CJ 530 CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JUSTICE

ADMINISTRATION

(CJ530 - Fall 7B – 10/17/11 to 12/19/11)

Professor: Dennis R. Longmire Ph.D.

Office Hours: PRN

Office Location: CJCHotel - 225

Telephone: 936-294-1651

E-mail: longmire@shsu.edu

Personal Web-site: http://www.shsu.edu/~icc_drl

Location: e-College learning platform

Class Hours: Online Synchronous Discussion Sessions will be required of students as noted below.

TEXTBOOK(S)

The following reading materials are REQUIRED of all students.

• Duffee, David E. and Edward R. Maguire, eds. (2007). Criminal Justice Theory Explaining the Nature and Behavior of Criminal Justice. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

• Slate, Risdon N. and W. Wesley Johnson (2008). Criminalization of Mental Illness Crisis & Opportunity for the Justice System. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

The following reading materials are RECOMMENDED for all students.

• Austin, James and John Irwin (2011). It's About Time:  America's Imprisonment Binge, 4^th Edition.  Belmont, Ca.:  Wadsworth Publishing Company – Cenage Learning.

• Barlow, David and Melissa Hickman Barlow (2001). Police in a Multicultural Society An American Story. Waveland Press, Inc.

• Baum, Lawrence (2006). Judges and Their Audiences: A Perspective on Judicial Behavior. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ.

• Messner, Steven F. and Richard Rosenfeld (2007). Crime and the American Dream, Fourth Edition. Belmont, CA: Thompson Higher Education.

It is expected that you will have completed each set of required readings by the date scheduled for their discussion on the attached "Schedule of Classes." Students will also be required to read and discuss articles they locate through their independent research associated with assigned topics.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Description:

Catalogue Description: “An analysis of the criminal justice system in the United States; role of justice agencies as part of societal response to crime; the knowledge base of criminal justice; issues, problems, trends.”

Objectives:

The three primary objectives of this course are to:

1) Engage students in the study of “criminal justice theory”;

2) Encourage "students of criminal justice" to recognize the systemic and social nature of crime control efforts; and

3) Engage students in an active learning experience demonstrating their ability think conceptually about current issues facing the criminal justice system.

The overarching goal of this class is to instill in each participant the seeds of curiosity that will enable them to think about crime, criminality and the administration of justice at a conceptual level. We will move beyond the conventional "So what? " question that seems to drive inquiry at the undergraduate level and in its place pose the "I wonder why …?" or "What would it be like if …?" questions.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Class attendance requirements will be followed in accordance with Academic Policy Statement 800401 with adjustments as necessary due to the on-line nature of this class. It is important to note, however, that students enrolled in On-Line sections of this class will be required to actively engage in synchronous and asynchronous on-line discussions throughout the semester.

If a student fails to attend in one of the scheduled synchronous class sessions, s/he will be required complete an additional assignment prior to the close of the semester and will only be eligible to receive 70% of the points available for that “Synchronous Discussion” session. “Make-up” modules will be designed by your professor to insure that you cover the material associated with that session. Students who miss more than one “Synchronous Discussion” session must confer with the professor to secure permission prior to the completion of subsequent "Make-up" modules.

GRADING POLICY

NOTE: THE GRADING POLICY WAS MODIFIED AFTER THE “COURSE OVERVIEW” VIDEO & AUDIO CLIPS WERE RECORDED. THE WRITTEN REQUIREMENTS INCLUDED HEREIN ARE THE ONES THAT WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE YOUR FINAL SEMESTER GRADES!!!

You will be evaluated throughout the semester by way of each of the following methods:

1) Synchronous Discussion Sessions (4);

2) Cyber-Source Projects (4) (ORIGINALLY DISCUSSED AS A “WEBLIOGRAPHY PROJECT” IN VIDE0 & AUDIO CLIPS); and an

3) Assessment of Individual Proficiency Project (1) NOT INCLUDED IN VIDEO & AUDIO CLIPS.

