Course Syllabus
CJA 371 – CORRECTIONS LAW
Spring 2015
Instructor: Chris Meyerhoeffer
Office: Aspen Building, Room 128A
Office Hours: 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.- noon M, W, F
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. T, Th
Office Telephone: 732-6873
Internet Address: cmeyerhoeffer@csi.edu
Class Meetings: Monday, 6:00 – 8:50 PM, Hepworth Room 134
Required Text: Clair A. Cripe, Michael G. Pearlman, Daryl Kosiak, Legal Aspects of
Corrections Management, (3rd Edition 2013) Jones and Bartlett Learning.
COURSE INFORMATION
Course Description: Inmate rights, habeas corpus procedures, civil and criminal liability issues,
and the history of corrections law.
Prerequisite: Upper-division criminal justice standing
Course Objectives: The intended outcomes of CJA 371 are that students will:
1. Understand the historical development of correction law in our society.
2. Understand state and federal legal rights of prisoners and pre-trial detainees.
3. Know and understand the constitutional rights afforded to prisoners and the limitations
placed on these rights by the courts and relevant statutes.
4. Know and understand the civil and criminal liability issues that face prison administrators
and correctional officers.
5. Understand habeas corpus procedures and federal statutes, and the limitations placed on these
procedures by the Court.
6. Use evaluation, analysis and insight from that understanding to interpret and apply that
knowledge in real world situations.
The textbook, lectures, class discussions, case studies and videos will help the student achieve
the above-mentioned course objectives.
Learning Units: The course material will be divided into 3 separate units with distinct learning
objectives. These learning objectives are designed to assist the student in meeting the overall
course objectives. The exams, quizzes and case studies will cover specific material that relates
to the learning objectives. A student has successfully met the course objectives when the
student’s cumulative grade on all exams, quizzes and case studies is 70% (or more) of the total
possible points for the course.
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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend class. I will take attendance each day we are
scheduled to meet. If a student misses the first two classes, I may drop the student from the
class. Student attendance is worth 75 points.
Honesty Policy: I follow the honesty definition in the BSU Student Handbook. If a student
cheats on an exam or plagiarizes on a writing assignment, I will give the student a zero on that
exam. If a student violates the honesty policy more than once, I may fail the student.
Late Policy: I expect students to take exams and quizzes on the day scheduled. I will notify
students at least one day in advance of giving a quiz. No make up quizzes will be given if a
student is absent on the day a quiz is given. If a student can not be present on the day an exam is
scheduled, please notify me in advance. Make up exams will be given, but I may give the
student a different exam. I will deduct 10 points from make up tests if the absence is not excused
prior to the exam. Writing assignments are due as indicted in this syllabus unless other
arrangements have been made.
Required Assignments: I expect students to read the assigned material prior to each class. This
helps facilitate student learning, and makes meaningful discussion about the lecture material
possible. In addition, quizzes will be based upon the assigned reading material for a particular
class.
Class Format: The class format will be a combination of lecture and discussion. Students are
expected to actively participate in classroom discussions at the appropriate time. The class will
be greatly enhanced if students are aware of the issues and come to class prepared to discuss the
relevant issues. I welcome any questions students may have, and I frequently ask questions of
the students.
Grading Practices: A student’s grade will be based upon the following:
1. Three exams worth 150 points each during the semester. Each exam will have 70 to 80
objective questions (multiple choice) worth approximately 1.5 point each (total 105- 120
points). Each exam will also have two or three essay questions worth a total of 30 to 45
points. The exams will be designed to assess the desired course outcomes and learning
objectives.
2. I will also give at least 12 quizzes worth 20 points each (total 240 points) during the
semester. Each quiz will have 10 true/false questions. I may give the quiz prior to the
lecture of the material if I feel that students are not coming to class prepared.
3. Attendance is worth 75 points. I will deduct 7.5 points from that total for each unexcused
absence.
The following grading scale will be used:
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A = 765 to 688.5 Points
B = 688 to 612 Points
C = 611 to 535.5 Points
D = 535 to 459 Points
F = Less than 459 Points
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Date
Class Topic
Assignment
January 12
Habeas, Torts, and Section 1983
Chapter 3
January 19
Holiday
January 26
General View of Prisoner’s
Constitution; Access to Courts
February 2
First Amendment: Inmate Mail; First Amendment: Chapters 7 & 8
Inmate Association Rights and Voting
February 9
Unit 1 Exam
February 16
Holiday
February 23
First Amendment:Religion
March 2
Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure, and Privacy; Chapters 10 & 11
Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment: Due Process –
Inmate Discipline
March 9
Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment: Due Process – Chapters 12 & 13
Classification, Transfers, Personal Injury, and Property
Loss; Fourteenth Amendment: Equal Protection –
Female Offenders and Others
March 16
Eighth Amendment: The Death Penalty and Other Chapters 14 & 15
Sentencing Issue; Eighth Amendment: Conditions of
Confinement – Cruel and Unusual Punishment
March 23
Spring Break
March 30
Unit 2 Exam (Chapters 9-15)
Chapters 9 thru 15
April 6
Eighth Amendment: Health Care
Chapter 16
Rights
Under
the Chapters 5 &6
Chapters 3,5,6,7 &
8
Chapter 9
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April 13
Probation and Parole, Community Corrections, and Chapters 17 & 18
Fines; Statutory and Administrative Law
April 20
Federal Statutes: Equal Employment, Disabilities, and Chapters 19 & 20
Tort Claims; Jails
April 27
Juveniles and Young Offenders
Chapter 21
May 4
Unit 3 Exam
Chapters 16 thru 21
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