THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO Department of Sociology Sociology 2253A-002 Administration of Criminal Justice

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1 Instructor THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO Department of Sociology Prof. Laura Huey Telephone: ext Office: SSC-5401 Office Hours: By appointment only. Sociology 2253A-002 Administration of Criminal Justice Wednesdays 2:30-5:30, UCC-56 Course Description This course presents a sociological analysis of the criminal justice system in Canada (public involvement, police, courts, and correctional programs). The organization, structure and functioning of the criminal justice system are examined and critiqued. Learning Objectives 1. To learn the components of the criminal justice system and describe the criminal justice process in America and its evolution. 2. To develop an improved understanding of the relationship of the public and various social groups/actors to criminal justice and criminal justice processes. 3. To articulate the major philosophies, theories and concepts underlining policing, criminal law and corrections. 4. To understand how knowledge of crime and criminal justice processes are constructed through media, government statistics, research and other sources. Learning Outcomes 1. The student will be able to discuss the history, development, and current status of the Canadian criminal justice system. 2. The student will be able to identify the role of the police, courts, and corrections in the protection of Canadian society. 3. The student will be able to explain and analyze the workings of the criminal justice system, from an offenders arrest, through the court system and into the correctional system and post-release. 4. The student will be able to explain the purpose and uses of alternate forms of correction, such as parole and probation. 5. The student will develop critical thinking skills, which will be assessed through answering essay-based questions on exams.

2 Antirequisite(s): The former Sociology 253F/G. Prerequisite(s): Sociology 1020 or 1021E. Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites. Required Text Griffiths, Curt T Criminal Justice in Canada: A Primer (5 th edition). Toronto: Nelson. Evaluation Mid-term (covers guest lecture to Courts I lecture) November 11 50% Final exam (covers Courts II to Parole lectures) TBA 50% Because of concerns about grade inflation, final grades in this course will be centered on a mean of no higher than 70 (as per the Dept. guidelines). This means that your final grade depends on your ranking relative to other students and I reserve the right to take corrective measures to ensure against grade inflation (which means that students who are looking for a bird course may be severely disappointed). Dept. policy on grading is appended at the end of this syllabus. Lectures For each week that we have a classroom lecture, I have placed a set of notes for you to access on webct. You should print these notes each week and bring them to class. I will not have copies for you and they are necessary for taking good notes. The webct files consist of: an outline of that week s lecture contents and relevant overheads. Please note that I provide a lot more material in lecture, so these notes should not be used as a substitute for attending class. If you only focus on the notes from webct and avoid lectures, you will get at best 50% of the material. Exam format The format for both exams will be as follows: multiple choice (40 questions = 40 marks), fill in the blank (20 questions = 20 marks), short answer (4 out of 5 questions = 20 marks) and essay (1 out of 2 questions = 20 marks). You will have a choice of questions to answer for short and long answer. Exams will draw primarily from lecture notes and in-class videos. You are also responsible to know the assigned readings (at least 20% of the exam questions will be drawn from readings). This format does not change. The mid-term will be held in our usual classroom on the date/time noted. Your exam scores will be posted on webct when. The score posted is out of 50% - that is 50% of your exam raw score which computes to 50% of your final grade in this 2

3 course. If you want to know what your raw score was on the exam, double what is posted. Midterms are held in our usual room at our usual time. Final exams are set by the Registrar s Office; I have no say over the date/time scheduling. Please also note that there are no make-up assignments for poor test scores. Exam re-evaluation Students seeking reevaluation of grades will have to justify to me - in detail, in writing - exactly why they feel that a mark is not justified in the instant case. Such a request should be based on reasons that are rooted in the specific course content and keeping in mind my expectations for the class. Please note that I am very clear in expressing my expectations to students, and in describing how I will evaluate your work. Thus, I will want to know how you feel that your answer lines up with my stated expectations and in particular my injunction that students provide "detailed answers". This policy is in place to ensure fair treatment of all students, so that no one individual receives any consideration or special treatment as a result of verbal complaints - such as arbitrary bumping up of grades - that is not equally received by others. In the event that a mark is re-evaluated, please note that I reserve the right to adjust the mark both upwards and downwards. Missed Exam policies Social Sciences has implemented the following policy with respect to missed exams: Make-up exams will be granted with approved documentation only. If you have a conflict with one of the exam dates, it is your responsibility to discuss it with the Academic Counseling office at least one week before the regularly scheduled exam and provide documentation of the conflict. If approved, you will be allowed to schedule a make-up exam. If you miss an exam date or the due date for an assignment due to illness or for any other unforeseen reason, you must provide notification of and documentation for the reasons for your circumstances to your Academic Counselor within 48 hours. If your problem is medical in nature, you should be seen by your doctor on the date of the exam or on the date the assignment is due. If your Academic Counselor agrees that your reasons are legitimate and are supported by your medical doctor s documentation, you will be allowed to write a makeup exam or hand in your assignment at a later date. 3

