UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
CRIMINAL JUSTICE THEORY
CCJ 5008
SPRING 2014
Professor: Dr. Matthew Crow
Email: mcrow@uwf.edu NOTE: YOU MUST INCLUDE THE COURSE NAME IN THE
SUBJECT LINE OF ALL EMAILS TO THE PROFESSOR
Office: Building 85, Room 160
Phone: 850-857-6371
Office Hours: Mondays 11:00am-3:00pm & Tuesdays 9:00am – 1:00pm & by appointment
Required Texts:
Kraska, P. B., & Brent, J. J. (2010). Theorizing Criminal Justice: Eight Essential Orientations
(2nd ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. (ISBN: 1-57766-663-1)
Duffee, D. E., & Maguire, E. R. (Eds.). (2007). Criminal Justice Theory: Explaining the Nature
and Behavior of Criminal Justice. New York: Routledge. (ISBN: 0-415-95480-0)
Reynolds, P. (2007). A Primer in Theory Construction. Indianapolis, IN: Allyn & Bacon. (ISBN:
9780205501281)
Additional Required Readings: Additional required readings are available as PDF links in the
content section on eLearning.
Recommended Text:
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
(978-1-4338-2561-5)
There is a list of recommended CJ Theory books under “Important Writing & Thinking
Information” in the Content section of the eLearning website for this course.
There is a list of examples of peer reviewed criminal justice journals under “Important Writing &
Thinking Information” in the Content section of the eLearning website for this course.
Course Catalog Description: This course analyzes the theoretical perspectives associated with
explaining the policies, organization, decisions, and operations of criminal justice systems, agencies, and
individuals. Students examine classical and contemporary research in criminal justice.
Topics Covered:
-Theory
-Theoretical Orientations
-Theories of Corrections
-Criminal Justice
-Criminal Justice Theory
-Theories of Policing
-Theories of Courts
-Criminal Justice Theory and Policy
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students should be
able to:
-Evaluate contemporary and classic theories of criminal justice
-Develop a criminal justice theory
-Classify various criminal justice theories
-Analyze and critique contemporary research in criminal justice
-Facilitate discussions concerning theory in criminal justice
Grading/Evaluation: Course grades will be based on the following assignments:
-Class Participation & Discussion
-Criminal Justice Theory Discussion
-Theoretical Orientation Article Discussion
-Mid-Term Exam
-Final Exam
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Grading Scale:
C+ = 78-79%
C = 73-77%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 68-69%
D = 63-67%
A = 93% and above
A- = 90-92%
B+= 88-89%
B = 83-87%
B- = 80-82%
F = 62% and below
Class Participation & Discussion: You are expected to participate in the online class
discussions. At a minimum, this means that you must post in each discussion topic. Simply
posting in each discussion topic will earn you minimum credit, however. The quality and
relevance of your postings will determine if you earn additional class participation credit. I will
assess whether you meet the minimum required postings and the quality of your postings prior to
the mid-term exam and prior to the final exam and post a class participation grade at those times.
I will also comment to you directly, via email regarding your discussion posts from time to time
throughout the semester regarding whether your discussion postings are below, meeting, or
exceeding expectations.
For the Theoretical Orientation Article Discussions (those occurring before the mid-term exam),
you should post a question, about the article, the orientation, or both, to the original discussion
post. These questions must be posted by 6:00pm central time on Tuesday.
For the Criminal Justice Theory Discussions (those occurring after the mid-term exam), you
should engage in a discussion of the original positing. This discussion will conclude at 6:00pm
central time on Thursday.
It is important to note that there are more than one discussion topics each week. Pay close
attention to the syllabus to ensure that you engage with all of the topics during the appropriate
weeks.
