Skip to Main Content

OER & ZTC: Open Educational Resources & Zero-Textbook Cost Classes

A guide for faculty about OER & ZTC at El Camino College.

Textbooks

book coverIntroduction to the American Criminal Justice System by Alison S. Burke et al (2019): Open Oregon Educational Resources.

This OER covers law enforcement, criminal courts, sentencing, penal institutions, and community-based sanctions. It also includes historical and contemporary perspectives on components of the criminal justice system, as well as the legal and constitutional frameworks in which they operate. Students will learn the history, functions, responsibilities, processes, and importance of each component of the criminal justice system. Students will become familiar with research and its relationship to criminal justice policy.


book coverCriminal Law by Lisa Storm (2015): University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. 

This engaging and interactive textbook will enhance a student's ability to be successful in academics or a career in criminal justice. Covers the Legal System in the United States, Constitutional Protections, types of offenses, and an extensive case listing in the Appendix. Criminal Law is adapted from a work produced and distributed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA) in 2012 by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing through the eLearning Support Initiative.


book coverEthics in Law Enforcement by Steve McCartney & Rick Parent (2015): BCcampus. 

This book examines the moral and ethical issues that exist within law enforcement.It will also familiarize you with the basic history, principles, and theories of ethics. Concepts will then be applied to major components of the criminal justice system: policing, the courts, and corrections. Discussion will focus on personal values, individual responsibility, decision making, discretion, and the structure of accountability. Specific topics covered include core values, codes of conduct, ethics, organizational consequences, liability, and the importance of critical thinking. 


book coverFederal Rules of Criminal Procedure by Cornell Law School (2014): CALI's eLangdell® Press. 

Criminal procedure deals with the set of rules governing the series of proceedings through which the government enforces substantive criminal law. This series of Federal Rules books, consisting of the Federal Rules of Evidence, Criminal Procedure and Civil Procedure,  are powered by the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School, and created in partnership with The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI).

 


book coverPrinciples and Procedures of the Criminal Justice System by Larry Alvarez (2018): College of the Canyons. 

Compiled and distributed for use at College of the Canyons in California. Part of their ZTC - Zero Cost Textbook initiative, this PDF is available as a viewable and downloadable file in Google Drive. This textbook uses real examples of court rulings to demonstrate how the American justice system functions. 

 

Courses

American Justice System 101: Intro to Administration of Justice (Skills Commons)

Organization and jurisdiction of local, state and federal law enforcement, judicial and corrections systems, terminology and constitutional limitations of the system. Includes Canvas export package.

 

Criminal Justice (BMCC/Lumen)

This course includes units on corrections, criminal justice, systems and processes, law, policing, courts and sentencing. Also comes with a variety of quizzes and assessments.

 

 

Constitutional Law (Lumen)

CRJ200: This course begins with an overview of the United States Constitution, then addresses the first eight amendments to the Constitution and related Supreme Court cases. The course concludes with a look at Social Media and its role in Constitutional rights and law.

 

Introduction to Criminal Justice (Colby Community College)

In this course students are provided a strong foundation of information about the criminal justice system and it's primary components. It is my aim to provide both the essential content and the critical tools involved in understanding the criminal justice system.

Additional Resources

Criminal Justice in the Urban Community (BMCC/Lumen)

Criminology (Lumen)

Doc McKee (Adam McKee's OER & Textbook resource page)

Evidence: Best Evidence Rule (UMN Open Textbook Library)

Evidence: Jury Impeachment (UMN Open Textbook Library)

Evidence: Rape Shield Rule (UMN Open Textbook Library)

Federal Rules of Evidence (Cali's eLangdell Press)