Your final semester grade will be determined according to the following scale:

Total Points	Percent of Total	Semester Grade
400 – 445	90 - 100	A
356 – 399	80 - 89	B
311 – 355	70 - 79	C
Below 311	less than 70	F

Specific evaluative criteria for these areas are:

Synchronous Discussion Sessions: Each student will be assigned to a “Synchronous Discussion Work-Group” that will be delivered and managed through the e-College text based “Chat” platform. STUDENTS MUST DOWNLOAD A “PLUG-IN” TO THEIR COMPUTER IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RUN THIS PROGRAM and should contact e-College’s support services in they experience any problems during this process.

The size of each discussion group will be determined by the number of students enrolled in the class but it is hoped that there will be no more than 8 students per session. At intervals specified in the Annotated Course Outline, students in each group will be required to coordinate time periods when everyone in the group is available to participate in “real-time” discussions of the material. EACH OF THESE DISCUSSION SESSIONS IS EXPECTED TO LAST BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY AN HOUR AND A HALF and will require discussion that is responsive to particular questions or issues associated with assigned reading material raised by your professor. If it helps put them into a more familiar context, think of these sessions as “open book, open notes, group exams.” They are designed to test your familiarity with and ability to apply the required reading material.

There will be four synchronous small group discussion sessions required throughout the semester. These sessions will be conducted using the e-College program that allows students to conduct their discussions in a “real time” text based chat environment. They are designed to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate familiarity with the class material by applying it to particular issues facing criminal justice professionals in an informed and articulate manner. Each student will be also be assigned to serve as a "Discussion Leader" (or Co-Discussion Leader depending on class size) for one session. Discussion Leaders are responsible for making sure the group focuses on the assigned material and to insure that each member of the group has an opportunity to participate in the discussions. As described below, Discussion Leaders will be awarded additional points for managing their respective session.

During the first week of classes, Group members should correspond with one another and set the schedule for each of the four discussion sessions. Once your schedule is set, have one group member notify your professor of the dates and times for each session. If you want to identify Discussion Leaders for each session as well, you may do so making sure that each member of the group is included as a leader in one of the sessions. Otherwise, your professor will identify leaders for each session once the dates/times are available. Students should also “test-drive” the Chat Platform to make sure your computer has all of the necessary plug-ins to accommodate the “chat.”

On the dates specified in the Annotated Course Outline, your professor will release the specific discussion questions each group will be required to discuss. These sessions must be completed within the particular windows of time specified in the Course Outline. Your professor will participate in some but not all of your discussions, however, your participation in these sessions will be monitored and evaluated by your professor through the e-College Chat archives for each session.

Following each session, feedback assessing the quality of each of these discussions will be given to the group as well as to individual students. Individual participants in each of the sessions will be awarded up to 50 points for each session for a total of 200 semester grade points possible. These points will be awarded by your professor based on the following criteria: 1) Responsiveness (20 points) - Do your comments accurately and fully focus on each of the issues raised in the assignment? ; 2) Support (10 points) - Do you accurately and appropriately rely on the assigned readings along to help inform your discussions? and; 3) Involvement (20 points) - Do you (individually) contribute to the discussion in a clear and meaningful way?

Discussion Leaders (DLs) will earn an additional 20 class points for the successful completion of the particular session they are assigned to lead. These points will be awarded based on the following criteria: 1) Responsiveness (10 points) - Does the group fully discuss the issues raised in the particular assignment? ; and 2) Participation (10 points) - Does everyone in the group have an opportunity to contribute to the discussion? Each student will be awarded up to 20 class points toward their final semester grade for their participation as DL. If more than one student is assigned to lead a particular session, they will each be awarded up to 20 points for their role as DL.

Cyber-Source Projects (ORIGINALLY DISCUSSED AS A “WEBLIOGRAPHY PROJECT” BUT WILL NOT BE CONDUCTED AS A “GROUP” PROJECT. INSTEAD, ALL ASSIGMENTS WILL BE SUBMITTED AS DIRECTED BELOW) :

All students will participate in a project that will result in the construction of a Webliography of sources related to the material we are discussing throughout the semester. This project will enable students to demonstrate their ability to: 1) use the internet as an information resource; 2) critically analyze information about crime, criminality and the administration of justice that is provided on the WWW; and 3) place the material being studied into an international/global perspective.

