CCJ 3024: Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice

CCJ 3024: Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice Fall 2014 Course meets: Tuesday 5th – 6th Period (11:45am) Thursday 6th Period (12:50pm) Classroom: LIT 121

Instructor: Joshua Behl, MA Office Hours: Tuesday 10:30am-12:00pm Office: Turlington 3361a Email: [email protected] Link to WebCT: http://lss.at.ufl.edu/ Phone: (321)-543-6981

***Note: E-mail is the most effective way to reach me. However, if I don’t answer in 48 hours, re-email me. When sending emails, please include the subject CCJ 3024***

Required Texts There is no required text for this course. I may provide supplemental reading materials that can be posted in SAKAI.

Other Readings Articles discussed in class and assigned online.

Course Description and Objectives This course introduces students to the scholarly study of law from a multidisciplinary, liberal arts perspective. We will explore the different areas of the criminal justice system (Policing, court systems, corrections, etc.). At the end of the course, my goal is for you to think critically about legal structure, institutions, processes, and practices. Note: This is not a course on the content of the law. Instead, it is a course designed to help you critically evaluate the criminal justice system that operates in America.

Course Evaluation Exams Two exams will be administered. The first exam will be on Thursday, October 9th; the second exam will be on Tuesday, December 9th. The exams consist of 50 multiple choice questions worth two points each. You are responsible for bringing a pencil on exam days. The exams will cover all topics discussed up to the date of the exam including readings from the text, lectures, and in-class activities. The final exam is non-cumulative. Note that the instructor reserves the right to change the format of the exam at any time. You will get an entire class period to complete each exam. You should not arrive late. By arriving late, you are disrupting the concentration of your classmates and giving yourself less time to take the exam.

Make up exams will be scheduled during the instructor’s office hours. This is the only time that I will offer makeup exams, no exceptions. It is your responsibility to contact me to gain permission to take a makeup. If you have not done so, there will be no make-up exam available for you to take. The format of makeup exams will not be the same as regularly scheduled exams (most likely, makeup exams will be essay format).

Term Perm You will be required to write a five-page (minimum) paper. This paper will require you to do an IN PERSON interview a person who works in the criminal justice system. This could be a police officer, federal agent, attorney (criminal law), judge, correction’s officer, probation officer, etc. You will interview the person and ask questions to get a full scope of exactly what the job entails. Ask what their favorite AND least favorite part of the job is. Ask what a typical day looks like. The purpose of this assignment is to give you a look at a potential career that you are pursuing. This interview could be rewarding and a potentially great networking opportunity. Make sure that you are professional when conducting these interviews (For example, it is inappropriate to ask a law enforcement officer if they have ever shot someone).

Your paper will be a five-page response to the interview. What surprised you about the interview? Did anything the interviewee say confirm assumptions you had about the profession? Did the interview make you want to pursue the profession more or less? I do not want this to simply be a summary of the interview but an analysis of what was said and how it impacted you. This assignment will count as exactly one quarter (25%) of your grade. 5% points will be taken off for every day the paper is late.

DUE DATE: OCTOBER 30, 2014

Research Experience Most of what we have learned about human behavior comes from systematic empirical research. It is important that you have some first-hand exposure to this type of research during your Criminology and Law classes through the Research Experience component of your grade.

Research Experience Units are designed so that you will receive 1 Research Experience Unit through the SONA system for each half hour you spend gaining research experience. For this course, you need to earn 10 Units (which roughly equates to 5 hours) total to earn full credit. If you are taking more than one Criminology and Law class that requires research participation, you MAY NOT overlap units. For example, if you are enrolled in both Law and Society and Advance Principles of Criminal Justice, you must complete the required units of research for Law and Society in addition to the required units of research for Advance Principles of Criminal Justice. You have two options for obtaining Research Experience Units: volunteering as a participant in departmental research or completing alternative assignments. You can complete any combination of research participation or alternative assignments to earn the units required by your class. You can access additional information about Research Experience Units at: https://sites.google.com/site/clsparticipantpooluf/. A video describing how to obtain Research Experience Units and your requirement can also be found at: http://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Play/04bca962-7247-4c7d-9d1b-9fd7291d1709 .

Option 1: Volunteer as a participant in departmental research. The last opportunity to participate in departmental research is December 10, 2014 at 5pm. Only studies that have been approved by the Criminology and Law program can be used to meet this requirement. Participating in departmental research may consist of online or in-person participation. You can sign-up for departmental research studies at: http://ufl-cls.sona- systems.com/

Option 2: Complete alternative assignments. The last opportunity to submit an alternative assignment is November 14. 2014 at 5:00pm. Similar to assignments for your classes, resubmissions of assignments not receiving full credits will not be allowed. Please be sure to follow the guidelines to receive full credit. Generally alternative assignments consist of reading a research article and writing a response to questions about the article. You can find information about this semester’s alternative assignments at: https://sites.google.com/site/clsparticipantpooluf/alternativeassignments.

If you have questions about the Research Experience Units in general, please email the Research Experience coordinator at [email protected]. If you have questions about a specific Research Experience Unit opportunity, please email the specific researcher listed for that opportunity within the SONA system. DO NOT contact your instructor because the Research Experience Units are NOT maintained by him/her. Your instructor know how many Units you have completed within two days of the end of classes for the semester—once all of the research is over and researchers have entered credits.

Academic Honesty Policy Cheating is not acceptable or tolerated in this course, or at the University of Florida. On all work submitted, the following statement is implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” For more on Academic Honesty guidelines, please see the Student Guide at www.dso.ufl.edu/stg/

Instances of cheating, plagiarism and any other form of academic misconduct will be investigated according to the procedures adopted by the University of Florida. I will not accept as an excuse that you were unaware that your behavior constituted cheating or plagiarism. Therefore, I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the concepts of cheating and plagiarism and that you approach me if you have any questions.