4 More info on what to do if you have to miss an exam due to illness, death or some other significant issue. Should you have to miss an exam, then send me an and take yourself and all relevant document immediately to the relevant Academic Counseling office. Academic Counseling will then either give you a form to give me or send me an informing me of a request to provide accommodation. Please Do NOT bring your documentation to me or ask me about making exceptions for you or your situation. Makeup Exams In the event that a mid-term exam is missed, students will make up the exam on a day to be scheduled by me. Make-up exams for finals will be held after the final exam period has ended (late December/early May). Note that make-up exams will be in essay format only. Late student policy Students who come late to class are a distraction for both myself (who teaches largely from memory and for other students who look up to see who is coming in late or are trying to crane around to see an overhead while the late-comer tries to find a seat). If I m interrupted, then I have to stop and try to mentally find my place again, while everyone waits. If students have their work disrupted, they may miss some information that is useful for passing their tests. If you are going to be late and you know it, please drop me a little note and let me know. If I am prepared for the interruption, it s not a problem. Then please exercise consideration for others by taking a seat at the front or along the sides so as to disrupt the fewest number of people possible. If you are significantly late, then I ask you to consider waiting until the break, so as to avoid disrupting the concentration of others. Laptop and cell phone usage policy Laptops are prohibited in my classroom. If you require a laptop for academic reasons, then you are invited to discuss this with me and I will advise you on any necessary steps to be taken. Those students who are exempted from this policy by me, will be asked to sit at the front of the classroom. Students who text message or otherwise fiddle with their cell phones/blackberries will be asked to turn them off. Your presence in this class constitutes your agreement to this practice. Missed classes The test questions in this class are drawn freely from the assigned readings, lectures, class discussions, and film clips. If you miss any of these the onus is squarely on you to get the information from your class mates, although these are not generally effective substitutes for class attendance. 4

5 and other communications. First, you should treat all communication with me as being similar to a professional situation. You can call me as Professor Huey or Dr. Huey. s incorrectly addressed to Hey Huey are highly inappropriate. Due to the high volume of correspondence that I deal with, below are the answers to the most frequently asked questions: 5 1. I missed a video. Check the library first to see if the video is available there. If it s not, then ask other students in class for notes on the video missed. I do not know loan out videos. 2. what s on the exam? (all the material covered in the period preceding the exam, including assigned text readings). All exams are mixed format and non-cumulative. You are responsible to bring pencils, pens and so on. 3. I missed an exam or assignment deadline for reason, what should I do? Go and see Academic Counselling and provide them with your documentation. Send me a note and let me know that you have gone to see them. They will also contact me about giving you an extension or make-up. This process is documented in this syllabus. See relevant section of syllabus for more details 4. I want to know my mark(s). I post grades as soon as they re available and I hand back exams in class and go through them, so you ll have plenty of opportunity to take a look at your exam. Policies prohibit providing grade information through I am concerned about my mark in your class. Arrange to come and see me. 6. I need a 60 in this course to get a scholarship/enter law school/get into the Honours program, etc. and I didn t do well on the exam. Could you please let me do a make-up assignment No. In the interest of fairness to everyone, I cannot give you special consideration/special treatment regardless of your individual circumstances. 7. How much of the video do I need to know? You need to know it all and in detailed fashion. Consider the videos as being just as important as the other lecture materials. I will expect you to be able to use detailed examples from the videos to explain key concepts, etc. 8. How much of the text do I have to know for an exam? All of the assigned reading. The reading requirements for this course are not exceptionally heavy. 9. I missed a lecture and I don t know anyone in class, can you give me your notes? No. The lecture notes are placed on webct; additional notes from class are drawn from my personal notes/experiences/videos and so on and I do not have these at hand for you to borrow. I would suggest that at the beginning of class all students make a point of getting to know other people in the event that you have to miss a lecture for some reason.

6 10. If I have to have a make-up exam, when will it be? In the event of a midterm make-up (as approved by Academic Counselling and/or the Registrar s office), it will be before the beginning of the final exam period. In the event that you must make up a final exam, it will likely be held after the last date for final exams (end of December). Please check Department of Sociology web site ( for class cancellations or changes Please note that this syllabus does NOT constitute a legal contract. Although we will stick fairly closely to the topics/schedules outlined herein, I reserve the right to make adjustments as necessary. 6

7 Lecture Schedule and Readings September 16 Course introduction Reading: Chapter 1 September 23: Guest lecture (Sgt. Darren Couling, LPS) September 30: Understanding crime (statistics, media, and sources of knowledge) Film: Capturing the Friedmans Reading: Chapter 2 October 7: Police I: Organization; Patrol; Criminal Investigation Reading: Chapter 5 October 14: Police II: Police and the Public; Police subculture; Use of force Film: Whistling Smith (NFB Online) Reading: Chapter 4 October 26: Police III: Forensics Film: Forensics: You Decide (Nature s Evidence) Reading: No reading this week October 28: Courts I: Structure of the courts and pre-trial decision-making Reading: Chapter 7 November 4: Courts II: Controversial issues Reading: Chapter 8 Film: A Crime of Insanity November 11: Exam 1 (held in class; usual time and place you are only responsible to know material from Guest lecture to Courts I; Courts II will be on the final exam) November 18: Courts III: Wrongful convictions Reading: No reading this week Film: The Wrong Man (5th Estate CBC online) November 25: Sentencing: Rationales, issues, and the court of public opinion Reading: Chapter 9 Film: The Plea December 2: Corrections: Structure, history and penal philosophies Film: State of Incarceration (online CBC doc zone) Reading: Chapter 11 December 9: Parole: Decision-making and release Reading: Chapter 12 Film: High Risk offender 7

8 UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS - UNDERGRADUATE Sociology 020 and 021E A s not to exceed B s Means in the range of 65-68% Sociology courses at the 100 and 200 A s not to exceed B s Means in the range of 66-70% Sociology courses at the 300-level (INCLUDING Soc 300a and 302b) Means in the range of 70-74% Sociology courses at the 400-level Means in the range of 73-78% Sociology courses with less than 5 students enrolled Up to individual faculty members to assign appropriate grades with some underlying standards in mind Sociology courses offered during the Spring and Summer Session and/or on-line Subject to the same guidelines as outlined above 8

9 Grading for mid-terms and final exams Multiple choice questions The letter/number that is most obviously indicated will be treated as the answer. If multiple answers are indicated, only the first answer will be accepted. Fill-in-the-blank questions Only full and complete answers will be given full marks (no half marks will be assigned for partially correct answers). Eg. If the answer is warrant of committal then committal paper or any other partially correct answer will NOT receive marks. (NOTE: I realize that some students think it s unfair that they don t get partial marks for answers, my response is: study hard and you ll know the FULL and correct answer :) Spelling mistakes are fine, if I can tease out what you re trying to say. Acronyms are not, as I have no idea as to whether you know what the initials stand for or not. Short answer (marked out of 5 or 10) /long answer (marked out of 10 or 20) To receive the following scores, student answers on the exam must meet the following criteria: 5 or 10 EXCEPTIONAL - answer is fully provided; relevant examples from class-text are employed; student exceeds the norm by making creative links to other course material (demonstrating a breadth of understanding); student exceeds the norm by offering thought-provoking comments intended to demonstrate critical knowledge of all relevant material. In other words: you must completely answer the question, put in all relevant examples given in class/text or video and show how the material you discuss connects to material from other class lectures. Further tip: if your answer leaves blank space on the exam, then you probably haven t given a full and complete answer. 4 or 8 EXCELLENT - answer is fully and competently provided; answer includes all relevant components as discussed in class/text; answer also includes relevant illustrative examples (also drawn from class/text). 3 or 6 AVERAGE - answer is partially correct (some components of the correct answer are present, others are absent or incorrectly stated), AND illustrative examples are used OR answer is largely correct but no examples are provided. 2 or 4 BELOW AVERAGE - answer is partially incorrect or incomplete (with more than one significant component missing); examples from course material are not used. 1 or 2 POOR answer is largely incorrect or incomplete with only marginal reference to relevant materials; no examples cited or incorrect examples referenced. 0 FAIL - answer is not provided or is wholly incorrect. 9

