Criminal Justice (SOC 2600)
Instructor Information
Instructor:
Dr. Nicole Kaufman
Office:
105 Bentley Annex
Email:
kaufmann@ohio.edu
Phone number:
(740) 593-1372
Office Hours:
Thursdays, 3:00-5:00
Class Information
Class Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30 to 2:50 PM
Location: 136 Bentley Hall
Credit hours: 3
Pre-requisite: SOC 1000
Required readings
 Cole, George F., Christopher Smith, and Christina Jong. Criminal Justice in America
(8th Edition). The book is on reserve at Alden Library. It is available at College
Bookstore and Follett’s University Bookstore.
 Articles and audio on Blackboard.
Course Description: This course will provide an overview of the contemporary criminal justice
system in the United States. We will cover the reasons for its design and the role of actors and
purpose of proceedings at each step. We will also cover public controversy and debate about
select topics as they relate to understanding how the criminal justice system. We will seek out
multiple viewpoints as we cover issues including: public debate about the role of police, jury
selection, and capital punishment.
Learning Outcomes: After completing this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the structure, goals, and characteristics of the criminal justice system in the
United States.
2) Distinguish between the stages of criminal justice case processing, including: arrest, plea
bargaining, trial, sentencing, punishment, and release. To aid this goal, students will:
a. conduct an interview with someone they know who has experience at one or more
of these stages,
b. watch a documentary on the plea bargaining process, and
c. watch a documentary on the capital punishment process.
3) Provide reasons why filtering into and out of the justice system occurs.
4) Differentiate between roles of major actors, including: the accused, police officers,
victims and witnesses, prosecuting and defense attorneys, judges, jury members,
correctional officers, probation/parole officers, and community members who do
outreach work with people in the criminal justice system. To aid this goal, students will
hear two presentations: one by someone who has worked in law enforcement, and another
by someone who was formerly incarcerated.
5) Present multiple sides of an issue on controversial criminal justice topics, weighing the
evidence for each position; students will work on this skill in the response paper.
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Course Requirements
The breakdown of the grade will be exams (40%), quizzes (20%), writing (20%), and exercises
(20):
Item
In-Class Quizzes
Criminal Law Exercise
Interview Write-Up
Police and Constitutional Law Exercise
Exam #1
Courtroom Exercise
Capital Punishment Exercise
Exam #2
Response Paper
Portion of final grade
20%
5%
10%
5%
20%
5%
5%
20%
10%
Due date
Ongoing
Thurs., Feb. 5
Thurs., Feb. 12
Tues., March 10
Tues., March 10
Thurs., March 26
Tues., April 14
Tues., April 28
Tues., April 28
In-Class Quizzes: these assessments of your understanding of ideas from reading and lecture will
occur each class period.
Exercises: These will be worksheets designed to assess your comprehension of a few important
class topics.
Exams: The exams will be based on comprehension of and critical thinking about the key ideas
presented both in readings and in class. I am looking at whether you understand crucial concepts,
especially those I will put on the term sheets you will receive leading up to each exam. The
exams will consist of multiple-choice questions. One page (two-sided) of written notes will be
allowed at the exams. The final exam (Exam #2) is not cumulative.
Communicating with the Instructor: I will send out announcements routinely over email, and
hold you responsible for the information in those announcements. I encourage you to visit me
and introduce yourself by coming to my office hours. If you wish to speak to me but cannot
make the office hours, let me know so we can set up an appointment at an alternate time. In
emails, please reference the class number (3600) or name (Criminology).
Responsibilities and Policies
Student Responsibilities: Students are expected to be familiar with Ohio University policies and
procedures. (See the Code of Conduct here: http://www.ohio.edu/communitystandards/). If a
situation arises that prevents the successful completion of this course, please note that it is each
student's responsibility to formally withdraw from this course.
Accessibility: Any student who suspects s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact
of a disability should contact the class instructor privately to discuss the student’s specific needs
and provide written documentation from the Office of Student Accessibility Services. If the
student is not yet registered as a student with a disability, s/he should contact the Office of
Student Accessibility Services in Baker at (740) 593-2620. It is best to request these
accommodations at the beginning so there is ample time to make the accommodations.
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Academic Integrity: Academic integrity an expectation in all OU classes and applies in this class.
Put simply, passing off another person’s work or ideas as your own will not be permitted. The
Ohio University Student Code of Conduct prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty, including
cheating, plagiarism, forgery, collusion, and furnishing false information to the university.
Students who fail to observe these standards are subject to disciplinary action: I will reduce the
grade of the assignment and report the incident to the student’s advisor and the Office of
Community Standards and Student Responsibility. Students may appeal academic sanctions
through the grade appeal process.
Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. Attendance is essential for doing well in integrating
the information in this course and for our discussions. The quizzes, which reflect attendance and
comprehension of reading and lectures, make up 20 percent of the total grade.
Students who miss class should seek notes and materials from peers. In the event of an excused
absence for an emergency, documented medical condition or illness, authorized university
activity, or military service/training, please notify the instructor about your absence. When the
reason for the absence is documented (such as note from student health services), the student and
instructor can work together to accommodate the absence.
Sensitivity: Many of the topics we will discuss will be sensitive. The goal is for our classroom to
be safe for everyone. Our discussions require an environment of mutual respect. Differences in
experiences make the classroom rich. There may be times when you hear opinions that you do
not agree with, in the service of discussing complicated social issues. However, please notify me
(the instructor) if you feel uncomfortable with the way we are going about discussions or
addressing the course content.
Learner Responsibilities: As a student in this class, I expect you to:







Take responsibility for your own learning
Arrive in class prepared by having done the reading and being ready to take notes, reflect
aloud, and ask questions.
Treat others with tolerance and respect
Set high standards for your work
Check your OU student e-mail account every day
Keep electronic copies of all your assignments
Turn in written assignments both in hard copy and on Safe Assign via Blackboard.
Instructor Responsibilities: As your instructor, I commit to communicating openly and frequently
with you about this class. I will maintain a professional, safe learning environment adhering to
the policies of the college. You can expect a reply to communication, be it via e-mail, voicemail,
or in person, within 24-48 business hours.
It is my policy not to distribute power point slides from lecture. Please ask after class if you
missed something.
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Syllabus Changes: As your instructor, I retain the right to make changes based on the timeline of
the class, feedback from learners, or logistical issues. I will inform you as soon as a change is
made.
Use of Electronic Devices: In order to minimize distractions to students and the instructor, there
is a no computer and no device rule in this class. (There is a possible exception for students
who have accommodations and receive special permission.)
Computing: Staying up to date on emails and the content of the Blackboard site are essential
parts of this course. Computer difficulties are not a long-term excuse for non-participation. If you
experience problems with your computer, call the computer help desk through Ohio IT at (740)
593-1222. They can talk you through fixing many problems.
A Blackboard course site has been created for this class. You can access this course by logging
in to blackboard.ohio.edu. This will be the place to follow your grade for the class. Papers will
also get turned in here via Safe Assign. If you have problems accessing our course on
Blackboard, please let me know. It is possible that Blackboard may have outages or temporary
failures.
Grading Policy
Appealing a grade: Please take 24 hours before speaking to me about a graded assignment or
exam score.
Late Assignments: Papers are due at the beginning of class in paper form and on Safe Assign via
Blackboard. Work is considered late when it does not meet these specifications. For every day
late, I will deduct 10% of the possible points for that assignment. Exceptions can be granted in
the case of a documented emergency.
Final grades: The final grade for the semester is not negotiable, except in the case of a
calculation error.
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Calendar
Class Date
Tues., Jan 13
Thurs., Jan. 15
Thurs., Jan. 22
Lecture Topic
Introduction
CJ System Goals and
Characteristics
The Flow of Decision-Making
in the CJ System
Substantive Criminal Law (1)
Tues., Jan. 27
Substantive Criminal Law (2)

