SO 360--CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

COURSE SYLLABUS--SPRING, 2001

SO 360 Criminal Justice System Spring, 2001
Required Texts: Exploring Criminal Justice, Don Gottfredson

The Criminal Justice System, George Cole and Marc Gertz (eds)

COURSE OUTLINE

1. Sociology of Law: Jan 19 - Feb 23

A. Criminal Law, crime and the criminal: definitions/characteristics
B. Legal Philosophies
C. Sociology of criminal law

Readings: Gottfredson: Chapters 1,3
Cole and Gertx: pp 1-9 and readings 1, 4, 27

2. The Police: Feb 26 - Mar 30

A. Models of Criminal Justice
B. Police work: Norms and roles
C. Police/public perceptions of the police
D. Police organization
E. Police/community relations

Readings: Gottfredson: chapters 5,6,2
Cole: pp 77-85 and readings 5,6,7,8

TEST NUMBER ONE: APPROXIMATELY March 5, 2001

3. The Criminal Court System April 2 - May 4

A. Definitions of Justice
B. The judical process
C. The actual and the ideal in the courts
D. The principle actors and their roles
E. The bail system
F. Plea Bargains
G. The trial process and the jury

Readings: G: Chapters 7,8,9
C: pp 169-175,223-229, and 289-297; and
readings 10,12,13,14,16,17,18

TEST NUMBER TWO: APPROXIMATELY April 9, 2001

TEST NUMBER 3: Wednesday, May 9 from 8:30 to 10:30

Test number 1 will be essay.

Test number 2 will be multiple choice, true-false and will be cummulitive to that point in the course

Test number 3 will be essay and cover the last two sections of the course.

Each test will be worth 25 percent of the course grade. The other 25 percent will come from a paper described on the instructor's home page for this course. The length of the paper will be three to five pages. It is due april 30, 2001. NOTE: Unjustified late papers will not be accepted.

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