Course Syllabus

Massasoit Community College

CJUS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Syllabus

Instructor: Professor Aviva M. Rich-Shea Ph.D.

Office: Brockton LA 110, 508-588-9100 x1927

                          E-Mail: arichshea@massasoit.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:30-11 am.

Course Information: M/W: 10:00 am Zoom

Course Description:

This course is designed to familiarize you with the basic history, structure, function, and problems associated with the American criminal justice system. We will examine a variety of general and specific controversies associated with the contemporary criminal justice system in order to develop a critical perspective on the nature of justice and society's response to criminal behavior.

Students who complete this course should be able to: describe the process and various stages of the American Criminal Justice system. Identify the major national crime data-gathering programs and the inherent limitations in statistical reports of crime, explain how law enforcement is constrained by procedural law and the legal rules that govern search and seizure, arrest, and interrogation. Additionally, students will be able to provide an overview of the historical developments and organization of public and private law enforcement in a democratic society and describe the origins and organization of state and federal courts. Successful completion includes the ability to: identify the trial processes from pretrial to sentencing, explain the roles of the courtroom workgroup and the criminal trial, discuss the philosophy, goals and types of contemporary criminal sentencing and describe the basic principles of probation, parole, community corrections, and juvenile justice.

 

Required Text: Boyes-Watson, Krumholz & Rich-Shea. Crime and Justice: A Casebook Approach, 2^nd Edition -   available online and to check out for the semester at         the        Massasoit Library

 

Introduction to Crime and Justice Course outline:

 

Part I.          Law and Justice Overview – 9/9 – 10/14

week of:

Sep. 8                    Introductions and review of syllabus

                              Reading: TEXT: Chapter 1

                              Memo Handout Case: THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

 

Sep. 13                  Crime, Law, and Justice

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 2

(Monday: #1)          Memo Due Case: THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE – Scottsboro Boys

 

Sep. 20                 Understanding the Justice Process

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 3(Monday: #2)       

Memo Due Case: THE LEGACY OF GENDER  INJUSTICE – Barbara Sheehan

 

Sept. 27                   The Justice Process

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 4

(Monday: #3)         Memo Due Case:  THE JUSTICE PROCESS - Garner

QUIZ #1                                                   FRIDAY   10/8

RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC DUE           FRIDAY   10/8

                                                 

Oct. 4                   Understanding the Crime Picture

                 

(Monday: #4)         Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 5

Memo Due Case:  UNDERSTANDING THE CRIME  PICTURE - Enron  

 

Oct. 11                   Understanding Victims in Criminal Justice

                               NO CLASSES MONDAY OCTOBER 11

(Wednesday: #5)   Reading:  TEXT: Chapters 6 & 7

Memo Due Case:  PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW – Yoshi Hattori

(Friday: #6) Memo Due Case:  VICTIMS IN THE CJ SYSTEM - RJ - 10/18

                                   

 

Part II.                  Law Enforcement  - 10/19  -  10/28

 

Oct. 18                  Police and the Rule of law

                

(Monday: #7)         Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 8

                              Memo Due Case - SECURITY OR DIGNITY? - Rosa

                              QUIZ #3                        DUE   MONDAY    10/25

                             MIDTERM EXAM        FRIDAY 10/29

                  

 

 

Oct. 25                   Beyond the Limits of the Law                 

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 9

(Wednesday: #8)   Memo Due Case:  THE THIN BLUE LINE – Rodney King

                             

 

Nov. 1                   Mission of Policing

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapters 10 & 11

(Monday: #9)         Memo Due Case: 21^st CENTURY POLICING – Paula Meara 11/5

                             

 

Part III.                The Judicial Process – 11/9 -12

Nov. 8                  The Structure of US Judiciary & the Courtroom                   Workgroup

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapters 13 & 14                           

(Monday: #10)       Memo Due Case:  PROHIBITION AND POLICING – Al Capone        

                             

Nov. 15                  Trials, Juries and Judgment

                               Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 15

(Monday: #11)        Memo Due Case:  CELEBRITY TRIALS – O.J. Simpson

 

Nov. 22                  FINAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE            MONDAY        11/22

                              Plea Bargains in the CJ System

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 16

(Monday: #12)       Memo Due Case: BARGAINING FOR JUSTICE - Bordenkircher

                               

                             

Part IV.                  Corrections & Punishment – 11/25 -12/13

Nov. 29                  The Justice of Sentencing

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 17

(Monday: #13)        Memo Due Case:  THE CRIME OF PUNISHMENT

                   

 

Dec. 6                     Inside the Prison Wall

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 18

(Monday: #14)        Memo Due Case:  SURVIVING TIME

                             

Dec. 10                     The Community and Corrections

                              Reading:  TEXT: Chapter 19

(Monday #15)         Memo Due Case: MAKING PAROLE

                   

December 20        FINAL EXAM       MONDAY    DECEMBER 20

 

FINAL GRADE: Your final grade will consist of the following:

 

Class Participation   (12.5% Attendance, 12.5% Memos)         25%

Quizzes                                                                                      25%

Examinations          (15% Midterm, 15% Final )                         30%

Paper                       (Incl: outline, bibliography, paper)              20%         

                                                                                                   100%

 

CAMERAS ARE TO BE TURNED ON FOR ZOOM MEETINGS.  STUDENTS ARE TO BE APPROPRIATELY ATTIRED AND PRESENTED ( meaning not in bed or in pajamas). ATTENDANCE WILL BE TAKEN AT EVERY MEETING AND CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN ONLY FOR THOSE HAVING THEIR CAMERAS ON. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM ADHERING TO THIS POLICY, PLEASE CONTACT ME PRIVATELY AND I WILL MAKE ACCOMODATIONS FOR YOU.     

