CRJ 106 – Introduction to Corrections
CRJ 235 – Legal Method and Process
CRJ 419 – Law & Society
CRJ 425 - Correctional Institution
Set in Las Vegas, this TV show follows a team of investigators solving crimes using forensic science
What is CSI: Crime Scene Investigation?
Learn More About CSI in:
CRJ 311 - Forensic Science
This job involves interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, and trying to solve crimes for a police department
What is a detective?
Interested in Being a Detective? Take:
CRJ 211 - Police in America
CRJ 313 - Community Policing and Problem Solving
This person went viral on social media for killing a major health care CEO
Who is Luigi Mangione?
Learn More In:
CRJ 419 - Law and Society
CRJ 435 - Jury Decision Making
CRJ 438 - Social Inequality and Crime
Investigators commonly use this type of physical evidence to identify people due to their unique ridge patterns
What are fingerprints?
Interested in a Career in Forensics? Take:
CRJ 164 - Criminal Investigation
CRJ 225 - Criminal Evidence
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science
This course is one of the CRJ department's most popular courses and is focused on crimes that are motivated by bias against a victim’s characteristics
What are hate crimes?
Learn More In:
CRJ 315 – Hate Crimes
In the show Criminal Minds, this character is best known for her portrayal of an FBI Technical Analyst
Who is Penelope Garcia?
Wanna Be Like Penelope? Take:
CRJ 404 – Crime Analysis
This professional, often referred to as “The Detective of Death,” examines a person’s remains to determine their cause and manner of death
What is a medical examiner?
Interested in Being a Medical Examiner? Take:
Criminal Justice Classes:
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science
Non-Criminal Justice Classes:
ANTH 365 - Bones, Bodies and Trauma: Forensic Studies in Anthropology
This 1966 Supreme Court case established that suspects must be informed of their rights before police questioning
What is Miranda v. Arizona?
Learn More In:
CRJ 130 - Survey of Criminal Law
CRJ 432 - Criminal Justice Process
This chemical test is used to identify a shooter to check their hands or clothing after a firearm is discharged
What is gunshot residue analysis
Interested in a Career in Forensics? Take:
CRJ 164 - Criminal Investigation
CRJ 225 - Criminal Evidence
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science
This UNLV building houses CRJ faculty offices, advising services, and many of the classrooms used by CRJ (and other Urban Affairs) majors.
What is Greenspun Hall?
In 2025, this woman was the subject of a Hulu docuseries discussing her life and the 2015 murder of her mother
Who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard?
Learn More In:
CRJ 325 – Serial Killers and Sexual Predators
CRJ 333 – Criminal Justice in Film
This professional is responsible for supervising inmates, maintaining security in jails or prisons, and enforcing institutional rules
What is a corrections officer?
Interested in Being a Corrections Officer? Take:
CRJ 106 - Introduction to Corrections
CRJ 211 - Police in America
CRJ 425 - Correctional Institution
CRJ 445 - Police Administration
This man, often called America’s first serial killer, built a “Murder Castle” during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, complete with hidden rooms, trapdoors, and gas chambers
Who is H.H. Holmes?
Learn More In:
CRJ 325 – Serial Killers and Sexual Predators
This chemical glows blue when it reacts with blood at crime scenes
What is luminol?
Interested in a Career in Forensics? Take:
CRJ 164 - Criminal Investigation
CRJ 225 - Criminal Evidence
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science
UNLV CRJ students can gain real-world experience through this opportunity, working with places like LVMPD, courts, or federal agencies
What is an internship?
Interested in a CRJ Internship? Take:
CRJ 491 - Internships in CRJ
Created by popular television crime dramas, this phenomenon creates unrealistic public expectations regarding forensic science's speed, capabilities, and availability
What is the "CSI Effect"?
Learn More About CSI In:
CRJ 311 - Forensic Science
This CRJ career involves working with the courts to help victims process their trauma and assist them through the justice system process
What is a victim advocate?
Interested in Victim Advocacy? Take:
CRJ 428 - Women and Crime
CRJ 429 - Gender and Crime
CRJ 437 - Delinquency Prevention and Control
CRJ 438 - Social Inequality and Crime
CRJ 442 - Victims of Sex Crimes
CRJ 469 - Psychology and the Legal System
This case led to the first major DNA exoneration in U.S. history
What is the Gary Dotson case?
Learn More In:
CRJ 130 - Survey of Criminal Law
CRJ 164 - Criminal Investigation
CRJ 225 - Criminal Evidence
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science
This forensic field studies insects to estimate the time of death
What is forensic entomology?
Interested in a Career in Forensics? Take:
CRJ 164 - Criminal Investigation
CRJ 225 - Criminal Evidence
CRJ 311 – Forensic Science