POLITICAL SCIENCE 313
Politics of Criminal Justice

TEXTS

Bohm & Walker eds.; Crime and Criminal Justice (Bohm) Robinson; Justice Blind (Robinson) Annual Editions - Criminal Justice 06/07 (Annual)

From ancient Sumeria (circa 2000 B C) to the U S (circa 2006 A D), crime control, social control, and how to implement both, have been major concerns of political leaders. Every society seeks some semblance of order and security and will employ the coercive authority of government to obtain it, imposing sanctions on those who violate the law. In a democratic society, however, crime control must be tempered by a sense of justice, fairness, and a respect for basic individual rights and liberties. Thus is derived the term, "criminal justice;" though, as we shall see, specifically defining the terms may be problematic. In this course we will study how government(s) in the United States attempt to balance security and freedom. Central to this course is the concept that criminal justice involves more than police making drug busts and courts sending criminals "up the river." We shall see that the men and women "doing criminal justice" operate in a political, social, and economic environment which shapes their thoughts and actions. They receive messages from elected politicians (and of course some of them are elected officials), interest groups, and the general public which heavily influence their decisions. They have a role to play in a network of systems where the actions of one component (the police, courts, corrections) are influenced by, and in turn influence, the others. While we will consider the direct actors in the criminal justice system(s) we will not lose sight of the fact that criminal justice should be considered as part of a political process. Thus we will spend a good deal of time analyzing the political environment which heavily influences the actions of the "doers" of justice, taking into account current policy issues, evaluating the prevailing policy modes, and considering alternative approaches to "doing justice."

Your grade in this course will be based on your performance on two hour exams (20% each), a term project (20%), and a comprehensive final exam (40%). The exams will be analytical essay in nature. For your term project, you are to choose a current issue, for example, Prop 66 in California, California's prison crisis, "drug courts," the FBI and the war on terror, racial profiling, the disproportionate incarceration of racial or ethnic minorities, police corruption (specific cases), capital punishment for juveniles, or any number of other issues; and prepare an 8 - 10 page analytical paper, defining the nature of the issue, the actors involved in the issue, current status and likely outcome of the issue. I expect your paper to be of pre-professional quality, meaning analytical in nature, free from spelling and grammar errors, and accompanied by proper foot/end notes and an acceptable bibliography.

Once we get to know each other, no formal class role will be taken; however you are expected to justify the investment California makes in you by being there whenever possible. Make up exams are given only when you have a legitimate excuse for being absent on exam day, and only when you notify me in advance of your impending absence.

Class Schedule

08/22-08/29	Introduction; What Criminal Justice is and is not: Robinson, Ch. 1; Bohm, Intro; Annual. Unit 1
08/31	Politics, Ideology & Criminal Justice; Robinson, Ch. 2
09/05-09/07	The Rule Of Law; Robinson, Ch. 3 & Bohm, Ch. 18
09/12-09/14	Criminal Justice and Crime: Robinson, Ch. 4 and Bohm, Section 1
09/19-09/21	Juvenile Justice in the U S;  Annual, Unit 5 & Bohm, Ch. 17 FIRST EXAM  9/21
09/26-09/28	Outside the system; Victims and the media; Robinson, Ch. 5 & Annual, Unit 2
10/03-10/05	Inside the System - Police; Robinson, Ch. 6; Annual, Unit 3 & Bohm, Sect. 2
10/10-10/17	The Courthouse Work Group; Robinson, Ch. 7 & Annual, Unit 4
10/19-10/26	Crime and Punishment; Robinson, Ch. 8 and Bohm, Ch. 18
10/31-11/02	Correction?; Robinson, Ch. 9; Annual, Unit 6 & Bohm, Section 4 + Ch. 15 EXAM 11/2
11/07-11/09	The Ultimate Sanction; Robinson, Ch. 10, Annual, Articles 37 & 42 and Bohm, Chs 19 & 20
11/14 - 11/16	The War On Drugs; Robinson, Ch. 11
11/28-11/30	The War on Crime, Victory or Defeat; Robinson, Ch.12
12/05-12/07	Can we have criminal justice?; Robinson, Ch. 13 PAPERS DUE 12/07- Penalties for late papers.
12/16	FINAL EXAM 10:20 - 12:10   (Sorry, no early finals given)

Political Science 313

Fall, 2006

Final Exam

Answer clearly and concisely two (2) of the following questions.  Limit your responses to no more than three (3) double spaced pages per question. Return your responses to my office (Founders 130, or my mailbox in Founders 180 NO LATER THAN Thursday, December 14, at 12:10 P M.  Penalties applied to late submissions.  Your papers will be available for pick up from a folder in my mailbox by the middle of the week.

1                    The current “war on drugs” assumes that criminal sanctions are an effective way to control the supply of, and demand for, substances associated with problem behavior.  Robinson and others argue that the current approach actually does more harm than good.  Do you agree with Robinson?  If so, what alternative would provide ‘THE GREATEST GOOD” FOR SOCIETY?  Justify your argument.  If you do not agree, why not?

2                    According to the most recent public opinion poll regarding the matter, Americans support the use of capital punishment by over a 3 to 2 margin, this in spite of scholarly research which tends to find no evidence of a deterrent effect.  Why do you think this is the case?  What other justifications are there for capital punishment?  Are these justifications consonant with the ideals of a “just society?”  Why, or why not?

3                    There are few, if any, scholars who argue that our criminal justice system(s) meet(s) the ideal of “liberty and justice for all” we blithely support when we recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”  If you could make one change to bring us closer to that ideal, what would that one change be?  Why would this change work?