th
th
Professor: Robert M. Worley, Ph.D.
Office: Founder’s Hall, 217-M
Telephone: 254-519-5706
Email: worley_r@ct.tamus.edu
Class Hours: On-line
Summer Office Hours:
Monday Online office hours - 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Tuesday Online office hours – 10 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Wednesday Online office hours – 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Thursday Online office hours – 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Friday Online office hours - 10 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Course Description:
Juvenile justice in America has changed greatly from its inception at the beginning of the
20th century. The reforms that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the “get tough” policies of the 1980s and 1990s, collectively represent a fundamental shift in the administration and practice of juvenile justice. The goals of this course are (1) to familiarize students with the origins and changes in juvenile justice over the past 100 years, (2) to help students assess the merits of the recent changes in juvenile justice, (3) to assist students in developing a theoretically- and empirically-based approach to identifying effective practices and policies, (4) and to familiarize students with the various legal issues surrounding juvenile justice administration.
Course Objectives:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of:
• the origins and structure of juvenile justice;
• critical facts about juvenile offenders, at-risk youth populations, and juvenile justice;
• role and contribution of theory to understanding delinquency and how to prevent it;
• the philosophical foundations of the juvenile justice system and how it differs from
criminal justice;
• the major practice and policy reforms that comprise
the current juvenile justice landscape;
• the challenges young offenders face upon reentry into society after incarceration;
• the various legal processes associated with modern day juvenile justice administration
• what can be done to improve juvenile justice research, programs, practice, and policies;
• the arguments for and against retaining a separate juvenile justice system.

Required Texts
Platt, T. (2009). The child savers: The invention of delinquency. Rutgers University
Press. (Expanded 40 th
Anniversary Edition). ISBN-13: 978-0-8135-4536-3.
Bernard, T. J. & Kurlychek, M. C. (2010). The cycle of juvenile justice, 2 nd ed. ISBN-
13: 9780195370362
Feld, B. (2009). Juvenile justice administration in a nutshell, 2d. West. ISBN-13: 978-
0-3141-8138-1.
Grading Policy and Course Requirements:
Student course grades will depend on:
Midterm
Final
Threaded Discussion Topics
10-page Paper
25%
25%
20%
30%
90-100 A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
<60 F
Threaded Discussion Posts (20%)
All students are required to respond to a discussion post topic every week. The responses must be detailed and show a familiarity with the assigned reading (a minimum of 500 words) . Additionally, everyone must comment on a minimum of two other student responses. Students may respond to more than two student responses, but are required to respond to a minimum of two. Students may either reply to a comment/question or initiate a comment/question; but there must be at least two meaningful follow-up comments . These must reflect that you have a familiarity with the material. Some students provide very wellthought-out, comprehensive answers to each question, along with thoughtful responses to other student answers. However; many students provide only a cursory answer (2 or 3 lines) for their initial response and follow-up with “I agree….” Or “I disagree….” responses to other student answers. This is not acceptable. I expect to see a substantive response .
The discussion posts are to be both thorough and thoughtful discussions. Also, the posts are to reflect the student’s ideas. Small amounts of material can be quoted from our texts
(properly documented), but only if necessary to make a point. Please do not cut and paste material from either the Internet or other students and try to pass this off as your own on the discussion posts. This is a form of plagiarism and will be treated as such.
Any “suspicious” posts will be immediately submitted to
Turnitin.com
. If you have reason to believe that another student has plagiarized part of his or her discussion post, please bring this to my attention immediately.

Discussion question posts and responses will count as 20% of your overall grade. You will not only be graded on your original post but also on the level of interaction you have with other students. Try to engage students who may not be as active. Also, do not just chat with the same people.
On the discussion boards, I ask that you be considerate of others in your comments and responses. The written word has an impact that cannot be softened by intonation, facial expression, or body language. Part of your discussion grade will be based on your level of professionalism in interacting with others.
It is very important that you, as well as your classmates, post your discussions on a timely basis because timely submission by all will result in more interactions and better discussions, which will further develop your critical thinking and analytical skills. If you do not post a discussion within the timeframe expected, there will be no opportunity for you to have a meaningful interaction with your peers. Therefore, you will receive a “zero” for this assignment. There are seven discussion assignments. You will be required to complete all of these. Also, I will drop a discussion grade for any reason (e.g. due to illness, family emergency, or enrolling in the class late). Late assignments will not be accepted. Please be sure to keep track of when assignments are due. On the next page, please see a rubric that the instructor will utilize to evaluate discussion posts.
Grading Criteria/Rubric:
Discussion Topic
Content :
[answer the question with thought and detail, well-
Percentage
Points
Possible
40% supported, in the student’s own words, with little or no material borrowed from the assigned course readings, and no material borrowed from other sources; it must be evident that student has read and reflected upon the material]
Peer Responses :
[read and respond to the discussions of at least two peers with thoughtful and detailed comment (not just
"good post" or something similar), are the comments spaced out by at least 3-4 hours]
20%
20% Writing Mechanics :
[length: Approximately 300 words on the main response post, grammar/punctuation/spelling]
Creativity/Original Thought:
Does the student add a high level of originality to the online discussion? Does the student do a nice job of arguing in favor of his/her position?
Total Percentage Points Possible per Topic:
20%
100%