The formal elements of this Project require that, for Sections 1 – 4 of the class, each student must identify a source drawn from the WWW that relates to each particular section of the class and places it into an international or cross-national perspective. These sources may be drawn from material posted through news servers or other popular (non-scholarly/non-academic) sources available in different locations on the WWW. Each student will be required to post a link to a class “WIKI” page located at the site specified at the class’s eCollege platform prior to the date specified for each of the learning modules throughout the semester. Each posting must include the site’s WWW address (url) and a brief summary and critical analysis of the source. Each student’s summary must include specific discussion of how the source corresponds to the material included in the assigned reading for each section.

Note, these sources are NOT TO BE DRAWN FROM SCHOLARLY OR ACADEMIC JOURNALS BUT SHOULD DRAW FROM OTHER SOURCES AVAILABLE ON THE WWW. Part of the assessment of your performance on this assignment requires that you rely on the scholarly information included in the assigned readings and discussed in the Learning Modules in your critical analysis of the sources you select.

Each source used in the Cyber-Source Projects will be awarded up to 25 points for a total of 100 final semester points possible based upon: 1) the scholarly level of insight shown in your critical summary of your source (10 possible points); 2) how clearly and fully you are able to integrate the assigned readings into the analysis of the “issue” (10 possible points); and 3) the salience of cyber-site selected to the assigned reading material (5 possible points).

WIKI Threaded Group Discussion associated with the projects. You are also expected to participate in a “Threaded Discussion Session” associated with each WIKI project. These discussion sessions will become available with each Learning Module. Instructions for participation will be published at the eCollege site. There are 25 WIKI Discussion points available throughout the semester. They will be awarded according to the following rubric: 1) regular and responsive posting of comments drawing from assigned reading material (25 points); 2) irregular and responsive posting of comments drawing from reading material (20 points); 3) regular posting of comments drawing from personal or non-reading related sources (15 points); 4) irregular posting of comments drawing from personal or non-reading elated sources (10 points); 5) non-participation in WIKI Discussion project (0 points).

PRIMARY SOURCE ABSTRACT PROJECT – DISCUSSED IN THE “OVERVIEW’ AUDIO/VIDEO BUT DELETED FROM CLASS REQUIREMENTS FOR FALL 2011 AND BEYOND. DISREGARD ALL DISCUSSION OF IT IN THE “OVERVIEW” VIDEO/AUDIO MATERIAL.

Assessment of Individual Proficiency PROJECT (AIPP) NOT INCLUDED IN DISCUSSION OF CLASS REQUIREMENTS PROVIDED IN THE “OVERVIEW” VIDEO/AUDIO BUT THIS WILL BE PART OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE THIS SEMESTER: At the close of the semester, students will be given an assessment designed to evaluate their individual level of familiarity with the material that has been discussed throughout the semester. This assessment will be available for completion at the time specified in the Annotated Course Outline. Students will complete the AIP using the eCollege’s assessment platform. The format for this assessment will include “multiple-choice,” “true/false,” and "short answer" questions and will be strictly “timed” with points deducted from the total score for those who take longer than allowed. Students will have access to their books and notes during the completion of the assessment but may not confer with one another. There will be 100 semester grade points available for the AIP.

The AIP is protected using “ExamGuard” and students are responsible for making sure the computer they will use to complete the AIPP can download and install the “plug in” necessary to drive the program. A “Practice Exam” is offered during the Overview Module to insure that everyone works through the process early in the semester.

Class Participation: This is a graduate class and as such it requires that you assume an active role in the learning process. Everyone is expected to have completed all reading assignments within the time frames set forth in the Class Schedule and to fully participate in all discussions of the material.

MAKE-UP EXAMS AND LATE SUBMISSIONS:

NOT DISCUSSED IN “OVERVIEW” AUDIO/VIDIO - The Assessment of Individual Proficiency (AIP) project is scheduled for the final class session. It will be offered in both “On-Line” and “In-Class” formats. Any student who misses the AIP will be awarded a grade of “X” for the semester and must complete the project before the close of the following semester. Failure to do so will cause the “X” to automatically convert to an “F” resulting in your dismissal from the program.

