SYP 3520: Criminology

1998 Summer Semester

12-1:50 p.m., MTWR, VAB 0111

Karren Baird-Olson, Ph.D.

Temporary Office: Room 303-A, Arts and Humanities Building

Temporary Office Telephone: 3-2250 OR leave message at Sociology Office, 3-2227

Summer Office Hours: 11-11:45 a.m.,T; 4-4:50 p.m.,W; or by appointment

One of every 144 Americans is behind bars, one of every 60 men,.... If we don't deal with alcohol and drug abuse and revamp our system of crime and punishment, one of every 20 Americans born in 1997 will spend some time in jail, including one of every 11 men and one of every four black men.

Politicians camouflage the failure of their costly punishment only prison policy by snorting tough rhetoric. They talk and act as though the only people in prison are violent black crack addicts and incorrigible psychopaths like James Cagney in "Public Enemy," as though treatment doesn't work and addiction is a moral failing that any individual can easily change.,,.

The first step toward sensible criminal justice policy is to face reality. Prisons are wall-to-wall with drug and alcohol addicts and abusers.....

The common denominator among inmates is not race; it's drug and alcohol abuse .... Alcohol is more tightly linked with violent crime than crack cocaine: In state prisons, 21 percent of violent criminals were high on alcohol alone at the time of their offenses; only 3 percent were high on crack or cocaine alone...

We need a revolution in the way we think about prisons, crime, and punishment. Politicians should put common sense behind their tough talk by opening a second front in the war on crime with a heavy investment in treatment and training for the drug and alcohol abusers they have crammed into prisons. If they do, the nation's streets will be safer, and the cost of law enforcement will be lower.

Love has to become a stronger poison than the poisons of self-interest and powerlessness or else we will all perish.

Are we as American citizens going to continue to repeat Costly mistakes in defining and dealing with criminal behavior? Are we going to continue to take money from the school house to put in the jail house? Or can we utilize the significant scientific and experiential knowledge and wisdom that we have in order to overcome our apathy, our fears, and/or ignorance and to address the root societal causes that have led to a disproportionate number of the chemically dependent, learning disabled, racial minority, and lower economic class human beings being processed through, and often lost, within the criminal justice enterprise of the United States of America? Are we finally ready to seek in a meaningful way restorative rather than retributive justice? In this course we will seek scientific and personal answers to these questions.

1. Learn the sociological definitions of key concepts in the scientific study of criminology.

2. Examine the accuracy of public and media beliefs about crime and criminal justice.

3. Review sociological methods of measuring and explaining crime.

4. Study theories of crime etiology.

4. Examine the success of social policy in preventing and controlling crime.

5. Begin a critical discussion of restorative justice.

Siegel, Larry J. Criminology. Belmont, California:

West/Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998.

In addition, you will be required to read and review handouts

that are provided in class.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees are tools of power. Historically, Euro-American schools have provided two formal educational services: professional preparation and personal life enhancement skills. In addition, a number of educational institutions have offered resources for learning how to be responsible as well as thoughtful community members and leaders. Learning, in this latter case, is seen as an on-going process rather than a terminal product. My teaching ideals are to not only share my academic knowledge and experiential wisdom but also to motivate and to assist students in learning how to become life-long learners. In order to most effectively achieve these goals, I teach my classes in an interactive style emphasizing cooperation and respect for individual and cultural differences.

This course will be taught primarily in the educational style of traditional Native Americans. Cooperation, group work, and respect for individual differences will be emphasized. In addition to the information which you will be given in written form, other course material will be presented in the forms of "sharing" talks given by your professor, class discussions, student contributions, audiovisual presentations, and guest speakers.

Growing up in American has made each of us an expert in one or more aspects of deviant behavior, specifically criminal offenses. Therefore, I encourage all of you to share your expertise with us. Comments and questions from all students are always welcome and encouraged. I do not consider such comments interruptions! Each of you will get out of the course what you put into it. Each of you makes a contribution to the class, and you sell yourself short if you think otherwise. There is an important link between your participation and what you will learn.

If you must miss a deadline or exam, please notify me in advance or, in case of an emergency, as soon as possible.

Individual and group participation* 35%

Midterm exam 15%

Theoretical Autobiography 25%

Applied Theory Group Project 25%

*If your final grade is on the border line between two grades such as between a B or A, your attendance and class participation will be the key factors influencing my decision. Also, this grade will include any reading checks if needed.

A: 90-100 C: 79-70 F: 59 and below

B: 89-80 D: 69-60

You will receive two letter grades for written assignments. One for content and one for writing mechanics (grammar, spelling, organization, etc.)

If needed, one or more "surprise" reading checks will be given. This exercise will help motivate you to keep up on your reading and the answer session following each reading check will give you an opportunity to identify and discuss important issues in the reading assignments.

Since we have learned that we have all committed at least one deviant act that is defined as criminal, how/why were you NOT involved in the criminal justice enterprise OR how/why were you processed through the criminal justice enterprise? Use relevant criminology theories to explain your good fortune or misfortune. Strive for quality rather than quantity (Suggested length:10-15 pages). Your paper will be due on or before Monday, June 15.

Points will be allocated to the autobiographical analysis as follows:

Introduction/Statement of Purpose 10 points

Your Story 30 points

Theoretical Interpretation 40 points

Conclusions/Recommendations 20 points

The midterm exam will be comprehensive and will include true/false, matching, multiple choice, and short essay questions. It will cover reading assignments as well as class material. The anticipated date is Thursday,June 4.

Each class member will choose four topics regarding crime from class presentations, the text, or this syllabus. You will then rank order the four topics that you would like to explore in greater depth and give me your choices on Tuesday, May 26. On Thursday, May 28 you will be assigned to a group and your group will hold its first meeting at that time. Each group will be asked to identify a specific type of criminal offense, choose an appropriate theory/theories about its cause, and identify and describe a restorative justice solution. The group oral reports will begin on Tuesday, May 16. Each group will have fifteen (15) minutes to present its findings and conclusions and another five to answer questions.

You may earn up to five points by documenting your attendance at an activity or workshop which is relevant to the course material. From time to time appropriate happenings/activities will be announced in class. You must type (word process) a descriptive summary which should be at least one page long and attach to it copies of handouts or other relevant documentation. Before you attend any activity that is not announced in class, check with me so I can approve and record your plans.

Remember that "[p]lagiarism is literary theft or misrepresentation" (from "A Statement of

Plagiarism" by the Department of English at Northern Michigan University, p. 1).

If you have had not had adequate training in how to cite sources and/or to prepare a bibliography, please talk with me. As you know, plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses. In this course, they may be punished by failure on the exam, paper or project or failure of the course.

Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance in this course should make an appointment to speak with me as soon as possible.

SECTION I

An Overview of the Criminal Justice Enterprise and Public

Perceptions

Weeks 1-3, May 12-28

[No classes on M,05/25 Memorial Day (Observed))]

Assignments:

1. Read Chapts.1-4; 15-18.

2. Begin your theoretical autobiography.

3. Turn in four rank ordered ideas for a applied theory group project on May 26.

4. Your theoretical autobiography is due on or before Monday, June 15.

5. Think about extra credit activities.

Why Do People Do Crime?

Weeks 4-6, June 1-11

Assignments:

1. Read Chapts.5-14.

2. Proposed midterm exam: TH, 6/4

3. Work on your applied theory group project.

Restorative or Retributive Justice

Weeks 6-7, June 15-June 22

Assignments:

1. Present your applied theory group project.

2. Are you going to do an extra credit project?

Your final exam session will be held during the regular class time

on Monday, June 22.