Juvenile Justice Course Materials

Assignment Through course readings, we have examined the definition of delinquency, its history, and how juveniles are processed through the system. The readings have indicated that males engage in more delinquency than females, or at least are arrested and processed at a higher rate than females. This has been substantiated through the data presented in the readings that “the vast majority of the delinquency cases handled by juvenile courts continued to involve males” (Lawrence & Hemmens, 2008, p. 336). How would you explain this disparity? A study using self-report data finds that male and females engage in similar amounts of delinquency. Based on the results of this hypothetical study, how would you explain the disproportionate representation of males in juvenile courts and the justice system? What kinds of special programs or policy changes would you suggest to address this gender difference? Do you think this gender bias could be a reflection of society’s views of men and women and gender roles? Why or why not? What kind of evidence (ideally empirical) would you need to back up your argument (besides the study mentioned above)? If possible, provided examples of evidence or actual data to backup your claims and add as a supplement to the response (e.g., journal article, newspaper article, or data source, such as BJS).

COURSE SYLLABUS CCJ 331 Juvenile Justice (Section 01) Instructor: Class: Name: Dr. Veronyka James PTA Room 204 Email: jvjames@outlook.com (This is likely to change) TR 8:00 a.m. – 9:25 a.m. Tentative Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tues. 11 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Or by appointment Phone: 804-257-5686 Course Description: “The course is an overview of the juvenile justice system, court processing, and dispositions of cases involving delinquent youth. Examination of case law and legal decisions affecting the due process rights of juveniles. Topics include current trends, juvenile justice issues, methods and programs in institutional and community settings” (Virginia Union University Catalog 2012-2014, http://www.vuu.edu/academics/catalog.aspx). Course Objectives: Provide an understanding of the history of juvenile justice within the United States, the challenge to the juvenile justice system, and the philosophies underlying the system To comprehend the terminology used by professionals within the juvenile justice system, and the methods used by those within all facets of the system (e.g., police, court, corrections) To understand the social context of juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system To understand the ever-evolving juvenile justice system and how the strategies to control/rehabilitate/punish juveniles have changed over time and how the future will shape these To provide students the opportunity to link theory with practice and policy through readings, assignments, and multi-media presentations during class To develop and improve critical thinking and analytic skills through reading and writing about juvenile justice issues Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course students will: Develop an outstanding of the history of juvenile justice within the United States Understand the social context of juvenile delinquency and justice Understand the various methods/practices used to prevent and/or control juvenile delinquency Understand how the juvenile justice system is changing and how strategies to control/rehabilitate/punish juveniles are evolving Have the skills necessary to translate ideas into a research paper Develop critical thinking and analytical skills translating these into writing related to juvenile justice issues Understand how theory and policy are related, particularly within the juvenile justice system Course Materials: Lawrence, R. & Hemmens, C. (2008). Juvenile Justice: A Text/Reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. There may be additional readings assigned by the professor. Contracting Policy: Students are required to complete a course contract for this course. Students are encouraged to read the syllabus and begin thinking about how they will word their course contract as soon as possible. Contracts will be due the second week of class and are worth 10 points. Care and thought and the particular interests of each student should be taken into consideration when deciding contracts. Contracts cannot say only “I contract to complete all work outlined in the syllabus” and must include what exact assignments students will contract for (e.g., midterm). More information concerning the contract and contract process will be discussed in class and any students with further questions are encouraged to speak with the professor during office hours or by appointment. Grading Policy: Everyone in class will be able to earn a possible 370. Grading will be based upon attendance/participation, mini-assignments, an annotated bibliography, a midterm, the student’s contract, the final paper and final evaluations. Further details regarding all these assignments will be given later during the semester. Point Breakdown: Contract: 10 points Attendance/Participation: 50 points Mini-Assignments (2): 100 points Reflective Summaries (3): 150 points Annotated Bibliography: 50 points Midterm: 100 points Evaluations (2): 20 points Final paper: 150 points Total: 370 points Final grades will be based on the following total points: 333 – 370 points (90% - 100%) = A 296 – 329 points (80% - 89%) = B 259 – 292 points (70% - 79%) = C 222 – 255 points (60% - 69%) = D < 222 points (< 60%) = F Students who have points near or in between divisions (e.g., 89.5% or 313.25 points) may have their grade adjusted upward (not downward) at the instructor’s discretion taking into account effort during the course and participation during discussions. Attendance/Participation (50 points): Students are expected to adhere to the attendance policy described in the student handbook and in the department’s policy document. [As an incentive, those who do not miss any class periods (excused or not) will earn a bonus 10 points towards their final grade]. Those with three or more unexcused absences will lose their attendance points for the semester which can result in a lower grade. Students are responsible to complete any assigned readings and be prepared when coming to class and are responsible for the material and assignments covered in class whether you attend or not. Not attending class can lower your grade and overall class performance. However, life does have a way of throwing curve balls and sometimes not all obligations can be met, class being one of them. Yet, it is expected that students notify the instructor as soon as possible in the event of an emergency or illness that would prevent them from coming to class. If the day that is missed is one in which an assignment is due, the student will have until the end of the following business day to turn in their assignment without penalty. Afterwards a five point deduction will occur after every subsequent day the assignment is late (unless there is a valid excuse accompanied by documentation, such as severe illness with a doctor’s note). If the student had decided to take the midterm and misses that day, the student must meet with the professor as soon as possible to schedule a make-up time (only those absences that are considered valid and therefore excusable will allow for a make-up exam time). All students are expected to participate in class; however different students feel more or less comfortable discussing ideas and material in class. It is understandable and known that some students are shy and some are outgoing and this will be taken into account by the instructor when determining grades. Ideally, all students will feel comfortable enough to discuss material in class. Reflective Summaries/Papers (3 @ 50 points each; 150 points total): Throughout the semester students will be required to submit reflective summaries/papers on what you have learned during the readings and course discussions in the weeks before each is due. There will be three summaries required throughout the semester and each one should be approximately 3-4 pages in length. Students can relate class information/material to prior readings and/or classes or experiences, but these must not simply restate what was explained in the course readings or discussed in class. These reflective summaries should show critical thinking and analytical skills and how students are able to apply these to the course readings/discussions. Students should summarize what was learned, how this impacted the student’s learning both in the class and more broadly (e.g., with their major, their planned career, etc.), and how this may apply to their personal/professional goals (i.e., how it will impact their future job). Questions, reactions to the readings, strengths and weaknesses of the studies read, and reactions to the class discussions are all acceptable to be included in these summaries. Mini-Assignments (2 @ 50 points each; 100 points total): The mini-assignments will be used to assess how well students can apply what they are learning in class. These will be take home assignments and will allow students to demonstrate that their application of course concepts and critical thinking rather than merely regurgitate material as with straight exams. One mini-assignment will be on critique of a newspaper article discussing a current issue in juvenile justice and one will be a short paper looking at gender and delinquency. Annotated Bibliography (50 points): Students will have to write an annotated bibliography for the final research paper. Sources can be either articles or books but there cannot be more than 2 online sources, and none of these can be Wikipedia. Further discussion of the annotated bibliography, what needs to be included, how long and other details will be discussed in class. Midterm (100 points): The midterm will cover those topics discussed in the readings and classroom from the beginning of class to when the exam is given. Further information about the format and what specifically will be on the midterm will be discussed as the semester progresses, but well before the exam is given. Final Paper (150 points): All students will be required to complete a final paper on some aspect of the juvenile justice system (e.g., police relationships with juveniles, juvenile court, waivers, etc.) as part of the class. This will be worth 100 points and will be due during finals week. Students can choose to work independently or with one other person however, those who choose to work together will receive the same grade for this paper. Further discussion about the paper, deadlines and independent versus collaborative work will be undertaken during class later in the semester. Evaluations (2 @ 10 points; 20 points total): Each student is required to complete a self-evaluation of their participation, involvement, and overall performance in the class. The evaluation will discuss their commitment to the class, what they learned, what they thought of the class, their expectations, strengths, weaknesses and how they could have improved. In addition, students will be required to complete a professor evaluation indicating much the same information. The student will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the professor, any improvements needed, what they liked, what they didn’t, etc. Both should be approximately 1-2 pages long and together they will be worth 20 points (10 each). Evaluations will be due the last day of class. The professor evaluations will be collected in an envelope and will NOT be read until grades are submitted for the semester (to earn the 10 points for the professor evaluation students need only to submit one by the last day of class) but the points will be counted when the evaluation is collected. More information regarding evaluations will be discussed later in the semester. Extra-Credit (Maximum of 50 points possible): Students may earn a maximum of 50 points of extra credit during the course of the semester. In order to earn these extra credit points, students must engage in community service. Evidence of participation must be presented to earn these points. All types of community service will be considered, but should be approved first before assuming you will get the credit. Throughout the semester, there may be other opportunities to earn extra credit and these will be announced in class as they arise. Important Dates to Remember: 9/17 Mini-Assignment #1 DUE 11/19 Annotated Bibliography DUE 9/24 Reflective Summary #1 DUE 11/26 Reflective Summary #3 DUE 10/15 Reflective Summary #2 DUE 11/28 Thanksgiving—No Class 10/22 Midterm 12/5 Evaluations Due 10/24 Fall Break—No Class 12/6 Reading Day 11/7 Mini-Assignment #2 Due 12/9 – 12/13 Finals (paper due during final period) 11/12-11/14 ASC NO CLASS (library work days to prepare work that is due following week) Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated within this class. Any incidence of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism or cheating, will be handled according to the guidelines set forth by the university. If you are unsure about what academic dishonesty includes or the policies of the university, please refer to the student handbook or the department’s policy document posted on the course website: http://www.vuu.edu/sites/www/Uploads/files/student%20handbook%20pdf%202012.pdf or schedule a meeting with the professor to discuss this issue further. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Classroom Policies and Honor Code **See attached** Writing Center Information: The Writing Center “provides one-on-one and group tutoring sessions.  Instruction and assistance in all types of writing is available from trained tutors and professional faculty.  For reference, there are materials on the shelves to assist the visiting student with documentation, citation, research, papers, and other elements of the writing process.  Should the student choose to work independently, or find tutors busy at a particular time, these texts are available and the center is there for use. “Tutoring assistance is available in 102 Ellison Hall during the normal class day and week, and there are also some evening hours.  Make an appointment to ensure you will receive the help you deserve, but drop in if you have a question.  If you need a place to make sure that you have corrected those problem areas before finishing that paper, here we are.  The center is an important resource for students and faculty alike, so please, come on in and visit” (http://www.vuu.edu/academics/center_for_undergraduate_studies/writing_center.aspx, 2013). Tentative Course Schedule*: You are responsible for reading all assigned readings BEFORE the class in which they will be discussed. For example, Chapter 1 will be discussed the 2nd class session, so you will need to read it BEFORE this date. DATES COURSE TOPICS & READINGS WEEK #1 Thursday, August 22nd Introduction to the Class Discussion of syllabus, class policies, expectations, discussion of course contracts, evaluations and examples etc. Introduction. Measuring, defining delinquency (Read: pp. 1-17; 19-27) WEEK #2 August 27th Brief Re-introduction. Finish discussion of Introduction (pp. 1-17) August 29th Section 1: History and Development of the Juvenile Court and Justice Process (pp. 19-27), Video Frontline: Juvenile Justice (2001) excerpt WEEK #3 September 3rd Discussion of remaining Section I: pp. 28-40 September 5th Discussion of Section I articles (pp. 40-100) WEEK #4 September 10th Mini-Assignment #1: Newspaper article discussing some current issue in juvenile justice and critique of article (assigned) Finish discussion of Section I articles (pp. 100-116) Start Explaining Delinquency [reading handouts from Whitehead and Lab (2013) Juvenile Justice: An Introduction (7th edition)] September 12th Discuss Sociological Explanations for Delinquency (handouts) WEEK #5 September 17th Assignment #1 DUE Discuss Gang Delinquency (handouts) September19th Discuss Drugs and Delinquency (handouts), video excerpts of Drugs Inc. and video: Inside Secret America: Bath Salts WEEK #6 September 24th 1st Reflective Summary DUE*** Finish discussion of Drugs and Delinquency Start discussion of Section II: Police and Juveniles (pp. 117-122) September 26th Finish Section II (pp. 123-128) and start Section II articles (pp. 128-166) WEEK #7 October 1st Finish discussing Section II articles (pp. 167-208) October 3rd Discussion of Section III: Juvenile Detention and Intake (pp. 209-219) WEEK #8 October 8th Section III articles (pp. 220-263) October 10th Diversion and Prevention Programs (Scared Straight video and discussion) Start discussion of Section IV: Transfer to Criminal Court (pp. 265-271) WEEK #9 October 15th 2nd Reflective Summary DUE*** Continue Discussion of Section IV: Transfer to Criminal Court (pp. 271-287) Begin material review for midterm October 17th Review for Midterm (Introduction through pp. 287) WEEK #10 October 22nd ***MIDTERM*** October 24th Fall Break—NO CLASS WEEK #11 October 29th Mini-Assignment #2 assigned: paper discussing gender and delinquency Discussion of Section IV articles (pp. 279-333) October 31st Discussion of Section VI: Juvenile Corrections and articles (pp. 403-435) Pick paper topics, begin brainstorming/work on topics ideas. WEEK #12 November 5th Finish discussion of Juvenile Corrections articles (pp. 436-485) November 7th **Mini-Assignment #2 DUE** Victimization of Juveniles (handouts) WEEK #13 November 12th NO CLASS – ASC Library Work during these days to prepare proposal draft which is due next week November 14th WEEK #14 November 19th Annotated Bibliographies DUE** “Extreme” Juvenile Violence, video: American Undercover: The Vampire Murders November 21st Continue “Extreme” Juvenile violence discussion; school shooting reading handouts WEEK #15 November 26th 3rd Reflective Summary DUE**** Discussion of Section VII: The Future of Juvenile Justice (pp. 487-502) November 28th NO CLASS -- THANKSGIVING WEEK #16 December 3rd Discussion of Section VII articles (pp. 503-580) December 5th EVALUATIONS DUE; Discussion of final papers, class wrap-up, reflective class discussion of course FINALS WEEK December 9th – 13th Papers due during Final period *Course schedule is tentative and subject to change. The schedule may need to be readjusted as the semester progresses but any changes will be announced in class. However, efforts will be made to follow the syllabus as outlined above. 7