1 Texas A&M University-Texarkana Criminal Justice/Sociology Program Course Syllabus* CJ 570: Seminar on Administration of Justice Fall Semester, 2010 * Subject to amendment I. Locator Information: Professor: Tuesday, 7:00 to 9:45pm University Center, Room 232 Dr. Leonard W. Peck Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Office: Academic Bldg. 134N Office Hours: Mon. 1:00 6:00 pm Tues. 1:00 5:00 pm Wed. 1:00 6:00 pm Or drop by or make an appointment Phone: (903) 223-3011 Fax: (903) 223-3107 E-Mail: leonard.peck@tamut.edu. I answer class email 2-3 times per week on a triage basis (i.e. emergencies first). II. Course Description: Course identifies and discusses the roles of the key players in the judicial process. Course materials would include a discussion of the prosecutor s office, selection and use of juries, selection of prosecutors and judges, plea negotiations, courtroom work group, representation of indigent defendants and other issues pertinent to the interpretation and applications of law.
2 III. Course Objectives: Relevant to the above, the objectives of this course are: 1. To discuss the meaning of the concept of justice in an adversarial system. 2. To discuss the characteristics of an adversarial system of justice. 3. To discuss the roles of attorneys and judges in the process of administering justice. 4. To discuss the role of juries in court trials. 5. To discuss the selection of prosecutors and the various methods by which judges get on the bench. 6. To discuss the concept of plea negotiations and the arguments for and against this practice 7. To discuss the make-up of the courtroom work group. 8. To discuss the methods used in representing indigent defendants. 9. To discuss the differences between the adversarial and accusatorial systems of justice. 10. To discuss the role of the police in a free society. IV. Student Learner Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students would be able to: 1. Understand the meaning and nature of justice within the American system of justice. 2. Understand the make-up and characteristics of an adversarial legal system. 3. Understand the power of the district attorney in the American system of justice. 4. Understand the role of politics and public opinion in the administration of justice. 5. Understand the relationship among social class, power, race, and gender in the administration of justice and in the perception of justice. V. Textbooks: The required texts for this course are: 1. Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice (Third Edition) by Matthew Robinson ISBN (0-13-514774-3) and 2. Pursuing Justice by Frank T. Morn and Ralph Weisheit (ISBN 0-534-62391-3). VI. Course Evaluation & Grading Scale: 1. Mid-term Examination 30 points A 90 points 2. Final Examination 30 points B 80 points 3. Research Project 40 points C 70 points Total points 100 points
3 VII. Schedule of Activities and Reading List: Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: Introduction to the concept of justice. Chapter 1 text #1-What is the Criminal Justice System? Chapter 1 text #2-Religious and Philosophical Perspectives of Justice Chapter 2 text #1-The Role of Politics in the Administration of Justice. Chapter 2 text #2-Justice and the State Chapter 3 text #1-Equal Protection Under the Law Chapter 3 text #2-Social Justice Chapter 4 text #1-Crime on the Streets and Crime in the Suites: Which is Worse? Chapter 7 text #2-The American Style of Justice Chapter 5 text #1-Media Portrayals of Crime and Criminal Justice. Chapter 12 text #2-Individual Strategies for Achieving Justice Mid-term Examination Handed Out. Week 7: Chapter 6 text #1-The Role of the Police in the Administration of Justice Mid-term Examination Due. Week 8: Week 9: Chapter 7 text #1-Right to trial-injustice in pre-trial and trial procedures. Chapter 13 text #2-Organizations Seeking Justice. Chapter 8 text #1-The Fairness and Utility of Punishment. Chapter 9 text #1-Lock em up and Throw Away the Key. Week 10: Chapter 10 text #1-Capital Punishment. Chapter 11 text #1-The War on Drugs. Week 11: Chapter 12 text #1-The War on Crime. Two-page Summary of Presentation Due. Week 12: Chapter 13 text #1-Achieving Justice: Some Recommendations. Students Presentations Start Week 13: Chapter 14 text #2-Global Justice. Students Presentations Conclude. Final Examination Handed Out.