Theoretical Orientation Article Discussion: You will be assigned one of the eight theoretical
orientations for this assignment. Find an academic, peer-reviewed journal article that represents
an example of the assigned criminal justice theoretical orientation (as discussed by Kraska &
Brent). The article cannot be one that is otherwise assigned as class reading for the course. In the
appropriate discussion topic, post a 500-1000 word discussion of the article that includes the
following: 1) a brief summary of the article, including the issue or topic covered in the article,
the theory or theories used in the research, and the major findings of the research; 2) a discussion
of why and how the article is guided by or relates to the assigned theoretical orientation. Attach a
PDF copy of the article you selected to your discussion post. Your posting should be free of
grammatical or mechanical errors, structured and organized, and generally well-written. Avoid
injecting opinion or personal belief in your posting. This initial post is due by 6:00pm central
time on Monday of your assigned week.
Your classmates will read your discussion of the article and must post at least one question to
you about the article, the orientation, or both. These questions must be posted by 6:00pm central
time on Tuesday.
You will respond to each question with a substantive answer by 6:00pm central time on
Thursday.
Criminal Justice Theory Discussion: You will be assigned one of the readings from the
Policing, Courts, Corrections, or Policy sections of the course. In the appropriate discussion
topic, post a minimum 500 word essay that discusses the reading. At a minimum, your post
should cover the following: 1) a brief summary of the reading, including the major points of the
theory or theories discussed in the reading; 2) the strengths and weaknesses of the theory or
theories discussed in the reading; 3) which orientation(s) are best exemplified in the reading.
Your posting should be free of grammatical or mechanical errors, structured and organized, and
generally well-written. Avoid injecting opinion or personal belief in your posting. This initial
post is due by 6:00pm central time on Monday of your assigned week.
You and your classmates will engage in an online discussion of your posting between your initial
posting and 6:00pm central time on Thursday.
Mid-Term Exam: The mid-term exam will cover the material from the first half of the class. It
will be in essay format. You will be given limited choice in which questions you wish to answer.
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Consult the Course Schedule for the due dates and times for the Mid-Term Exam.
Submit your answers as a single Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file in
the appropriate dropbox on the elearning website. Late exams will not be accepted.
Your answers should be organized (paragraphs, introduction, evidence/argument,
conclusion), grammatically and structurally sound (proofread), and should address the
questions completely (you may wish to underline key words in the question and sketch an
outline).
Use APA 6th edition to cite references. Include a reference page in APA 6th edition
format.
You should base your answers on the readings for the course, other readings, and
knowledge gained from other courses.
Your answers are positions, not opinions. Positions are supported by evidence, sound
reasoning, and critical analysis.
Final Exam: The final exam will cover the material from throughout the entire course. It will be
in essay format. You will be given limited choice in which questions you wish to answer.
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
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Consult the Course Schedule for the due dates and times for the Final Exam. Submit
your answers as a single Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file in the
appropriate dropbox on the elearning website. Late exams will not be accepted.
Your answers should be organized (paragraphs, introduction, evidence/argument,
conclusion), grammatically and structurally sound (proofread), and should address the
questions completely (you may wish to underline key words in the question and sketch an
outline).
Use APA 6th edition to cite references. Include a reference page in APA 6th edition
format.
You should base your answers on the readings for the course, other readings, and
knowledge gained from other courses.
Your answers are positions, not opinions. Positions are supported by evidence, sound
reasoning, and critical analysis.
You will be required to integrate what you have learned about criminal justice theory
throughout the semester.
Expectations for Academic Conduct/Plagiarism Policy: Students are expected to adhere to
university policies regarding academic conduct and plagiarism. Please consult the following
links to view the policies and related information:
http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/Academic_Misconduct_Policy_2009.pdf
http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/Academic_Misconduct_Process_Flow_Chart.pdf
The University of West Florida Library provides a plagiarism tutorial found at
http://library.uwf.edu/tutorials/writing_skills/avoiding_plagiarism.cfm. Each student must
complete the tutorial and take the quiz at the end of the tutorial. You must then forward the
email confirmation to the professor no later than the third week of classes.
Assistance: The Student Disability Resource Center SDRC at the University of West Florida
supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction
or design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as time limited exams,
inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, please notify the
instructor or the SDRC as soon as possible. You may contact the SDRC office by e-mail at
sdrc@uwf.edu or by phone at (850) 474-2387. Appropriate academic accommodations will be
determined based on the documented needs of the individual.