I realize that some of us will become ill and/or will face other “difficulties" at some time during the semester. However, in an effort to reinforce the importance of total class participation, there will be a reduction of points for all late assignments completed for this class. If a student fails to complete one of the regularly scheduled assignments during the semester the submission will be reduced by one point for each day beyond the due date.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

The Faculty of the College of Criminal Justice expects students to conduct their academic work with integrity and honesty. Acts of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and can result in the failure of a course and dismissal from the University.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, collusion – the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing work offered for credit, the abuse of resource materials, and misrepresentation of credentials or accomplishments as a member of the college.

The University’s policy on academic honesty and appeal procedures can be found in the manual entitled Student Guidelines, distributed by Division of Student Services. (Reference Section 5.3 of the SHSU Student Guidelines)

Students are encouraged to review the statements presented in the Sam Houston State University's Guidelines hat refer to instances of "academic dishonesty" (available in the Office of Student Life or on-line at http://www.shsu.edu/students/guide/studlife.html#conduct). In accordance with the statement, any student engaged in academic dishonesty in this class will receive an "F" for the semester and will, consequently, be terminated from the graduate program.

The professor may require that written material submitted in fulfillment of any of the requirements for this class be submitted for an evaluation through Turnitin.com so all work submitted must include appropriate source citation and must represent the original work of the student with appropriate source attributions. Information about Turninin.com can be found at their web-site http://www.turnitin.com.

SHSU WRITING CENTER:

The Sam Houston Writing Center, located in Wilson 114, is open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Writing tutors will work with you one-on-one to help you generate, organize, or revise a draft of any assignment in any subject.  You can drop by to work with a tutor or call (936) 294-3680 to schedule an appointment. The Sam Center also provides consultation and assistance through on-line contact.

DISABLED STUDENT POLICY:

“Students with a disability which affects their academic performance are expected to arrange for a conference with the instructor in order that appropriate strategies can be considered to ensure that participation and achievement opportunities are not impaired.” The physically impaired may contact the Director of the Counseling Center as chair of the Committee for Continuing Assistance for Disabled Students by telephone (ext. 1720).

Any student in this class may request special learning assistance by submitting a written statement describing your particular need. If it is necessary, you will be directed to the University’s Counseling Center for additional assistance, however, most needs should be able to be accommodated directly through your professor. Please feel free to discuss any particular need you may have with your professor. The University Policy governing special learning needs is available at the attached link: http://www.shsu.edu/students/guide/studlife.html#disabilities.

STUDENT ABSENCES ON RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS POLICY

Section 51.911(b) of the Texas Education Code requires that an institution of higher education excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose.  A student whose absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence.

University policy 861001 provides the procedures to be followed by the student and instructor.  A student desiring to absent himself/herself from a scheduled class in order to observe (a) religious holy day(s) shall present to each instructor involved a written statement concerning the religious holy day(s). This request must be made in the first fifteen days of the semester or the first seven days of a summer session in which the absence(s) will occur. The instructor will complete a form notifying the student of a reasonable timeframe in which the missed assignments and/or examinations are to be completed.

SPAM MAIL AND CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

Please do not use the e-College mailing list or other student’s email addresses as an outlet for general mail messages you want to forward to people on your e-mail distribution list. Use cautious discretion about what material you send to the class and make sure it pertains to an ongoing discussion or contributes to the general class discussion.

Discussion sessions held in this class are designed to facilitate constructive collaboration among students and are to be completed with respectful attention to the views of other students and the assigned topic being discussed. Some of the substance of this course will be controversial in nature and when asked to articulate thoughts on various matters, people sometimes present a dogmatic or ideological position akin to a religious belief system. Discussions may sometimes even force us to examine ideas that are repugnant to our individual belief systems. In the best scenario, we will do so with an open mind welcoming the opportunity to set one belief system beside another gaining insight from the comparative perspective. In the worst scenario, we will become defenders of our beliefs and/or enemies of alternative belief systems.

Students in this class will be challenged to welcome and embrace diversity of opinion. Personal attacks against another person's belief system will not be tolerated. They will be identified as such by the professor (or any other class participant who senses that discussions have moved to a personal level) and stopped. Students who continue to engage in personal level challenges will first be counseled by the professor; but may ultimately be dropped from the class.

CONNECTIVITY AND DOCUMENT FORMATING REQUIREMENTS

Part of this class requires that you be able to regularly gain access to the World Wide Web. Students will be required to participate in synchronous ("real time) discussion sessions through the e-College portal for this class. Some users may need to download special "plug-ins" to be able to use the discussion board and all students will be required to download and view Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents. This means you are responsible for maintaining access to the class with a computer that is compatible with the technical requirements to insure that you can fully participate in all assignments.

Any material submitted to your professor for grading must be sent in a format compatible with Microsoft Word 2007 version (ending with the suffix .docx). Students using any other word processor should select the option that allows them to save their material as a “Rich Text Format” (RTF) document before submitting it to your professor. You are advised to keep a “hard copy” as well as a back-up electronic copy of your material in case of technical problems.

ANNOTATED OUTLINE OF TOPICS TO BE COVERED FOR EACH CLASS MEETING:

Prior to Wk 1 Overview of class/syllabus

Discussion of class expectations and general overview of semester’s goals and purposes. Introduction of students to one another and to the professor.

Required Reading: OVERVIEW MODULE

10/17 – 10/30 Section 1 - Contextualizing the Study of Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice

This section of the class focuses on the questions: What is “crime”?; Who are the “criminals” our system of justice processes?; and “What do we do in response to “crime” and “criminality”? It is designed to encourage students to recognize the value of thinking about the “problem of crime” and the “administration of justice” from a theoretical perspective and to think about this problem from both systemic and global perspectives.

Required Reading: Duffee and Maguire (Chapters 1 - 4)

Slate and Johnson (Chapters 1 – 3 & 11)

Recommended: Messner and Rosenfeld (all)

Learning Module 1 Released – October 24^th

Synchronous Discussion 1 – October 27^th – 30^th

Cyber-Source Project 1 Submission Deadline October 30^th

11/1 – 11/14 Section 2 - Enforcement of the Law: Issues facing the police

Here we will focus specific attention on policing and the general enforcement of criminal laws. We will focus on questions about the design and purpose of policing practices, the history of policing, and current issues of controversy facing the law enforcement community both within the U.S. and globally.

Required Reading: Duffee and Maguire (Chapters 5 - 6)

Slate and Johnson (Chapter 4)

Recommended: Barlow and Barlow (all)

Learning Module 2 Released – Nov 7^th

Synchronous Discussion 2 – Nov 10^th – Nov 13^th

Cyber-Source Project 2 Deadline 11/13

11/15 – 11/28 Section 3 - Adjudication and Sentencing: Issues facing the courts

This section of the class focuses on the components of the justice system that process suspected criminal law violators and set sanctions for those who are convicted. It will include the examination of the lawyers involved in criminal actions (prosecutors and defense attorneys alike) as well as the judicial component including adjudication, sentencing, and post-adjudicative appeal practices. The sources relied upon in this section will include examination of both U.S. and international issues.

Required Reading: Duffee and Maguire (Chapters 7, 8, & 11)

Slate and Johnson (Chapters 5 & 6)

Recommended: Baum (all)

Learning Module 3 Released – 11/21

Synchronous Discussion 3 12/01 – 12/04

Cyber-Source Project 3 Deadline 12/05

11/29 – 12/19 Section 4 - Justice and the Post-adjudication process: Issues facing the "corrections" community

“What we do with those who have been convicted of crimes” is the focus of this section of the class. Attention is given to questions about how sentencing patterns in the U.S. compare with those in other countries, who we send to prison, how we treat those we’ve confined in our prisons and jails, and what hope there is for future sentencing systems.

Required Reading: Duffee and Maguire (Chapters 9 - 10)

Slate and Johnson (Chapters 6 – 10)

Recommended: Austin and Irwin (all)

Learning Module 4 Released – 12/09

Synchronous Discussion 4 – 12/13 – 12/16

Cyber-Source Project 4 (Issues facing “corrections”) – Deadline 12/17

AIP Project – Available 12/17 due by 11:59 PM 12/18