4 Week 14: Postscript Text #2-Justice as an Evolving Concept. Final Examination Due. VIII. Teaching Methodologies: Since this is a graduate seminar, students are expected to read the texts on their own and take notes. Class lectures and discussions will not be limited to the issues and/or chapters covered in the texts. They will include any information that is relevant to administration of justice in general and in America. Visual and/or audio materials could be used where deemed necessary by the professor. The take home essay tests will comprise of class lectures, chapters of the texts, and other information the professor deems relevant to the course objectives and competencies. IX. Research Project: Students will be required to choose a critical issue in the administration of justice in a free society. Once approved by the professor, the student will research the issue thoroughly and then conduct an unbiased evaluation of the issue in light of the contemporary realities of administration of justice under an adversarial criminal justice system. The student will then make a formal presentation to the class demonstrating the following: 1. A clear understanding of the issue on the part of the student. 2. Why the issue is important in the American system of justice. 3. The extent to which the issue affects those who come in contact with the criminal justice system and those who participate in this process. 4. The social consequences/implications of the issue. 5. What society should do about this issue and why. A week before the presentations begin, each student will turn in a typed two-page summary of his/her presentation and a complete list of the sources of information used to prepare the presentation. X. Disability Accommodation: Students with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations through the A&M- Texarkana Disability Services Office by calling (903) 223-3062. XI. Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is expected of students enrolled in this course. Cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification of research data, plagiarism, and undocumented use of materials from any source, constitute academic dishonesty, and may be grounds for a grade of "F" in the course and/or disciplinary actions." For additional information see the university policy manual.
5 XII. A&M-Texarkana Email Address: Upon application to Texas A&M University-Texarkana an individual will be assigned an A&M-Texarkana email account. This email account will be used to deliver official university correspondence. Each individual is responsible for information sent and received via the university email account and is expected to check the official A&M- Texarkana email account on a frequent and consistent basis. Faculty and students are required to utilize the university email account when communicating about coursework. XIV. References: Anderson, David C. (1998). Sensible Justice: Alternatives to Prison. New York: New Press. Austin, James and John Irwin. (2001). It s About Time: America s Imprisonment Binge, 3 rd edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth. Beck, Allen J. (2000). Prisoners in 1999. Washington DC.: U.S. Department of Justice. Bennett, Wayne W., and Karen M. Hess. (2003). Management and Supervision in Law Enforcement (Third Edition). New York, NY: Wadsworth. Bilchik, Shay. (1998). A Juvenile Justice System for the 21 st Century. Washington DC.: OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Bonczar, Thomas P. and Lauren F. Glaze. (1999). Probation and Parole in the United States. Washington DC.: U.S. Department of Justice. Byrne, James M. and Faye S. Taxman. (1994). Crime Control Policy and Community Corrections Practice. Education and Program Planning. 17:227-233. Cole, George F and Christopher E. Smith. (2004). The American System of Criminal Justice (Tenth Edition) Toronto, Canada: Thomson/Wadsworth. Dimascio, William. (1997). Seeking Justice: Crime and Punishment in America. New York: Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Ferdico, John N. (1998). Criminal Procedure for the Criminal Justice Professional (Seventh Edition) Belmont, California: West Publishing Company. Griswold, David B. and Michael B. Wiatrowski. (1983). The Emergence of Determinate Sentencing. Federal Probation. June 28-35. Grooms, Robert M. (1982). Recidivism. Crime and Delinquency. 28: 541-545. Haesler, Walter T. (1992). The Released Prisoner and his Difficulties to be Accepted Again as a Normal Citizen. Euro-Criminology. 4:61-68.
6 Harris, M. Kay. (1996). Key Differences Among Community Corrections Acts in the United States: An Overview. Prison Journal. 76, 2:192-238. Klein, Andrew. (1997). Alternative Sentencing, Intermediate Sanctions, and Probation, 2 nd edition. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson. Peak, Kenneth J. (2001). Justice Administration: Police, Courts, and Corrections Management (Third Edition) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Stojkovic, Stan; David Kalinich; and John Klofas. (2003). Criminal Justice Organizations, Administration, and Management (Third Edition) Toronto, Canada: Thomson/Wadsworth. Yetman, Norman R. (1999). Majority and Minority: The Dynamics of Race and Ethnicity in America, (Edited, Sixth Edition) Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.