***CELL PHONE POLICY: Cell phones must be turned off before class. If observed on phone (talking, texting, time-checking, etc.) student will be asked to leave the class. Any student repeatedly observed using their cell will be required to withdraw from the class.

 

COURSE OUTCOMES:

 

After completing this course, the student will be able to

• Differentiate between the functions of the three components of the criminal justice system.
• Identify and compare the functions of the three components of the criminal justice system
• Identify and assess the general constitutional principles relevant to the administration of justice
• Understand the interdisciplinary nature of criminal justice and ethical issues in law enforcement, courts, and corrections,
• Articulate key concepts in criminology and criminal justice

 

Academic Ethical Standards

 All Massasoit Community College students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity and scholarly practice. The College does not tolerate academic dishonesty of any variety, whether as result of a failure to understand proper academic and scholarly procedure, or as an act of intentional dishonesty. A student found guilty of academic dishonesty is subject to severe disciplinary action which may include expulsion from the College. Refer to the Student Handbook and Student Conduct Code for due process. Any student found cheating will automatically receive an ‘F’ in the course. This includes all forms of plagiarism.

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in the classroom are encouraged to contact a disability counselor as soon as possible.  Students at the Brockton Campus with learning disabilities should contact Andrea Henry, at extension 1805.  Students with physical disabilities at the Brockton Campus should contact Mary Berg, at extension 1425.  All students at the Canton Campus should contact Mary Berg at extension 2132.

 

This syllabus is subject to change by the professor. All dates and assignments are tentative and will be confirmed in the classroom. It is up to each student to be aware of any changes or modifications to this syllabus. Please consult syllabus regularly. You are responsible for obtaining the work you miss in the event you are absent. No recording devices are allowed in the classroom at any time.

 

Massasoit Community College is committed to providing a safe learning and work environment for all. If you believe you have experienced discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking, or retaliation, we encourage you to report it to Yolanda Dennis, Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, at 508-588-9100, x1309 or ODI@massasoit.edu or the Dean of Students & Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Joseph DiMaria, 508-588-9100, x1417, Brockton Campus, Student Center, Room 208A, jdimaria@massasoit.mass.edu. While you may talk to a faculty member, understand that as a “responsible employee” of the College, the faculty member must report what you share to the College’s Title IX Coordinator and/or Deputy Title IX Coordinator. On and off campus resources and interim measures are available to assist you. Information about both of these policies can be found at www.massasoit.edu/title-ix and www.massasoit.edu/eeo. We are here to support you.

 

 

Writing Expectations

Although it may seem counterintuitive, writing is very important to success in criminal justice, and in the study of it. The media image of law enforcement emphasizes physical action when the reality is often far more cerebral.  Criminal justice professionals must be able to write reports for crime investigations, trials, presentence investigations, correctional incidents, parole actions, appeals, probation cases, substance abuse programs, domestic violence assessments, sex offender reports, mental health evaluations, and many juvenile investigations, evaluations, prosecutions and rehabilitation programs. Education is part of criminal justice, of course, and educators must have highly developed writing skills, as well as a mastery of research writing and citation styles. Keeping writing interesting and informative is an important skill for educators.

 

RESEARCH PAPER

What interests you about criminal justice? What topic would you like to know more about? If you are having a hard time choosing a topic, look in the back of the textbook at the Index. You will find all the topics we will be learning about to choose from. Perhaps you are interested in juvenile justice issues or domestic violence, police corruption or white collar crime? Incarceration concerns many people and community alternatives are being tried many places. Restorative justice is an alternative to retributive justice and many are concerned with both economic and environmental justice. All of these and many more offer interesting areas of research with peer-reviewed sources available.

 

Guidelines

The research paper is to be a minimum of 5 pages long. There will be a bibliography (works cited page) attached at the end. It will not be part of the five minimum pages. You are to use at least 5 academic sources. Academic sources means peer-reviewed academic journal articles and/or studies. In addition to your five academic sources, you may use full-source published books and certain government websites such as NIJ (National Institute of Justice), BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics) and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to describe your topic with actual statistics. The following sources are not acceptable sources for this assignment:(The following may be used ONLY to direct you to academic sources but may not be included in your bibliography/works cited page):

The textbook in this course

No Websites – anything ending in .com or .org

Wikipedia or any other encyclopedia source

Magazines – online or otherwise, such as Newsweek, People, National Geographic, etc.

I will go over this during class. If you have any question regarding a source for your paper, please contact me and I will help you determine whether it’s okay to use or not.

YOU MAY NOT SUBMIT ANY PAPER PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED TO ANOTHER CLASS EITHER AT MASSASOIT OR ANY OTHER INSTITUTION OR SCHOOL.YOU MAY NOT SUBMIT YOUR RESEARCH PAPER TO ANOTHER CLASS AT MASSASOIT OR ANYWHERE ELSE. THIS WILL BE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM AND WILL RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE.