Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Course: CJUS 322 Substance Abuse and Crime
Credits: 3
Instructor: Sharon Gough, Ph.D., LPCC, LADAC
Online Course
Contacts: goughs@wnmu.edu
Required Books:
Walker, Samuel. (2011). Sense and Nonsense about Crime, Drugs, and Communities (7th ed.)
Belmont: Wadsworth.
Mosher, C, & Akins, S. (2007) Drugs and drug policy: The Control of Consciousness Alteration.
London: Sage Publications
Course Description:
An assessment of the relationship of substance abuse to crime and criminal justice
administration. While emphasizing illicit drugs and alcohol, coverage will include a review of
drug legislation, drug effects, theories of drug abuse, options for treatment and prevention of
drug abuse, enforcement strategies, and analysis of controlled substance policy. Readings
consist of two texts, which will lay the foundation for further academic study, including articles
from peer-reviewed journals and government agencies.
Instructional Goals and Expected Outcomes:
Students will:
1.
Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship of substance abuse and crime.
2.
Demonstrate knowledge of drug legislation.
3.
Demonstrate knowledge of the theories of addiction.
4.
Demonstrate knowledge of the treatment and prevention of addictions.
5.
Demonstrate knowledge of the enforcement strategies in the area of addictions.
6.
Exhibit college-level writing skills.
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Course Evaluations:
1.
There will be 3 essay papers to complete during the semester. These papers will
be an extension of the weekly discussion posts. Students will summarize aspect of
the required reading and reflect on these assignments and how the information will
shape their work in their chosen field. Total points for each paper are 100 points.
2.
The final examination will be comprehensive, open-booked, but timed. It will be
worth a potential 100 points.
3.
Makeup Essays: If a student does not turn in work on time penalties will be applied.
It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the professor for late
submissions.
4.
Every student will answer two weekly discussion posts to further explore the reading
assignments for the week. These entries will be substantive, well written responses to
the issues covered throughout the semester. In addition, each student will respond to
two classmate’s discussion post in a manner that expands the discussion and is
respectful of other’s perspectives. Weekly posts will count 10 points and response
posts will also count 1 points.
5.
Every student will do a 12-page term paper on a topic related to substance abuse and
crime worth 100 points. The topic of the paper must be approved by the professor.
The paper should include the following sections: cover sheets, title page, table of
contents, introduction, body of paper, and references. The format of the term paper
should adhere to APA (American Psychological Association) writing format. At least
5 references must be used for this paper. All late papers will be assessed a 10%
penalty. 40% of the grade for this paper will be for format and 60% will be for
content. A list of suggested topics will be provided.
Course Points:
3 Essays
Final Exam
Term Paper
Weekly Discussion Posts
Substantive Response Posts
Total Potential Points
300
100
100
150
150
points
points
points
points
points
800 points
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Grading Scale:
A = 91% and above (720 points or higher)
B = 80 – 90%
(640-720 points)
C = 70 – 79%
(560-640 points)
D = 60 – 69%
(480-560 points)
F = 59% and below (below 464 points)
Suggested Term Paper Topics:





History of Homelessness in America
Effectiveness of Drug Courts
Liability Issues for Law Enforcement Regarding the Addicted/Mentally Ill
Legalization of Marijuana
Epidemic of Narcotics (Prescription Pain Medication)
Please select a topic you are interested in learning more about. Please review your topic with
me prior to beginning your paper to ensure it is an appropriate one. I will approve your topic
as long as it is relevant to the criminal justice system and has a component associated with
substance use/abuse.
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
WEEK DATES
Week
1
August
15
READING ASSIGNMENTS
Walker – Crime and Policy: A Complex Problem
Through Visit the following sites, review, and begin to develop
awareness of the problem:
August
http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs7/7343/index.htm#serious
21
mental
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/CJtreatment.html
http://www.nida.nih.gov/podat_cj/
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
AND
ASSIGNMENTS
Introduce
yourselves and
share a bit of
your career goals
with your peers.
Begin to
understand the
scope of the
problem and the
theories of public
policies.
PART I: THINKING CLEARLY ABOUT CRIME
Week
2
August
22
Mosher & Akins
Ch 10: Policies Regulating Legal Drugs Part I
Ch 11: Policies Regulating Legal Drugs Part II
Through
August
28
Week
3
August
29
Through
Sept 4
See Weekly
Discussion Board
for Specific
Questions
David A. Rochefort Origins of the "Third Psychiatric
Revolution": The Community Mental Health Centers Act of Formulate two
substantive posts
1963. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 1984
with your
9(1):1-3.
response to the
readings for the
week. Respond
to at least two
classmate’s post
Walker - Ch 2: Models of Criminal Justice
Mosher & Atkins - Ch 12: Drug Policies in Other
Countries
Discuss in your
posts Walker’s
Essay on
“Wedding
Cakes” and
focusing events.
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Week
4
Sept 5
Walker – Ch 3: The Going Rate
Through
Mosher & Atkins – Ch 1: Drug Controversies and
Demonization
Ch 2: Theories of Drug Use
Sept 11
Post response or
reactions to
Walker “The
Going Rate”
Drug Courts – see the following link:
http://addictions.about.com/od/legalissues/f/drugcourt.htm
Week
5
Week
6
Sept 12
Walker – Ch 4: The Prediction Problem
Through
Mosher & Atkins – Ch 3: The Effects of Drugs: Part I
Ch 4: The Effects of Drugs” Part II
Sept 18
Sept 19
Walker – Ch 5: Unleash the Cops!
Answer
discussion
questions related
to effects of
drugs and Walker
See assignments
Through
Sept 25
Week
7
Sept 26
PART II: “GET TOUGH”: THE CONSERVATIVE
ATTACK ON CRIME
Walker - Ch 6: Deter the Criminal
Through Mosher & Atkins – Ch 5: Patterns of Illegal Drug Use
Ch 6: Patterns of Legal Drug Use
Oct 2
Week
8
Week
9
Oct 3
Discuss
conservative
approaches to
criminal
behaviors, drug
use
Walker – Ch 7: Lock ‘Em Up
Through Mosher & Atkins – Ch 7: Policies Regulating Illegal
Drugs
Oct 9
Oct 10
Through Walker – Ch 8: Close the Loopholes
Oct 16
Discuss
effectiveness of
incarceration
Summarize
effectiveness of
conservative
approaches
PART III: THE MIDDLE GROUND: VICTIMS AND
GUNS
Week
10
Oct 17
Walker – Ch 9: Protect Crime Victims
Through
Oct 23
Discuss “Close
the Loopholes”
and “Protect the
Victims”
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Week
11
Oct 24
Walker – Ch 10: Control Gun Crimes
Through
Discussions
relate to gun
crimes
Oct 30
PART IV: REFORM:
PRESCRIPTION
Week
12
THE LIBERAL
Oct 31
Walker – Ch 11: Treat ‘Em!
Through
Week
13
Week
14
Nov6
Nov 7
to
Nov 13
Nov 14
To
Nov 20
Walker – Ch 12: Gain Compliance with the Law
Mosher & Atkins – Ch 8:Drug Prevention Programs
PART V: THE DRUG PROBLEM
Walker – Ch 13: Sense and Nonsense about Drugs and
Crime
Begin to evaluate
liberal
approaches to
crime/drug abuse
Discuss
treatment,
prevention
programs
Discuss Walker’s
view on drugs
and crime
Mosher & Atkins – Ch 9: Drug Treatment
Thanksgiving Recess – Enjoy Your Holiday!!
PART VI: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: CRIME
AND COMMUNITY
Public Policy Implementation
Week
15
Nov 28
Walker – Ch 14: Putting it All Together
Through
Week
16
Dec 4
Dec 5
Summarize in
discussions the
readings.
Final Exam
Term Papers
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Course Expectations and WNMU Policies for Students
Attendance:
Attendance in an online class is evaluated by your attendance to the material. You will get out
of the course what you put into the course. You will need to be a self-starter and control your
own calendar in order to meet the deadlines for the course.
Blackboard Down Time and Inclement Weather:
Due to the possibility of Blackboard down time or lack of connection due to inclement weather, it
is important that you not wait until the last minute to finish assignments, postings, or
assessments.
Posting Assignments and Discussions:
The student is responsible for posting all discussions on the Discussion Board and all
assignments to the Assignments posting area. If you are having difficulty with this, it is your
responsibility to contact the instructor so that s/he can get you the assistance you need to learn
how to do this.
Assignment Due Dates:
If you will be late turning in an assignment, contact the instructor well before the deadline to
discuss it.
Informed Consent:
Some individuals may choose to disclose personal information during class. Therefore, it is
important that all classmates agree not to discuss or write about what others have discussed in
class.
Professionalism:
Students are learning professional skills and are expected to engage in class discussions,
complete reading assignments, and meet deadlines as befits professional behavior.
Scholarly Writing:
Use clear college level writing with correct spelling and grammar for all assignments. If you
need help with your writing, consult with the WNMU Online Writing Center at
http://www.wnmu.edu/wow/about.shtml.
Communications policy statement regarding official e-mail:
WNMUs policy requires that all official communication with the University, other than your inclass Blackboard communications, be sent via Mustang Express. Emails sent to you by various
University departments related to your registration, financial account balance, changes in
schedule, etc., will be sent to your wnmu.edu email address. It is very important that you
access your Mustang Express email periodically to check for correspondence from the
University. If you receive most of your email at a different address, you can forward your
messages from Mustang Express to your personal address. Example - Martin Classmember
was assigned a WNMU email address of classmemberm12@wnmu.edu but Martin would rather
receive his emails at his home address of martinclass@yahoo.com. Martin can follow the
transfer directions provided at the following link:
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
http://www.wnmu.edu/campusdocs/direction%20for%20forwarding%20email.htm to have his
WNMU email forwarded to another email address.
WNMU policy on email passwords:
WNMU requires that passwords for access to all of protected software, programs, and
applications be robust, including complexity in the number of characters required, the
combination of characters required, and the frequency in which passwords are required to be
changed. Minimum complexity includes:



Passwords shall contain at least six (6) characters
Passwords shall contain at least one capital (upper case) letter, and at least one
numeral.
Passwords shall be changed at least every 90 days
Academic Integrity:
Each student shall observe standards of honesty and integrity in academic work as defined in
the WNMU catalog. Violations of academic integrity include any behavior that misrepresents or
falsifies a student’s knowledge, skills or ability with the goal of unjustified or illegitimate
evaluation or gain.
Generally violations of academic integrity include cheating and plagiarism. Refer to the WNMU
catalog for definitions. Penalties for infractions are as follows:
For Plagiarism: Intentional or unintentional representation of another’s work as one’s own
without proper acknowledgement of the original author or creator of the work:


1st infraction: Grade of 0 for assignment;
2nd infraction: Dismissal from the class with grade of F.
For Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials and unauthorized
collaboration with others, copying the work of another or any action that presents the work of
others to misrepresent the student’s knowledge:

1st infraction: Dismissal from class with grade of F.
Integrated Use of Technology:
You will be using Blackboard to take all quizzes and exams and to post all assignments. You
will need to learn how to attach documents if you don’t already know how to do this.
Disability Services at Western New Mexico University:
Services for students with disabilities are provided through the Academic Support Center’s
Disability Support Services Office in the Juan Chacon Building, Room 220. Some examples of
the assistance provided are: audio materials for the blind or dyslexic, note takers, readers,
campus guides, audio recorders, a quiet testing area, and undergraduate academic tutors
(available to all WNMU students). In order to qualify for these services, documentation must be
provided by certified health care professionals. Disability Support Services forms are available
in the Academic Support Center. The Disability Support Services Office, in conjunction with the
Academic Support Center, serves as Western New Mexico University's liaison for students with
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
disabilities. The Academic Support Center’s Disability Support Services Office can be
contacted by phone at (575) 538-6400 or e-mail at dss@wnmu.edu.
Need Help?
 Post a question to the Discussion Board. There is no such thing as a dumb question.
 Send a question as a Blackboard email to your instructor
 If the Blackboard system goes down or you have other technical questions, contact the
WNMU Help Desk at helpdesk@wnmu.edu or (575) 574-4357.
 Select Online Student Resources from the right had side of the Blackboard log in page
or at this link: http://www.wnmuonline.net/osr.
Course Access:
Access to online course materials will be available to students only until the end date listed in
the WNMU class schedule.
Caveats:
The schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating
circumstances.
Copyright:
The materials found in this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for
purposes associated with this course and may not be retained by students in any electronic
form or further disseminated or distributed to anyone not enrolled in this course.
CODE OF CIVILITY
In order to promote a positive, professional atmosphere among students, faculty and staff, the
following Code of Civility has been developed:
Respect: Treat all students, faculty, staff and property with respect and in a courteous and
professional manner. This includes all communications, whether verbal or written. Let your
actions reflect pride in yourself, your university, and your profession.
Kindness: A kind word and gentle voice go a long way. Refrain from using profanity, insulting
slang remarks, or making disparaging comments. Consider another person’s feelings. Be nice.
Truth: Exhibit honesty and integrity in your dealings with fellow students, faculty and staff
members. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, and don’t steal.
Responsibility: Take responsibility for your actions. This includes gracefully accepting the
consequences of your behavior.
Cooperation: Exhibit a cooperative manner when dealing with students, faculty and staff so
we may all work towards our common goals and mission.
Acceptance: Accept differences in others, as they accept differences in you. This includes
diversity in opinions, beliefs and ideas and everything else that makes us unique individuals.
Substance Abuse and the Criminal Justice System Fall 2011 Syllabus – Reading Assignments/Schedule
Professionalism: Always conduct yourself in a manner that will bring pride to your profession,
to Western New Mexico University, and, most importantly, to yourself.