INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
(SOC 209)
Dr. Ted Houghton
Office: 470G Galvin
Phone: 419-995-8285
E-Mail: houghton.6@osu.edu
The goal of this course is to introduce you to an
important means of social control, the criminal justice system (CJS). The
course is designed to meet the needs of two types of students. The first
is the student considering a major or minor in Criminology. This course
provides a primary foundation for taking additional courses in this area.
The second is the individual who is curious about the problem of crime
control and wants to become a more knowledgeable citizen.
The CJS is a complex social-legal system with
great impact upon society and the people associated with it, whether they
be persons working in it, victims, or offenders. The CJS is a set of
connected organizations, and a process. As an organization, we will
examine the main goals, organizational structures, and occupational roles
associated with the police, the criminal courts, and corrections. As a
process, we will learn about how accused persons are moved through it.
Finally, there is great public debate about the
topic of crime and crime control. Throughout the term, we will address
controversies related to public policy on crime control. My hope is that
the course will be helpful to you personally as you try to come to grips
with your own positions on these difficult issues.
Objectives of the course
To become familiar with the different parts of
the CJS, their history, functions and interrelationships with each
other.
To develop skills in assessing information about
the CJS.
To become informed about major policy debates
regarding crime control and criminal justice.
To see how criminal justice professionals view
their work.
Required Reading:
Schmalleger, Frank. Criminal Justice: A Brief
Introduction (7th ed.) Prentice Hall 2006
Class and Attendance:
Class time will be used in a variety of ways: lecture, discussion, films
and other presentations. Discussions will presume and build upon the
readings, so it is essential that you should read and be prepared to
discuss assigned readings before the class for which they are assigned.
Both lecture and discussion will often focus on material not in the
readings. Regular attendance will be necessary. Contribution to class
discussions on a regular basis influences grading (i.e. you may receive
additional points if you are on the border of receiving a higher grade).
Exams and Grading:
There will be four exams in this course. The format of the exams may vary
and will be discussed in class. Your grade will be weighted as follows:
Grading: Three exams 80%
Course project 20%
Total 100%
PROPOSED COURSE OUTLINE
Topic
Reading
1. Overview of the Criminal Justice System:
Schmalleger Ch. 1 Crime Control and
Politics
2. The Crime Picture
Schmalleger Ch. 2
3. Criminal Law
Schmalleger Ch. 3
4. The Drug Problem
handout
EXAM 1
5. Policing: Purpose and Organization
Schmalleger Ch. 4
6. Policing: Legal Aspects
Schmalleger Ch. 5
7. Policing: Issues and Challenges
Schmalleger Ch. 6
EXAM 2
8. The Courts and Pretrial Activities
Schmalleger Ch. 7
9. The Courtroom Workgroup and the Criminal
Trial Schmalleger
Ch. 8
10. Sentencing: Crime and
Punishment
Schmalleger Ch. 9
EXAM 3
Course Project:
The following five project options are designed to
provide you with an opportunity to develop more in-depth knowledge about
some aspect of the criminal justice system. You will complete one of the
following.
Option 1 – Position Paper
Few subjects are more controversial than crime
control. Each step in the criminal justice system raises a number of
difficult issues about which the public and criminal justice professionals
often disagree. In this assignment, you will write a position paper
describing one such controversial area, coming to a conclusion about it.
The paper should include four main parts:
A clear
definition of the issue.
A
description of the various sides of the controversy.
A review
of the social scientific evidence on the topic.
Your
position on the topic with a justification.
The paper should integrate material from several
different sources. Most of these should be from books and journals. Web
exploration is encouraged but do not simply rely upon web sites as your
primary sources. References must be properly cited and included in a
bibliography.
This assignment should take approximately 5
double-spaced typed pages (no larger than 12 pt. Font size, Times New
Roman preferred). Papers are due last week of class.
Option 2 – Panel or Debate
As with Option 1, you select some controversial
issue or topic in the area of criminal justice. You then prepare an
in-class presentation on this topic. I recommend two to four students work
together and organize the presentation as either a panel or a debate. You
will be required to hand in your notes and a bibliography at the end of
the presentation. All those wishing to do this option must get approval
from me on or before May 13.
Option 3 -- Newspaper Analysis
Choose a newspaper that interests you. It could be
a local city paper or a national newspaper like USA Today. Most
major newspapers have searchable web sites. Collect at least thirty (30)
recent crime articles from your newspaper. Specify the time period covered
(two weeks, one month, two months…) Read the articles and present an
analysis answering the following questions.
-
What types of crime are
presented in the news? (Frequency of types and their prominence in the
newspaper are factors that can be considered here. Are there types that
appear under-reported?)
-
What characteristics of
crime victims are presented in the news?
-
What characteristics of
defendants are presented in the news?
-
Compare what you have
discovered with current statistical information (such as is discussed in
Chapter 2 of your textbook). Do the news media provide an accurate
picture of crime in society?
Creating tables that illustrate and organize the
information can be useful for this assignment (for example: tables that
relate victim and defendant characteristics to types of crime; tables that
related occupational, class and race/ethnicity to reported individual
characteristics; tables relating the frequency of crimes reported in the
newspaper to statistics on all crimes, etc.).
This can be a collaborative project between two or
three people, but parameters of the assignment will be expanded (such as
increasing the number of articles and papers analyzed). Students who wish
to collaborate on this project should discuss this with me well in
advance.
Your research analysis should take approximately 5
double-spaced typed pages (no larger than 12 pt. Font size, Times New
Roman preferred). Papers are due last week of class.
Option 4 -- Interviews with Criminal Justice
Professionals
This assignment requires you to interview at least
one representative of law enforcement, one of the court, and one of a
corrections agency (three total). For example, you could interview a
police officer, a prosecution attorney, and a correctional officer. Or,
you could interview a sheriff's deputy, a judge, and a probation officer.
Any combination would be fine. Prepare questions in advance to find out
about the background characteristics of these individuals, why they chose
their careers, and the types of activities they do in a typical day.
Finally, ask them about the organization's goals. For example, you could
ask: What would you say are the five most important goals of this
organization?
When you complete your interviews, discuss what
you discovered. Did the three people you interviewed have the same goals?
If so, were these goals prioritized in the same manner? Did you find
consensus or conflict between the viewpoints of your interviewees and
between the goals of their organizations?
Your interview report should take approximately 5
double-spaced typed pages (no larger than 12 pt. Font size, Times New
Roman preferred). Papers are due last week of class.
Option 5 – Analysis of an experience
You can observe or participate in some aspect of
the system (e.g., a police ride along, attendance at a trial, tour of a
correctional facility, experience as a volunteer in the CJS).
You then analyze in writing this experience by
comparing your observations with what you read about the topic in your
texts and other written sources. It is a good idea to do some research on
the topic before you are involved in the experience so that you have some
ideas of what to look for. As in Option 1, you must cite all sources and
include them in bibliography.
The paper should by typed and about 5 pages long
(double-space, 12pt Times New Roman preferred). All projects must be
approved by me in advance. Papers due last week of class.
