Seminar in Criminal Justice:
Crime and Punishment in America
Criminal Justice 401
Spring 2012
Professor Todd C. Peppers Classroom: Fintel 1
Department of Public Affairs E-mail:
Roanoke College Phone: (540) 375-2417
Office: West 212 Office Hours: Mon., 10-12
“The mood and temper of the public with regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilization of any country.”
-- Winston Churchill
Introduction
This seminar is designed to be the “capstone” of your work and educational experience as a criminal justice major at Roanoke College. The course focuses on the policies and debates surrounding the criminalization of specific behavior and the treatment, incarceration, punishment, and rights of criminal defendant.
I have two primary goals for this seminar. The first is to provide you with information about the legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding the criminal justice system and prisoners’ rights in the United States. By giving you this information and by debating specific topics during seminar meetings, I hope that you will evaluate and challenge your own positions on these important topics. At the outset, let me say that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers -- my goal is not to indoctrinate you into echoing my opinions on the criminal justice system, capital punishment or prisoners’ rights. Instead, my hope is that this seminar will help you arrive at your own, well-reasoned opinions on our country’s most severe criminal sanctions.
My second goal is to develop and enhance your critical thinking, oral communication, and writing skills as applied to your criminal justice major. To accomplish these tasks, we will focus on further improving your written and oral presentation skills as you prepare and present a major research paper that analyzes some policy aspect of the criminal justice system. By the end of the semester, a student who successfully completes this course should be able to conduct original research and write a scholarly paper which evaluates an important question of public policy.
Required Readings
Ted Conover. New Jack: Guarding Sing Sing. Vintage Books (2001).
Margaret Edds. An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr. New York University Press (2006).
Piper Kerman. Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. Spiegel & Grau (2010).
Todd C. Peppers and Laura Anderson. Anatomy of an Execution: The Life and Death of Douglas Christopher Thomas. (Northeastern University Press (2009). (on reserve)
Nick Reding. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town. Bloomsbury USA (2009).
Gregory M. Scott and Stephen M. Garrison. 2006. The Political Science Student Writers’ Manual (5th Edition). Prentice Hall. (on reserve)
Additional class handouts.
Grading
Your seminar grade will be calculated as follows:
Reading quizzes: 5%
Class participation and attendance: 15%
Annotated bibliography, outline,
and seminar paper draft: 15%
Presentation on reading assignments 10%
Oral presentation of seminar paper: 10%
Final draft of seminar paper: 40%
Serving as a discussant during the oral
presentation of seminar papers: 5%
Because this is a seminar which is dependent upon your active participation, there will be no unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence will result in your final course grade being reduced by a half letter grade. Students who believe that they have a valid reason for missing a seminar session must obtain prior approval from the instructor (unless the absence involves a medical or family emergency, in which case subsequent approval will be necessary). Moreover, because active student participation is important, I reserve the right to give “pop quizzes” on the reading assignments.
Academic Integrity
Cheating of any form or degree will not be tolerated. Please familiarize yourself with Roanoke College’s Academic Integrity System which can be found in the Student Handbook. Pay special attention to the discussion of plagiarism. In short, ignorance of the law (or rules) is no excuse.
Cell Phones, Pagers, Laptops, and Other Electronic Devices
Cell phones and pagers must be turned off prior to entering the classroom or lab. The first time a cell phone or pager rings during class (or you are caught using such a device), you will purchase donuts and juice for the entire class; the second time, you will be excused from class and receive an “F” that day for class participation. Of course, the use of any electronic device during a quiz or exam is strictly prohibited. This includes Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs, and Blackberrys. Any use of such devices during a quiz or exam will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Your use of a laptop computer in my class is contingent upon you not abusing the privilege by checking e-mail, playing videogames, surfing the Internet, etc. If you are caught using the laptop for activities other than note taking, then you will not be allowed to use the laptop for the rest of the semester.
Disability Issues
If you are on record with the College’s Special Services as having special academic or physical needs requiring accommodations, please discuss this with me as soon as possible. We need to discuss your accommodations before they can be implemented. Also, please note that arrangements for extended times on exams and testing in a semi-private setting must be made at least one week before the exams. In order to be considered for special services, students must identify themselves to the Office of Special Services. Students are required to provide specific current documentation of their disability. Reasonable accommodations may include but are not limited to the following: extended time for tests and examinations, testing in a semi-private testing area, proctoring of examinations, use of interpreters, assistive technology, audio recording of lectures, and/or student note-takers. For additional information please contact Pam Vickers, Special Services Coordinator, at 540-375-2247 or email .
Seminar Paper
The seminar paper must be 25-35 pages typed (double-spaced; 12 point font), and it must include a cover page, abstract, table of contents, charts and tables (if necessary), and bibliography. The format of the paper, citations, and bibliography should conform to those guidelines listed in the Political Science Student Writer’s Manual by Gregory M. Scott and Stephen M. Garrison (this is the APSA author-date system of citation) that is on reserve in Fintel Library.
