Crime & Justice Policy

CJS 4311
Spring 2006

Wednesdays 1-3:45 Prof. Kimberly Kempf-Leonard

CB 1.106 Office 2.120 Green Hall
972-883-4969; kleonard@utdallas.edu
Office hours Mon. 3-3:345, Wed. 4-5 & by appt.

Course Description
This course examines efforts to control crime through public policy. Although most crimes
are committed by private persons against individual victims, crime is a public problem and
society’s reaction to crime and criminals is one of the most controversial areas of public
policy. Public policy surrounding crime is examined in a variety of crime and justice
contexts. Current topics of debate include crime prevention, police patrolling techniques,
gun control; sex offender registries, rights of victims, prosecution of juveniles, mandatory
sentencing, community-based alternatives, capital punishment, conditions of confinement,
and the abolition of parole. Students first learn theoretical models of how criminal justice
processes operate. They then apply these models to a wide range of crime control
strategies and policies in an effort to understand how policy reform might improve certain
aspects of criminal justice. Course pre-requisites are either CJS 3302 Advanced
Criminology or CJS 3303 Advanced Criminal Justice, or permission of instructor.

Course Goals & Requirements

This is an advanced course in the Crime and Justice Studies curriculum and operates as a
seminar (to introduce graduate study format). In a seminar, students are expected to read
all assignments in advance of the class meeting and to take an active part in discussions.
In addition to participation, students are expected to convey their understanding of complex
issues associated with various policy initiatives and to demonstrate their ability to assess
crime and justice policies in accord with theoretical models. These goals will be assessed
by having students guide discussion of critical issues found in reading assignments during
several class meetings, and by a term paper based on a prominent policy related to crime or
justice of their choice (subject to permission of the professor) due at the end of the
semester.

During the first meeting, students will sign up to co-lead policy discussions for meetings 4-
13. Ideally, each student should have a leadership role in two policy discussions. Paper
topics and format should be resolved by week 6; outlines are due by week 10; papers are
due three days after the last class meeting. There is no final exam (happy graduation).
Course grades will be calculated as follows:
30% participation throughout semester
40% discussion leadership
30% term paper

Required book (ordered at both bookstores)

John L. Worrall (2006) Crime Control in America: An Assessment of the Evidence. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon (ISBN 0-205-41879)
Course Schedule (possibly subject to slight revision & change)

Meeting Date Assigned Reading

1 1/11

2 1/18 Chp. 1, Identifying and evaluating crime control

3 1/25 Chp. 2, Crime control perspectives

4 2/1 Chps 3, Traditional policing

& 4, Proactive, directed, and creative policing

5 2/8 Chp. 5, Community involvement in policing

6 2/15 Chp. 6, Prosecutors

7 2/22 Chp. 7, Incapacitation and legislative approaches

8 3/1 Chp. 8, Tough sentencing and deterrence

3/8 No class, UTD Spring Break

9 3/15 Chp. 9, Probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions

10 3/22 Chps. 10, Rehabilitation, treatment, and job training

& 11, Crime control in courts and beyond

11 3/29 Chp. 12, Individual, family, and household crime control

12 4/5 Chp. 13, Crime control in the community and in schools

13 4/12 Chp. 14, Reducing criminal opportunities through

environmental opportunities

14 4/19 Chp. 15, Juvenile crime control

& 16, Putting it all together to explain crime trend