Administration of Justice

Administration of Justice
44.503

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide students with a critical examination of the key components of both the criminal and juvenile justice systems in the United States. Topic areas include the following: defining, operationalizing, and measuring "justice" in America; critical issues in police administration; critical issues in court administration;critical issues in correctional administration; and last but not least, critical issues in juvenile justice. Utilizing a systems perspective, we will explore the interaction between/among criminal and juvenile justice systems and our mental health, public health, education, and economic systems. Throughout the class, our emphasis will be on understanding not only HOW these systems currently operate but also WHY we administer justice in this manner.

Goals:

To provide students with a detailed examination of the operation of the U.S. criminal and juvenile justice systems.
To introduce students to the critical issues facing police ,court,and corrections policy-makers and decision-makers across the country.
To develop the critical thinking skills of students through the application of systems analysis to a wide range of criminal and juvenile justice issues.

Required Texts:

Clear,Todd (2003) Community Justice
Wilson,James Q. and Joan Petersilia,editors (2002) Crime
Tonry,Michael (2004) Thinking About Crime:Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Policy
Annual Editions:2005 and supporting web-based materials from McGraw-Hill

Course Policies
Final Grades for this course will be determined based on the following criteria:

Midterm exam.....................30%
Final Exam...........................30%
Three Issue Papers(5pages each,not including references).......30%
Class Preparation and Participation (reading,homework,etc.)....10%

Course Term:
From January 25, 2005 To May 10, 2005

Graphics & Design by: Thomas Pimental & Michelle Christman
In Association with: CLASS Connections