Criminal Justice 321 – Juvenile Justice
Fall 2013 – Imperial Valley Campus
Syllabus
Instructor: Kelly Ranasinghe J.D., C.W.L.S.
Course Description: An assessment of the structure and functions of agencies and institutions
which comprise the juvenile justice system in America; evolution of policies and programs for
prevention of delinquency and treatment of the juvenile offender:
Learning Objectives:
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Understand and articulate the historical and philosophical development of the juvenile
justice system from the 19th century to the present.
Describe the legal structure of the juvenile justice system nationally and at the state
level, and identify the major players and their duties and challenges.
Understand and articulate the primary theories of juvenile delinquency, and identify the
characteristics of at-risk populations in the juvenile justice system (including minorities,
females, the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, and victimized offenders).
Understand the social, cultural and economic causes of juvenile street gangs. Describe
their development and maturation. Articulate the cultural and ethnic issues in formation,
recruitment and retention of gang members.
Apply the holdings of landmark Supreme Court decisions in juvenile law, and understand
their interaction with state and local laws when confronted with novel fact-patterns.
Describe the conflict between the modern understanding of child development and
society’s need to hold juveniles accountable for their actions.
Describe the major international treaties addressing juvenile justice and articulate the
common themes underlying international rules for the treatment of delinquent minors.
Contact Information: I am available through my e-mail at kelly.ranasinghe@gmail.com. I am
also available via phone at (858) 395-2144. You can also text message me at the same phone
number. During the day I may be in court, or working with clients. I check my e-mail throughout
the day and this is usually the best method to get in contact with me. I will endeavor to return
phone calls within 24 hours.
Office Hours: My office hours are one hour before class, and by appointment. If you would like
to make an appointment to meet outside of office hours, please e-mail me at
kelly.ranasinghe@gmail.com, or call me at (858) 395-2144.
Course Grading
This course is graded on a numerical system. Letter grades correspond to a specific percentage
of the total points earned in the class. The numerical score is based on three assignments; a
quiz, a midterm, and a final exam. The numerical values of the assignments are as follows:
Quiz = 100 points
Midterm = 100 points
Final Exam = 100 points.
Total Points = 300
Letter Grade
Lowest Raw Score
Lowest Level of Grade (%)
A
279
93
A-
270
90
B+
261
87
B
249
83
B-
240
80
C+
231
77
C
219
73
C-
210
70
D+
201
67
D
189
63
D-
180
60
Three “push points” are available throughout the semester. “Push points” are given to students
who make insightful comments, ask excellent questions, or generally distinguish themselves in
class discussion.
Course Text: Juvenile Justice in America, 7th edition. Bartollas and Miller (2014); ISBN-10:
013297830X, ISBN-13: 9780132978309. This textbook is available in the bookstore.
COURSE CALENDAR:
August 28th, 2013 - Introduction to the course, course policies, grading and assignments.
Overview of learning objectives and major themes in the course. Historical themes in juvenile
justice and the historical concept of “the child.”
Reading: None
September 4th 2013 - Agencies, Themes and Models of Juvenile Justice: Parens patriae. The
development of the Juvenile Court, actors in the juvenile justice system, basic terminology,
basic criminal procedure and models of juvenile justice,
Reading: Chapters 1.
September 11th, 2013 - Theories of Juvenile Delinquency: The relationship between rational
thought and juvenile behavior, positivism, social process theories, containment and
reinforcement theories. In-Class Exercise A.
Reading: Chapter 3
September 18th, 2013 - Victimization and Gender: Measuring juvenile crime and dimensions of
criminal behavior. Female offenders, feminist delinquency theory, and disproportionate racial
populations.
Reading: Chapters 2 and 4.
September 25th, 2013 – QUIZ - Juvenile Gangs: History of juvenile gangs. Recruitment and
retention. Formation Theory. Gang initiation and ritual. Stages of gang development.
Reading: Chapter 13; Review Penal Code 186.22; California Criminal Court Jury Instruction
1400, 1401.
October 2nd, 2013 -The Police and Probation: The police, police discretion and methods of
juvenile policing. (Note: Legal rights will be covered in the next class); Types of police
intervention. Probation, probation administration models, social study reports, role problems and
influences.
Reading: Chapter 5 and Chapter 8
October 9th, 2013 - Legal Rights and the Juvenile Court Part I- Fourth Amendment (Search
and Seizure), Fifth and Sixth Amendment (Interrogation, Fingerprinting, Lineups), Fourteenth
Amendment (Probation Revocation hearings), Major Supreme Court Cases Part I,
Reading: Review Chapter 5 and Chapter 8, pg. 179, Chapter 6. Selected Supreme Court Cases
available on Blackboard.
October 16th, 2013 Legal Rights and the Juvenile Court Part II: Major Supreme Court Cases II,
The Juvenile Court, The Defense Attorney, the GAL, the Prosecutor and the Judge\Referee.