Tentative Schedule:
Week 1
January 6:
Week 2
January 13:
Week 3
January 20:
Week 4
January 27:
Week 5
February 3:
Course Introduction
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 1: Criminal Justice Theory: Why Ask Why?
Defining Variables: Found in the Content section of elearning
Introduction to Criminal Justice Theory
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 1: Criminal Justice, Criminology, and
Criminal Justice Theory
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 2: Foundations of Criminal Justice Theory
Bernard, T. J. & Engel, R. S. (2001). Conceptualizing criminal justice
theory. Justice Quarterly, 18, 1-30.
Theory Development
Reynolds, entire book
Issues in Criminal Justice Theory
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 3: Durkheim’s Comparative Method and
Criminal Justice Theory
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 4: Neglect of Justice in Criminal Justice
Theory: Causes, Consequences, and Alternatives
Criminal Justice Orientations: Rational/Legalism & System
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 2: Criminal Justice as Rational/Legalism
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 3: Criminal Justice as a System
Hagan, J. (1989). Why is there so little criminal justice theory? Neglected
macro- and micro-level links between organization and power. Journal
of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 26, 116-135.
Week 6
February 10: Criminal Justice Orientations: Crime Control/Due Process & Politics
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 4: Criminal Justice as Crime Control vs. Due
Process
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 5: Criminal Justice as Politics
Week 7
February 17: Criminal Justice Orientations: Socially Constructed Reality & Growth
Complex
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 6: Criminal Justice as Socially Constructed
Reality
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 7: Criminal Justice as Growth Complex
Week 8
February 24: Criminal Justice Orientations: Oppression, & Late Modernity
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 8: Criminal Justice as Oppression
Kraska & Brent, Chapter 9: Criminal Justice as Late Modernity
Week 9
March 3:
Week 10
March 10:
Week 11
March 17:
Week 12
March 24:
Week 13
March 31:
Midterm Examination – Exam is due in the appropriate dropbox by 11:00 p.m.
on Thursday March 6
Spring Break
Theories of Policing
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 5: Explaining Police Organizations
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 6: Understanding Variety in Urban
Community Policing: An Institutional Theory Approach
Sabol, J. J. (2010). The social ecology of police attitudes. Policing: An
International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 33, 253-269.
Theories of the Courts
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 7: Assessing Blameworthiness and Assigning
Punishment: Theoretical Perspectives on Judicial Decision Making
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 8: Courts and Communities: Toward a
Theoretical Synthesis
Crow, M. S. & Gertz, M. (2008). Sentencing policy and disparity:
Guidelines and the influence of legal and democratic subcultures.
Journal of Criminal Justice, 36, 362-371.
Theories of Corrections
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 9: A Test of a Turnover Intent Model: The
Issue of Correctional Staff Satisfaction and Commitment
Duffee & Maguire, Chapter 10: Examining Correctional Resources: A
Cross-Sectional Study of the States
Colvin, M. (2007). Applying differential coercion and social support
theory to prison organizations: The case of the penitentiary of New
Mexico. The Prison Journal, 87, 367-387.
Week 14
April 7:
Week 15
April 14:
Week 16
April 21:
Theory & Criminal Justice Policy: Contemporary Readings
Stemen, D. & Rengifo, A. F. (2011). Policies and imprisonment: The
impact of structured sentencing and determinate sentencing on state
incarceration rates, 1978-2004. Justice Quarterly, 28, 174-201.
Nicholson-Crotty, S. & Meier, K. J. (2003). Crime and punishment: The
politics of federal criminal justice sanctions. Political Research
Quarterly, 56, 119-126.
Theory & Criminal Justice Policy: Contemporary Readings II
Scherlen, R. (2012). The never-ending drug war: Obstacles to drug war
policy termination. Political Science & Politics, 45, 67-73.
Final Examination Work – Exam is due in the appropriate dropbox by 12:00
p.m. (noon) on Monday, April 28