Thurs., Jan. 29
Procedural Criminal Law (1)

Pp. 78-85 (until “Defenses against
criminal charges”) in Chapter 3
Pp. 85 (starting with “Defenses against
criminal charges”)-92 in Chapter 3
Pp. 93-97 in Chapter 3
Tues., Feb. 3
Procedural Criminal Law (2)

Pp. 98-104 in Chapter 3
Thurs., Feb. 5
Police: Structure and
Organization
Police and the Community



Pp. 110-136 in Chapter 4
Criminal Law Exercise Due
“Police Response, pp. 155-156 in
Chapter 5
“Policing in a Multi-Cultural Society,”
pp. 167-170 in Chapter 5
Interview Write-up Due
Tues., Jan. 20
Tues., Feb. 10
Assignment Due

Pp. 5-20 in Chapter 1

Pp. 21-35 in Chapter 1


Thurs., Feb. 12
Tues., Feb. 17
Thurs., Feb. 19
Tues., Feb 24
Thurs., Feb. 26
Tues., March 10
Thurs., March 12
Tues., March 17
Thurs., March 19
Careers in Law Enforcement:
Guest Speaker
Police Abuse of Power



Pp. 149-154 (middle) in Chapter 5
Adams, Eric L. 2014. “We Must Stop
Police Abuse of Black Men” (opinion).
New York Times, December 4.
Pp. 188-192 In Chapter 6
Police and Constitutional Law

(1)
Police and Constitutional Law
 Pp. 193-203 in Chapter 6, “Police and
(2)
Law”
Police and Constitutional Law
 Pp. 204-213 In Chapter 6, “Police and
(3)
Law”
February 28-March 7: Spring Break
Exam #1
 Police and Constitutional Law
Exercise Due
The Courtroom Working
 Pp. 218-248 in Chapter 7, “Courts and
Group (Judges, Prosecutors,
Adjudication”
Defense Attorneys)
Bail and Pretrial Detention;
 Pp. 253-265 (top) in Chapter 8
Plea Bargaining
Plea Bargaining: “The Plea”
 Pp. 265-269 (middle) in Chapter 8
documentary (Frontline)
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Tues., March 24


Trial and Appeal



Pp. 288-298 in Chapter 9
Pp. 308-315 (bottom)
Thurs., April 2
Capital Punishment:
Documentary selection
Goals and Forms of
Punishments; Sentencing
Process
Capital Punishment
Pp. 269 (middle)-282 in Chapter 8
2015. Silverglate, Harvey. “Why the
Tsarnaev Trial Should Be Moved,
Delayed.” Boston Globe, January 2.
Green, Emily. 2014. “Finding A Jury Of
Your Peers Actually Is Pretty
Complicated.” National Public Radio
(link on Blackboard), December 27.
Courtroom Exercise Due

Pp. 299-307 in Chapter 9
Tues., April 7
Corrections System Overview

Thurs., April 9
Correctional Officers;
Prisoners
Community Corrections
(emphasis on Probation)
Guest Speaker: Prisoner
Reentry
Prisoner Reentry and Parole
Wrongful Conviction,
Exoneration, and Clemency;
Conclusion

Thurs., March 26
Tues., March 31
Tues., April 14
Thurs., April 16
Tues., April 21
Thurs., April 23 (last
class meeting)
Pp. 330 (from “Organization of
Corrections in the United States”)-348 in
Chapter 10
 Pp. 401-421 in Chapter 12


Pp. 401- 421 Chapter 11
Capital Punishment Exercise Due


Pp. 426-445 in Chapter 13
Childress, Sarah. “DOJ Offers New
Clemency Program for Drug Offenders.”
Frontline, April 23, 2014.
Clifford, Stephanie. 2015. “Wrongly
Convicted Man Was His Own Best
Advocate.” New York Times, January 9.
Response Paper Due

Tuesday, April 28, at
12:20 p.m.

Exam #2
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