In your seminar paper, you will provide background information on a problem or social issue which drew the attention of law makers (juvenile delinquency, drug use, overcrowding in prisons, etc.), discuss how the specific policy was formulated to combat said problem, generate a thesis statement or hypothesis about the success or failure of the policy issue, present the evidence that supports your thesis statement, and conclude with recommendation as to how the policy can be improved. In short, your paper is an evaluation of the success of a specific policy or program, and the purpose of your presentation is to inform the other seminar participants of your findings and conclusions. Presentations are not designed to have you simply stand up and read your paper. Instead, you will be expected to orally, logically and concisely present your analysis and conclusions and address comments and questions raised by the discussant, the professor, and your classmates. Presentations must be done with Power Point. No exceptions.
Please note that, at a minimum, your bibliography must have 15 sources. The 15 sources must be from books or referred scholarly journals. None of the original 15 sources can be from the Internet (they can be found on the Internet, but they must exist elsewhere), although any additional sources can be from newspapers, the Internet, popular magazines, etc.
Course Outline
Week 1 Introduction to seminar and assignment of topics
(Jan. 16 -20 )
Start reading Anatomy of an Execution
Week 2 Research session with Roanoke College Reference
(Jan. 23-27) Librarian Piper Cumbo (Fintel Library, 3rd Floor
Computer Lab). Session starts at 3:00 p.m.
Continue reading Anatomy of an Execution
Week 3 The Death Penalty
(Jan. 30-Feb. 3)
Presentation and discussion of Anatomy of an Execution (Bier and Miner)
Week 4 No class session: I will schedule individual
(Feb. 6-10) meetings to review progress on papers
Begin reading Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison
Week 5 Women, Prison, and the Criminal Justice System
(Feb. 13-17)
Presentation and discussion of Orange is the New Black (Dana, Maupin, Stevers)
Being reading New Jack: Guarding Sing Sing
You must turn in your annotated bibliography and paper outline on Friday, February 17
Week 6 The Corrections System in Modern America
(Feb. 20-24)
Presentation and discussion on New Jack (Donohue and Downing)
Week 7 No class session: I will schedule individual
(Feb. 27-Mar. 2) meetings to discuss research on papers.
Begin reading Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town
Week 8 America’s War on Drugs
(Mar. 5-9)
Presentation and discussion: Methland (Fabian, McKinney, and Spadaro)
Week 9 Spring Break
(Mar. 12-16)
Turn in complete first draft of paper by Wednesday, March 14
Week 10 No class session: will schedule individual
(Mar. 19-23) meetings to discuss paper drafts
Begin reading An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr. (Guzman, Manning and Satterfield)
Week 11 Innocence and the Criminal Justice System
(Mar. 26-30)
Presentation and discussion on An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr.
Week 12 Final draft of paper due to professor and
(Apr. 2-6) discussant by Friday, April 6 at noon.
Paper will be reduced by one letter grade for every day it is late (and 12:01 p.m. is one day late)
Week 13 In-class presentations
(Apr. 9-13)
Week 14 In-class presentations
(Apr. 16-20)
Week 15 In-class presentations
(Apr. 23-27)
Possible Policy Topics
Remember – your paper will explain and evaluate a current criminal justice policy. Your ultimate question is whether a policy is “working” (and why or why not). Here are some topics that students have written on in past semesters:
Whether the trend to convict and sentence juvenile offenders as adults has reduced juvenile crime.
Whether sex offender registration, residence restrictions or community notification laws (such as Megan’s law) or electronic monitoring reduce recidivism rates
Whether “Amber Alerts” are effective in finding missing children
Whether the death penalty achieves it stated goals of (1) deterring future wrongdoers; (2) applying the death penalty in a racially neutral fashion, and (3) convicting the guilty (these are three different topics)
Whether the death penalty is less costly than life without parole.
Whether “zero tolerance” policies reduce levels of school violence
Whether correctional and rehabilitation programs reduce recidivism rates of sex offenders
Whether federal or state gun control laws (such as the Brady Act) have successfully kept guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and felons
Whether lowering the drinking age to 18 has decreased underage drinking and related accidents
Whether boot camps (or other “tough on crime programs) have reduced recidivism rates for juvenile offenders
Whether victim services programs reduce the psychological suffering of crime victims
Whether prison rehabilitation programs (educational, vocational, religious, drug and alcohol) reduce recidivism rates for adult offenders
Whether the jury system functions efficient (namely, reaches the correct result)
Whether drug courts and/or other diversionary programs effective in reducing recidivism
Whether sentencing guidelines create more just and equitable sentences
Whether conceal carry permits or shall-issue laws lower crime rates
Whether private prisons provide a more efficient and cheaper alternative to public prisons
Whether community policing programs reduce crime
Whether “drug free school zones” successfully shield children from drugs
Whether legalizing prostitution will reduce crime against women
Whether legalizing “medical marijuana” leads to greater levels of drug abuse
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