Detention Hearings, Adjudication, Disposition, Placement. In-Class Exercise B
Reading: Chapter 6, Selected Supreme Court Cases available on Blackboard.
October 16th, 2013 – Midterm
October 23rd, 2013 Child Development, Treatment and Accountability: History of treatment
methodology, treatment modalities, group programs, characteristics of effective programs
Reading: Chapter 12 and Chapter 14.
October 30th, 2013 - Substance Abuse and Delinquency: Causes and relationships between
drug use and delinquency. Drug-trafficking (including a review of state statutes)
Reading: Chapter 14. Review Health and Safety Code 11352; 11377; 11379; 11379.2. Also
review California Criminal Jury Instructions 2300; 2302 and 2305 (Available on Blackboard)
November 6th, 2013 - Adult Court and Prison for Children: The relationship between adult court
and juvenile court. Procedural mechanisms of transferring a case from adult court to juvenile
court and vice versa. Protections in California governing custody of minors. 707 Hearings and
Criteria. In-Class Exercise C
Reading: Chapter 10; Review California Court Form JV-710; California Welfare and Institutions
Code 707; 207.1; 208; Section 1358, 1370, 1374 of the 2003 Board of Corrections Regulations
on Juvenile Facilities.
November 13th, 2013 - International Juvenile Justice: Relationship between human rights,
children’s rights and juvenile justice. Major international treaties and compacts dealing with
juvenile justice.
Reading: Chapter 15; Review the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child;
Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules); United
Nations Guidelines on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (Riyadh Guidelines) (Available on
Blackboard)
November 20th, 2013 - Community Programs and Aftercare: Theory of community programs
and re-integration. Restorative justice. Crime prevention and recidivism. Diversion. Group
Homes and Licensed Care Facilities. Goals of Aftercare. The “Continuum of Care.” The ICPC
Process.
Reading: Chapter 9 and 11. Review California Family Code 7900-7912.
November 27th, 2013 - Making Sense of It All: Child interrogation and interviewing. Adolescent
psychology and brain development. Social, cultural and religious considerations when working
with youth. Protecting the rights of LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system. Education
advocacy alongside the juvenile justice process.
Reading: None
December 4th, 2013 - COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW FOR FINAL. Come prepared with your
questions. We will also have a practice essay, and a practice quiz.
Reading: None.
December 11th, 2013 - Final Exam.
COURSE POLICIES
Policy on Incomplete Grades:
All requests for incomplete grades must be made by date of the final substantive class.
This semester, the cut-off date for incomplete requests is December 4th, 2013. As noted in the
General Catalog, “An incomplete grade indicates that a portion of required coursework has not
been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully
justified, reasons, and that there is still a possibility of earning credit. It is your responsibility to
bring pertinent information to the instructor and to reach agreement on the means by which the
remaining course requirements will be satisfied. The conditions for removal of the Incomplete
shall be reduced to writing by the instructor and given to you with a copy placed on file with the
department chair until the Incomplete is removed or the time limit for removal has passed. A
final grade is assigned when the work agreed upon has been completed and evaluated. An
Incomplete shall not be assigned when the only way you could make up the work would be to
attend a major portion of the class when it is next offered. Contract forms for Incomplete grades
are available at department offices or the Office of the Registrar Web site at
http://www.sdsu.edu/registrar.” (See, SDSU General Catalog, pg. 473).
Policy on Plagiarism:
As noted in the General Catalog, “Institutions of higher education are founded to impart
knowledge, seek truth, and encourage one's development for the good of society. University
students shall thus be intellectually and morally obliged to pursue their course of studies with
honesty and integrity. Therefore, in preparing and submitting materials for academic courses
and in taking examinations, a student shall not yield to cheating or plagiarism, which not only
violate academic standards but also make the offender liable to penalties explicit in Section
41301 of Title 5, California Code of Regulations.” (SDSU General Catalog, pg. 483 2013-14).
Plagiarism and cheating are extremely serious violations of the Student Conduct Code.
Instances of cheating or plagiarism will be handled in accordance with section 41301 et sequitur
of the California Code of Regulations, governing academic discipline at the California State
Universities. The operative sections can be found on page 481-484 of the SDSU General
Catalog, and should be reviewed by all students. Keep in mind that plagiarism need not be
“intentional” and can occur through negligence. Be careful to check all of your work to ensure
that appropriate references have been provided.
Policy on Late Work:
Late work may be accepted at the instructor’s discretion with a reasonable excuse.
(Illness, family emergency, injury etc.) If a student is absent for an in-class exam or quiz, the
student will be allowed to take the exam at the next available class date. If the student is unable
to attend class for two or more weeks in a row, and is therefore unable to re-take the quiz or
exam, an alternative assignment may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion.