Survey of Criminal Justice - CRJU 701 Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
University of South Carolina Fall 2009
Professor: Barbara Koons-Witt Office: Currell College, Room 109 Office #: 803.777.0107
Office Hours: Thursday, 11:00am – 12:00pm & by appointment Email: bakoons@mailbox.sc.edu
Course Description
An overview of the criminal justice system. The course will survey different areas of the criminal justice system, highlighting recent historical and contemporary issues and trends. Topics include major crime policy shifts during the 1960s and 1970s that continue to influence the criminal justice system and America’s response to the crime problem. Because it is a survey course, the primary objective of this class is to cover a wide range of topics relevant to the criminal justice system rather than focus on any
particular subject in great detail. The required book serves as an introduction to the challenges facing our criminal justice system and is broad in scope. The required articles are meant to supplement the book by discussing specific criminal justice policies or programs and their (un)intended consequences.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the course:
• Students will be able to identify and discuss important shifts in America’s response to crime.
• Students will understand how to interpret crime patterns and trends.
• Students will be able to discuss contemporary issues relevant to both female offender and juvenile offender populations.
• Students will become able to identify critical innovations, reforms, and challenges impacting policing, courts, and corrections.
• Students will understand that criminal justice policies and programs have both intended and unintended consequences for offenders, victims, and workers.
Required Readings
• Textbook
Ruth, H. and Reitz, K.R. (2003). The challenge of crime: Rethinking our response. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
• Articles
Additional required readings are available on blackboard (PDF format) for you to download and read.
You must obtain these articles and familiarize yourself with them prior to our weekly class. They along with the book will be the focus of our class discussions. ** See the reading list at the end of the syllabus.
Course Requirements
• Reading Discussant
During one of the classes this semester, you will serve as a reading discussant by summarizing and leading the class in a discussion of one of the noted blackboard (BB) readings (see bold readings at end of syllabus for available options). The schedule of reading discussants will be finalized at the beginning of the semester. [15% of final grade]
• Exams
You will be required to complete two examinations (mid-term and final) as part of the course. The examinations will be completed outside of class and be comprised of essay questions. You will be responsible for all reading materials, lecture notes, and class handouts. [50% of final grade]
• Paper & Presentation
You will be required to complete a seminar paper as part of the course (15 pages) and make a presentation of your paper at the end of the semester. I encourage you to identify an area of interest in criminal justice and address that interest in your seminar paper. The paper topic will need to be approved by me. You will receive more explicit instructions for the paper at the beginning of the semester. [25% of final grade]
• Participation/Attendance
I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the materials and being prepared for class. You will be expected to have read all of the required readings for the week and be prepared to discuss them in class. You may want to take notes of the readings to help you remember key issues, questions, themes, and concepts (this was always a helpful technique for me in graduate school!!). As part of your participation grade, each week you will be required to prepare and submit a discussion question for each of the assigned readings for that week. First-rate discussion questions
demonstrate a critical review and evaluation of the readings. Please make sure you craft questions that are reasonable, but challenging. Your questions will need to be submitted to me each Tuesday by noon (through email).
Attendance is also important to your success in my class. You are permitted to miss one class without penalty (excused or unexcused) during the semester.
The participation portion of your final grade will be determined based on your submitted discussion questions and your contributions during our seminar classes. [10% of final grade]
Classroom Conduct
Late students are very disruptive to both the instructor and other students. Please make sure you are prompt to class. Those of you who have difficulty making class on time because of schedule conflicts should see me to discuss the matter.
Academic Integrity
In order to make this an enjoyable educational experience for you and a class that is conducive to learning, we will adhere to the codes and rules as described in the Carolina Creed in the Carolina Community, USC Student Handbook and Policy Guideline. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated
Course Requirements and Grading Distribution
Reading Summary /Discussant 15% 92- 100% A
Participation 10% 85-91.9% B+
Midterm Exam 25% 80-84.9% B
Final Exam 25% 75-79.9% C+
Seminar Paper & Presentation 25% 70-74.9% C 65-69.9% D+
60-64.9% D 0 -59.9% F
COURSE OUTLINE – (tentative)
Date: Topic(s): Reading(s):
August 25, 2009 Overview R&R #1
September 1, 2009 No Class
September 8, 2009 Information and Assessment R & R #2
Petrosino et al. (BB)†
September 15, 2009 The Crime Drop & The Crime Response R&R #3 Levitt (BB)†
Rennison and Planty (BB)†
September 22, 2009 Private Security & Policing R&R #5 Skogan (BB)†
September 29, 2009 Guns and Crime R&R #6
Braga et al. (BB)†
October 6, 2009 Crime, Alcohol, and Illegal Drugs
Midterm Exams Due** R&R #7
October 13, 2009 Juvenile Offenders R&R #8
Applegate et al. (BB)†
October 20, 2009 Female Offenders Greene and Pranis (BB)
Kruttschnitt & Carbon-Lopez (BB)†
October 27, 2009 Courts & Sentencing Spohn (BB)
Bjerk (BB)†
Griffin and Wooldredge (BB)†
November 3, 2009 ASC Conference – NO Class November 10, 2009 Prisons & Jails
Papers Due** R&R #4
MacKenzie (BB)†
Clear et al. (BB)†
November 17, 2009 Community Supervision and Reentry Visher and Travis (BB) Duwe et al. (BB)†
Kurlychek et al. (BB)†
November 24, 2009 Presentations
All presentation slides due**
December 1, 2009 Presentations FINALS WEEK Final Exams Due**
December 8th
** Additions and deletions to our reading list are done at my discretion. Please check blackboard regularly for any changes to the schedule. (BB) denotes that the reading is available on blackboard for you to download.
List of Articles (all articles available on blackboard)
• Applegate, B.K., Davis, R.K., and Cullen, F.T. (2009). Reconsidering child saving: The extent and correlates of public support for excluding youths from the juvenile court. Crime & Delinquency, 55(1), 51-77.
• Bjerk, D. (2005). Making the crime fit the penalty: The role of prosecutorial discretion under mandatory minimum sentencing. Journal of Law and Economics, 48, 591-625.
• Braga, A.A., Kennedy, D.M., Waring, E.J., and Piehl, A.M. (2001). Problem-oriented policing, deterrence, and youth violence: An evaluation of Boston’s Operation Ceasefire. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 38, 195-225.
• Clear, T.R., Rose, D.R., and Ryder, J.A. (2001). Incarceration and the community: The problem of removing and returning offenders. Crime & Delinquency, 47(1), 335-351.
• Duwe, G., Donnay, W., and Tewksbury, R. (2008). Does residential proximity matter? A geographical analysis of sex offense recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35(4), 484-504.
• Greene, J. and Pranis, K. (2006). Hard hit: The growth in the imprisonment of women, 1977-2004, Part 1: Growth trends and recent research. The Punitiveness Report. Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, Women’s Prison Association. Retrieved August 24, 2009 from
http://www.wpaonline.org/institute/hardhit/HardHitReport4.pdf .
• Griffin, T. and Wooldredge, J. (2006). Sex-based disparities in felony dispositions before versus after sentencing reform in Ohio. Criminology, 44(4), 893-923.
• Kruttschnitt, C. and Carbone-Lopez, K. (2006). Moving beyond the stereotypes: Women’s subjective accounts of their violent crime. Criminology, 44(2), 321-351.
• Kurlychek, M.C., Brame, R., and Bushway, S.D. (2007). Enduring risk? Old criminal records and predictions of future criminal involvement. Crime & Delinquency, 53(1), 64-83.
• Levitt, S.D. (2004). Understanding why crime fell in the 1990s: Four factors that explain the decline and six that do not. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18(1), 163-190.
• MacKenzie, D.L. (2000). Evidence-based corrections: Identifying what works. Crime & Delinquency, 46(4), 457-471.
• Petrosino, A., Turpin-Petrosino, C. and Finckenauer, J.O. (2000). Well-meaning programs can have harmful effects! Lessons from experiments of programs such as Scared Straight. Crime & Delinquency, 46(3), 354-379.
• Rennison, C.M. and Planty, M. (2006). Reassessing who contributed most to the decline in violence during the 1990s: A reminder that size does matter. Violence and Victims, 21(1), 23-47.
• Spohn, C.C. (2002). How do judges decide? (Chapters 6 & 7). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Skogan, W.G. (2008). Why reforms fail. Policing & Society, 18(1), 23-34.
• Visher, C.A. and Travis, J. (2003). Transitions from prison to community: Understanding individual pathways. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 89-113.
