CRJ 705, Seminar in the Administration of Justice
Spring 2010
R. Shelden
Office: GUA 5141
Phone: 895-0251; e-mail: shelden@unlv.nevada.edu
Web site: www.sheldensays.com
Office Hours: Monday and Wed. 10-11AM, Tuesday, 8-11AM
Required Readings:
Books:
Beat the crowds at the bookstore and click on titles to order:
1. Matthew B. Robinson, Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice.
2. Tara Herivel and Paul Wright. Prison Profiteers: Who Makes Money from Mass Incarceration.
3. Randall G. Shelden, Our Punitive Society.
Internet:
Conservative, Liberal and Radical Views of Crime http://www.sheldensays.com/conservative-liberal-radical.html.
Aim of the Course:
The aim of this course is two-fold. First, we will undergo a review of the criminal justice system itself. Most of you should have had several criminal justice courses during your undergraduate years. However, it has probably been a long time since you took the basic “introductory” course and so some of the basic concepts may have been forgotten. The book by Robinson fills this void and provides a much different perspective than you probably had as an undergraduate.
Second, every semester that I offer this class we focus on one or two key policy issues confronting the criminal justice system. One issue is extent to which American society has become increasingly punitive in recent years, especially as this relates to class, race and gender. My latest book addresses this issue. Another issue is what some have called the “prison industrial complex” and the ways in which various businesses profit from mass incarceration. The book by Herivel and Wright covers this subject.
Your grade will be based upon class participation, a mid-term exam, the statement of the problem, a research proposal and the final research paper. The relative weights of each of the above are as follows:
Assignment Points
Mid-term exam on Robinson book 100
Class Participation (including talking points) 40
Initial “statement of the problem” 10
Research proposal 20
Research paper 130
Content of the Course: Each day that the class meets we will have a general discussion of the assigned readings for that particular day. Bring with you a set of notes and an outline of what you consider to be main “talking points.” You will turn in a copy of the “talking points” after class. Each student will, in turn, give a brief overview of their talking points. This will be followed by a general discussion.
Mid-term exam: This exam will consist of essay questions and will cover chapters 1-8 in Robinson’s book. A study guide will be given to you prior to spring break. The exam will be given on March 2.
Research paper: Your research paper should be no longer than twenty-five (25) pages, plus the bibliography. This will be done in three stages. First, an initial “statement of the problem” will be written (maximum of one page, plus references). Second, a proposal will be submitted (maximum of five pages plus minimum of five references). Third, the final paper. Note the various due dates for these below. More will be said about this during the course.
Note: Send assignments (prior to due date) via an e-mail attachment (MS Word) to my home e-mail: profrgs@cox.net.
Schedule of Assignments:
The following schedule is tentative and subject to change. You will be responsible for knowing any changes (and you do this by coming to class).
Schedule of Assignments
Date Topics and Assignments
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1/12 Overview of the class - Overview of the Criminal Justice System
1/19 Crime & Criminal Justice – Robinson, chapter 1
Shelden - Conservative, Liberal and Radical Views of Crime
Law & Politics – Robinson, chapters 2-3
1/26 The Problem of Crime – Robinson, chapters 4-5
2/2 No Class – reading assignment:
2/9 Police & Courts – Robinson, chapters 6-7;
Deterrence – Robinson, chapter 8
Statement of the Problem due on 2/9
2/16 Why are we so punitive? – Shelden, Introduction
Herivel and Wright: “Jails for Jesus” (pp. 128-140)
Prison: a growth industry – Shelden, chapter 2
Research Proposal Due on 2/16
2/23 The business of punishment – Shelden, chapter 1
Herivel and Wright: Part I (all articles except Levingston, Wright)
3/2 Mid-term exam – covers chapters 1-8 in Robinson’s book
3/9 Jails – Shelden, chapter 3
Race – Shelden, chapter 4
3/16 Profiting from imprisonment - Herivel and Wright: Part II & III (except for the articles by: Shapiro, Gonnerman, Cusac)
3/23 Capital Punishment – Shelden, chapter 5
3/30 Spring Break
4/6 Women and Juveniles – Shelden, chapters 6-7
4/13 Parole – Shelden, chapter 8
4/20 Some solutions – Robinson, chapter 13; Shelden, chapter 9
4/27 Make-up day (to be explained later)
Research Papers Due by mid-night April 30
5/5 End of semester celebration; a tradition begun several years ago where we all meet around 5PM at Metro Pizza for food, drink and celebration.
Research Proposal: Some Guidelines
The “initial statement of the problem” entails presenting to the reader the nature of the problem to be explored; this should be about a page or two.
The “research proposal” is a brief summary of a particular “problem” or one or more “key questions/issues” that will require some research to explore and will involve some literature review. The “problem” could be the relationship between two or more variables. This will be a more detailed elaboration of the “initial statement of the problem.” A minimum of five pages is required, along with at least five references.
Much later (when you start your thesis/professional paper) would come a brief summary of the methods you will use to conduct this study (e.g., field research, existing/secondary data research, survey research via a questionnaire or interview, etc.) and, finally, what do you expect to find (i.e., what are your major hypotheses) and how will you present these findings.
You can use this as a general guide for the thesis you will eventually write for this graduate program. This exercise might help you at least get a head start on writing your thesis, even if you have already started.
The structure of a research paper:
Format of Research Paper: Fonts, pagination, etc.
There are many different formats used by writers these days. I would prefer you use a font size of 12 using “Times New Roman.” Put page numbers at the bottom, either in the center or on the right (title page should not have a page number, so start pagination on the second page). There is a standard recommended by the UNLV Graduate College, which you can get from the UNLV web site (I don’t like this one at all!). There are plenty of other examples and formats available by just reviewing some standard academic journals. Examples can also be found on my web site, under the heading “Research Articles.” You may use the style found in many academic journals or in one of the books assigned for this class.
A word on “notes” and “references”
In many research papers/books/articles there is a section at the very end, just before or after the references section, known as “endnotes” since they appear at the end, in contrast to “footnotes,” which are found at the bottom of the page.[1] References are put at the very end of the paper/report, after the endnotes (except whenever I write a paper the “notes” are literally at the end, after the references), usually following some standard practice (e.g., APA style). Sometimes the endnotes contain all the references in addition to “explanatory notes.”
Note
[1]. Some have called this an “explanatory note” where you want to make a point or provide some additional information (e.g., a suggested book to read) that does not really need to be in the body of the text.