JUVENILE ISSUES CRIJ 1313 COURSE SYLLABUS

Transcription

1 JUVENILE ISSUES CRIJ 1313 COURSE SYLLABUS COURSE DESCRIPTION: 3 Credit Hours-A study of the juvenile process. Topics include specialized juvenile law, role of the juvenile courts, role of police agencies, role of correctional agencies, and theories concerning delinquency INSTRUCTOR: Dean R. Kinney, M.P.A. OFFICE NUMBER: OM 123, Old Main Building OFFICE TELEPHONE: HOME TELEPHONE: ADDRESS: dkinney@kilgore.edu (office) deankinney@suddenlink.net (home) OFFICE HOURS: To be arranged. COURSE RATIONALE: Criminality among juveniles is recognized as a major problem confronting society in America. The study of juvenile crime is necessary in order to identify the onset of criminality and the root causes of crime among juveniles. TEXT: Juvenile Delinquency, The Core. Seigel, Larry. 3 rd Ed. Wadsworth Publishing. GRADING POLICY: Examination Policy: Examinations are administered covering course material during the semester. A comprehensive final exam will administered at the end of the semester in accordance with the college final examination schedule. Students may begin taking final exams the Monday of final exam week and NOT before that day. Students making travel plans should keep this fact in mind when making reservations. All students are required to take the final examination as a prerequisite to successful completion of the course. GRADING: An accurate point system will be utilized to determine the final grade the student will receive for the course. The final grade will be determined by averaging major test grades (including the final exam) along with any extra required assignments. Grades will be awarded according to the following scale: = A = B = C = D 59 and BELOW = F

2 CLASSROOM POLICIES: 1. Attendance Policy: Punctual and regular attendance is required of all students in criminal justice classes. THERE ARE NO EXCUSED ABSENCES! Students are responsible for all class work even when absent; obtain class notes from other students or make other arrangements to get the material. 2. Assignment Policy: All required work must be turned in on time. Assigned work in due on the class period assigned unless the instructor clears the circumstances with the student. Regardless of the circumstances, late work may be assessed a penalty. STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO READ EACH ASSIGNMENT BEFORE CLASS. UNANNOUNCED MAJOR TESTS MAY BE ADMINISTERED TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS ARE READING AS REQUIRED. 3. Method of Instruction: This is a procedures course which relies heavily on the textbook; lecture is the primary method of instruction. Writing assignments are also value learning techniques and must be completed. 4. Make-up Exams: THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS!!! 5. Student withdrawal from class: If a student decides to voluntarily withdraw from the class, she or he must personally contact the registrar s office to officially drop the course. 6. Academic Integrity: The Kilgore College Criminal Justice Department seeks to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. Any student who presents as her or his own any work that she or he has not performed has committed a very serious offense and renders the offender subject to serious sanctions. Those sanctions include, but are not limited to the following: automatic failure of the assignment, test, and/or course. For further information refer to the Kilgore College Student Handbook section on Academic Integrity. 7. Statement of Non-Discrimination: Kilgore College Criminal Justice Department seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap, marital status, or veteran status. 8. Americans With Disabilities Act Statement: Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirements, should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary accommodations. Students should also contact the special populations counselor for specific documentation of the required accommodation.

3 9. Basic use of computers: Computers are an integral part of the criminal justice system. Students will research material via the Internet, as well as employ electronic mail to communicate with the instructor concerning class assignments. 10. No food or drink is allowed in the classroom! 11. Cellular telephones are not to be used during class!! Students answering cellphones during class will be asked to leave class and marked absent for the period! The following is a working schedule designed to assist the student. The instructor reserves the right to make modifications to content and schedule as necessary, with the interest of all students being considered. Tentative Schedule- Chapters 1 & 2 Lecture Chapters 3 & 4 Lecture Chapters 5 & 6 Lecture Chapters 7 & 8 Lecture Chapters 9 & 10 Lecture Chapters 11 & 12 Lecture Chapters 1 & 2 Exam Chapters 3 &4 Exam Chapters 5 & 6 Exam Chapters 7 & 8 Exam Chapters 9 & 10 Exam Chapters 11 & 12 Exam Students should keep abreast of current events concerning issues taught in this course. Newspapers, television news, and internet sources should be utilized in keeping current in the topics of this course. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES CRIJ Students must be able to employ the appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition as they relate to the study of issues involved in juvenile criminality. 2. Students will demonstrate the ability to examine institutions and processes across a range of structures and cultures within the study of juvenile criminality. 3. Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to analyze the effects of social, economic, psychological, and cultural forces on juvenile criminality. 4. Students will be able to explain contemporary solutions to social, economic, psychological, and cultural problems related to juvenile justice policies. 5. Students will understand the attributes of a responsible member of society.

4 COURSE OUTLINE Chapter One: Childhood and Delinquency 1. Students will describe the problem of youth in American culture. 2. Students will describe the concept of adolescence and risk taking. 3. Students will describe development of a special status of minor offenders. 4. Students will define the terms juvenile delinquent and status offender. 5. Students will describe parental responsibility and discuss the laws applicable to those laws. 6. Students will identify the efforts being made to reform status offense laws. Chapter Two: The Nature and Extent of Delinquency 1. Students will define the term official delinquency. 2. Students will describe the UCR compiled by the FBI. 3. Students will identify current trends in juvenile delinquency. 4. Students will describe self-report data and how it is collected and what it says about juvenile crime. 5. Students will recognize factors that affect juvenile crime. 6. Students will discuss the issue of class position and delinquency. 7. Students will describe the concept of the chronic persistent offender. Chapter Three: Individual Views of Delinquency: Choice and Trait 1. Students will compare and contrast choice and trait theories. 2. Students will identify routine activities theory. 3. Students will describe the affect of deterrence theory. 4. Students will compare and contrast specific deterrence and general deterrence. 5. Students will describe the biochemical, neurological, and genetic factors linked to delinquency. 6. Students will describe the psychodynamic theory of criminology. 7. Students will define the term psychopath. 8. Students will recognize the issues linking intelligence to delinquency. Chapter Four: Sociological Views of Delinquency 1. Students will define the terms social disorganization. 2. Students will define the terms strain and anomie. 3. Students will identify the elements of general strain theory and the concept of negative affective states. 4. Students will describe the social processes that have been linked to delinquency. 5. Students will differentiate between learning and control theories. 6. Students will identify the elements of labeling and stigma that reinforce delinquency. 7. Students will recognize the role that social conflict plays in creating an environment that breeds antisocial behaviors. Chapter Five: Developmental Theories 1. Students will describe the developmental theory.

5 2. Students will describe life-course theory. 3. Students will recognize that there are different pathways to delinquency. 4. Students will describe interactional theory. 5. Students will discuss the influence of social capital on delinquency. Chapter Six: Gender and Delinquency 1. Students will describe the changes in the female delinquency rates. 2. Students will describe the cognitive differences between males and females. 3. Students will discuss the psychological differences between the sexes. 4. Students will describe the elements of contemporary trait theorists view as the key to understanding gender differences, such as psychological makeup and hormonal differences. 5. Students will describe how socialization is thought to affect delinquency rates. 6. Students will describe social liberalism. Chapter Seven: The Family and Delinquency 1. Students will describe the link between family relationships and juvenile delinquency. 2. Students will describe the complex association between family breakup and delinquent behavior. 3. Students will discuss how parental and sibling misconduct influences delinquent behaviors. 4. Students will define the concept of child abuse. 5. Students will describe the nature and extent of abuse. 6. Students will list factors that are seen as causing child abuse. 7. Students will discuss the association between child abuse and delinquent behavior. Chapter Eight: Peers and Delinquent: Juvenile Gangs and Groups 1. Students will describe the development of peer relations. 2. Students will describe the various views of peer group cohesiveness. 3. Students will define the concept of the gang. 4. Students will discuss the history of gangs. 5. Students will describe the nature and extent of gang activity. 6. Students will recognize various types of gangs. 7. Students will describe the structure of gangs. 8. Students will discuss the various theories of gang development. Chapter Nine: Schools and Delinquency 1. Students will describe the crisis confronting the education system. 2. Students will discuss the association between school failure and delinquency. 3. Students will identify factors that cause school failure. 4. Students will identify and define the term tracking. 5. Students will recognize the problem of truancy and what is being done to limit its occurrence. 6. Students will identify the reasons why children drop out of school. 7. Students will describe the nature of school crime and school shootings. 8. Students will describe what school administrators are doing to prevent delinquency on campus.

6 9. Students will describe the legal rights of students. Chapter Ten: Drug Use and Delinquency 1. Students will what drugs are most frequently abused by American youth. 2. Students will describe the extent of the drug problem among American youth today. 3. Students will describe the main explanations for why youth take drugs. 4. Students will recognize the different behavior patterns of drug-involved youths. 5. Students will describe the relationship between drug use and delinquency. 6. Students will describe the major drug-control strategies. Chapter Eleven: The History and Development of Juvenile Justice 1. Students will describe the major social changes leading to creation of the first modern juvenile court in Chicago in Students will discuss some of the landmark Supreme Court decisions that have influenced present-day juvenile justice procedures. 3. Students will describe the conflicting values in contemporary juvenile justice. 4. Students will recognize key similarities and differences between the adult and juvenile justice systems. 5. Students will describe the need for and be aware of the key elements of a comprehensive juvenile justice strategy to deal with juvenile delinquency. 6. Students will identify and comment on pressing issues in the future of juvenile justice. Chapter Twelve: Policework with Juvenile 1. Students will identify the key historical events that have shaped juvenile policing in America today. 2. Students will identify the key roles and responsibilities of the police in responding to juvenile offenders 3. Students will describe the organization and management of police services for juveniles. 4. Students will describe major court cases that have influenced police practices. 5. Students will describe the key legal aspects of policework, including search and seizure and seizure and custodial interrogation, and how they apply to juveniles. 6. Students will describe police use of discretion and factors that influence discretion. 7. Students will describe the major policing strategies to prevent delinquency.

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