Grading: Grades will be determined from your grades on a combination of exams and assignments: Exam One 100 points Exam Two 100 points Term Paper 100 points Research Participation 50 points Total Possible: 350 points Final Grades will be determined according to the following structure. NOTE: UF’s grading scale has changed, effective Summer A 2009. GPA Point Assignments have also changed, and those assignments are noted for you below.

Percentage Grade Corresponding Points Earned Grade Points 90-100 A 4.00 88-89 A- 3.67 85-87 B+ 3.33 80-84 B 3.00 78-79 B- 2.67 75-77 C+ 2.33 70-74 C 2.00 68-69 C- 1.33 65-67 D+ 1.00 60-64 D 0.67 58-60 D- 0.33 57 and Below E 0.00 NOTE: I do not round up or add extra points at the end of the semester, so please do not ask. Also, my A- (and all my minus grades to scale) is an 88-89% (traditionally a B+). Because of this more lenient grading scale, no extra credit/curve will be given.

Make Ups I understand that sometimes one’s personal life interferes with one’s ability to attend an exam, turn in a paper, attend class, etc. If you have a legitimate reason for missing an exam (e.g., documented illness, death in the family) and can provide documentation, you will be allowed to make-up what you missed IF you contact me immediately before or after the exam, due date, or class meeting time (i.e., within 48 hours) you will be missing (e.g., don’t come to me two weeks later and ask for a makeup unless you have been in a coma for the intervening two weeks). Your make up exam will be scheduled in the office hours held by your instructor, and the make up exam will not be the same as the exam given to the class (questions and format will change).

Classroom Behavior Students are expected to behave appropriately during class. This class is meant to be an enriching, enjoyable learning experience for all of you; disrupting the class results in depriving your fellow classmates and yourself of this experience. The instructor is the final arbiter of what behavior is appropriate and inappropriate. However, you may use the following principle to guide your classroom behavior: Your behavior should not be disruptive or distracting to the instructor or your classmates. This principle will help you determine appropriate classroom behaviors. This following list is not exhaustive. 1. Come to class on time. Your late entrance is distracting to everyone, especially your instructor. 2. Stay for the entire class period. If you must leave early, sit near the exit and leave as quietly as possible. 3. Turn off cellular phones, iPads, and computer volume prior to coming to class. If you turn your phone on vibrate, make sure that others around you cannot hear it. Above all, do not answer your phone. 4. Talk only when you have been given the floor. Talking with the people next to you is distracting to everyone, especially to me and to the people around you. If you are asking your neighbor a question about the course, it is likely that everyone will benefit if you raise your hand and ask your question of the instructor. I can guarantee that at least one other person in the class is thinking your same question. Everyone benefits from your curiosity. The only truly stupid question is the question that remains unasked and unanswered (with the exception of “Will this be on the exam?”). If I have to ask you to stop talking more than once during class, I may ask you to leave class and to not return until the next class period. 5. Be attentive. You may not realize it but it is distracting to your instructor if you read a newspaper in the back of the classroom or doze off during class. I cannot focus on the information I am trying to convey if I am worried that I am boring you. 6. Be respectful of your instructor, your fellow classmates, and yourself. This includes listening to others’ opinions with the same respect that you would wish to be given when voicing your own opinion. Basically, treat others how you would want to be treated.

If your instructor finds that you are behaving inappropriately, you will be given one warning. The second instance of inappropriate behavior will result in expulsion from the class for the remainder of the day. If inappropriate behavior continues, further disciplinary action will be taken.

Students With Disabilities Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.

Important Dates and Semester Schedule A proposed semester schedule is attached. We will try to adhere to this schedule. However, this schedule is subject to change. If you miss a class, you are responsible for finding out if any dates have been changed. This is a list of the topics we will likely be covering in the class and the dates that major assignments/in-class exercises will be due/held. In addition to the readings assigned for each class, supplemental readings may be handed out in class or posted on the web. These will be announced in class. In addition, from time to time, I may hold review sessions. These are intended to help you study and review for the exam and will be announced in class and posted on Sakai. IMPORTANT DATES AND SEMESTER SCHEDULE Date: Topic August 26th Introduction, Syllabus, and What is the Law August 28th What is crime? Defining crime, Models of Criminal Justice September 2nd Definitions of crime, measuring crime, cost of crime, victims of crime September 4th Criminal Theory September 9th Criminal Theory (cont.) September 11th The Rule of Law September 16th History of American Law September 18th Policing September 23rd Policing (cont.) September 25th Issues in Policing September 30th Courts

October 2nd Courts (cont.)

October 7th REVIEW FOR MIDTERM October 9th MIDTERM

October 14th Sentencing

October 16th Corrections

October 21th Corrections October 23th Corrections October 28th Prison Life October 30th Community Corrections November 4th Death Penalty November 6th Juvenile Justice November 11th Juvenile Justice (cont.) November 13th Private Security November 18st Miscarriages of Justice November 20th Miscarriages of Justice (cont.) November 25th Catch-up Day November 27th Trial Consulting December 2nd White Collar Crime December 4th REVIEW FOR FINAL December 9th FINAL EXAM Administrative Information This syllabus is provided for your information and may change as deemed necessary. You are responsible for learning all the material contained in this syllabus as well as any modifications that are made to the syllabus during class time. All changes to the syllabus will be announced during class time and will be posted on my office door.

If you have any questions about the syllabus or course requirements, please feel free to contact me. You can stop by during my office hours, or call or email me. I am looking forward to getting to know you, and I encourage you to stop by or email to discuss ideas, questions, and comments you may have about the class or material.