10 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS: UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS The University recognizes that a student s ability to meet his/her academic responsibilities may, on occasion, be impaired by medical illness. Illness may be acute (short term), or it may be chronic (long term), or chronic with acute episodes. The University further recognizes that medical situations are deeply personal and respects the need for privacy and confidentiality in these matters. However, in order to ensure fairness and consistency for all students, academic accommodation for work representing 10% or more of the student s overall grade in the course shall be granted only in those cases where there is documentation indicating that the student was seriously affected by illness and could not reasonably be expected to meet his/her academic responsibilities. Documentation shall be submitted, as soon as possible, to the appropriate Dean s office (the Office of the Dean of the student s Faculty of registration/home Faculty) together with a request for relief specifying the nature of the accommodation being requested. These documents will be retained in the student s file, and will be held in confidence in accordance with the University s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy*. Once the petition and supporting documents have been received and assessed, appropriate academic accommodation shall be determined by the Dean s Office in consultation with the student s instructor(s). Academic accommodation may include extension of deadlines, waiver of attendance requirements for classes/labs/tutorials, arranging Special Exams or Incompletes, re-weighting course requirements, or granting late withdrawals without academic penalty. Academic accommodation shall be granted only where the documentation indicates that the onset, duration and severity of the illness are such that the student could not reasonably be expected to complete his/her academic responsibilities. (Note it will not be sufficient to provide documentation indicating simply that the student was seen for a medical reason or was ill. ) Whenever possible, students who require academic accommodation should provide notification and documentation in advance of due dates, examinations, etc. Students must follow up with their professors and their Academic Counselling office in a timely manner. Documentation from Family Physicians and Walk-In Clinics A UWO Student Medical Certificate (SMC)* is required where a student is seeking academic accommodation. This documentation should be obtained at the time of the initial consultation with the physician or walk-in clinic. An SMC can be downloaded under the Medical Documentation heading of the following website: Hard copies are available from Academic Counselling in the Faculties. Documentation from Student Health Services Students obtaining documentation from Student Health Services should sign a release of information. This form authorizes Student Health Services to provide information to the student s home Faculty. Release of information forms are available from, and can be arranged through, the student s home Faculty Academic Counselling service. 10

11 Documentation from Hospital Urgent Care Centres or Emergency Departments Students should request that an SMC be filled out. Students may bring this form with them, or request alternative Emergency Department documentation. Documentation should be secured at the time of the initial visit to the Emergency Department. Where it is not possible for a student to have an SMC completed by the attending physician, the student must request documentation sufficient to demonstrate that his/her ability to meet his/her academic responsibilities was seriously affected. Accommodation by Instructor for work worth less than 10% of the overall grade in a course Instructors are encouraged, in the first instance, to arrange participation requirements and multiple small assignments in such a way as to allow students some flexibility. A student seeking academic accommodation for any work worth less than 10% must contact the instructor or follow the appropriate Department or course specific instructions provided on the course outline. In arranging accommodation, instructors will use good judgment and ensure fair treatment for all students. Instructors must indicate on the course outline how they will be dealing with work worth less than 10% of the total course grade. In particular, instructors must indicate whether medical documentation will be required for absences, late assignments or essays, missed tests, laboratory experiments or tutorials, etc. Where medical documentation is required, such documentation must be submitted by the student directly to the appropriate Faculty Dean s office, and it will be the Dean s office that will make the determination whether accommodation is warranted. Given the University s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy, instructors may not collect medical documentation. In all cases where accommodation is being sought for work totalling 10% or more of the final grade in a course, students will be directed to the appropriate Faculty Dean s office. Students who have been denied accommodation by an instructor may appeal this decision to the appropriate Faculty Dean s office but will be required to present appropriate documentation. 11