**Do not ‘cut’ material from the Internet and paste it to the discussion board. This does not make a significant contribution to the online discussion and is considered a form of plagiarism. All suspicious posts will automatically be submitted to Turnitin.com. If you are caught doing this, you will be given a ‘zero’ for the assignment and/or the professor may initiate academic dishonesty proceedings. Please contact me if you have any questions about this. Also, please do not post all of your comments at the same time. This does not keep you fully engaged in the class. I ask that you try to post your comments at least two hours apart . Failure to do this will result in a significant deduction from the overall grade for any assignment where this is done. I do not want to see someone post all of their comments at the same time, as this does very little to keep you engaged in the online learning community.
Please, interact with your peers; and enjoy this unique experience.
**Quizzes – I reserve the right to require a quiz for any discussion session. If I opt to have a quiz, you will be notified of this,and must complete it before the end of the discussion session. If a quiz is required, it will constitute roughly 20% of the overall discussion grade for any given session.
Exam Component (50% of overall grade)
There are two essay exams in the course. Both exams will consist of essay questions based on the reading assignments, power point lectures, and discussions.
Midterm Essay Exam
Final Essay Exam
25% of final grade
2 5% of final grade
Total for Exam Component 50% of final grade
Midterm Essay Exam : The Midterm exam will be given at the halfway point of the class (6/24/13). It will consist of essay questions covering information from the readings and audiovisual lectures up to this point.
This will be a timed essay exam.
Final Essay Exam : The Final exam will be given during the last class day
(7/22/13). While it will not be comprehensive in the strictest sense of the word, students will nevertheless be expected to demonstrate that they have a familiarity with all of the concepts throughout this course. Again, this will be a timed essay exam. Both of the exams will help to familiarize students with the comprehensive exam process.
*Please note, I will not give make-up exams and am unable to allow you take an exam at an alternate time. If you miss an exam, you will receive a ‘zero.’

10-Page Paper (30% of overall grade)
A well-written and well-researched term paper has the potential to lead to a scholarly publication. In fact, if a student develops an especially original mini-paper, the instructor will provide outside help, which could very well lead to a full length journal article. For the mini-paper, you must select a topic that relates to any aspect of juvenile justice and write a total of 10 pages (double spaced, not including coversheet or reference pages).
This work must be original and may not be recycled work from previous courses. For this paper, students are encouraged to choose a topic or theme that was addressed in either the readings, audiovisual lectures, or online discussions and develop a thesis/argument. This argument is to be original, and the student should not merely summarize the readings or other articles. Rather, students should utilize these materials to develop and bolster an original argument. Your mini-paper should reference any appropriate assigned readings, as well as at least eight other sources relating to the topic.
These sources must be peer-reviewed journal articles or scholarly books. They must be relevant and timely. Students must cite the sources, summarizing the information in their own words. Do not quote from sources; instead paraphrase. Use the APA editorial style of referencing. When you are writing your mini-paper, it should appear as though you are an ‘expert’ on the topic. If you do not know how to find scholarly articles, you are first encouraged to visit the library. You may also contact the instructor.
Make sure that you do not plagiarize these papers in any way. You will be required to submit your Mini-Papers to Turnitin.com.
On the following page, is the rubric that the instructor will utilize to evaluate each student’s mini-paper.

Grading Criteria/Rubric:
Essential Elements Percentage
Points Possible
10% Introduction
[identify the major topics/theme to be discussed; identify your argument]
Body of the Paper
[can include an analysis of author’(s) presentation, use of evidence; this is where the student also makes a meaningful contribution to the theme being discussed; students will be evaluated on how well they present their arguments; does it meet the minimum page requirement]
Conclusion
[did the paper come to its logical conclusion or did it end abruptly]
Writing Mechanics
[length, format, clarity in grammar and spelling, do not write in the first-person, do not use contractions, full citation]
50%
10%
20%
Sources
[did the author have the appropriate amount of sources; are sources cited correctly using
APA style; are there internal citations]
10%
Total Percentage Points Possible: 100%
Instructional Methods: The assigned books for this course will be supplemented with other materials, including: relevant handout materials, articles, websites, and audiovisual presentations.
A.
A high degree of student involvement is expected in formal threaded discussions.
In order for class members to take advantage of the learning resources available in class it is essential to complete assigned reading and view the audiovisual presentations before addressing the threaded discussion question for each session.
You will need high speed internet for this course. If your computer is unable to download the audiovisual presentation it is your responsibility to find a computer that has this capability (e.g. school or public library).
B.
Class Preparation: All students are expected to complete all assignments. In addition, students should turn-in assignments in a timely manner by due dates as assigned by the instructor. Late work will not be accepted.

Mode of Instruction and Course Access:
This course is a 100% online course and uses TAMUCT/Tarleton State University’s
Blackboard system (https://tamuct.blackboard.com/webapps/login/). You will use your
University ID (UID) and the 6-digit University PIN to logon to this system .
Technology Support:
For technological or computer issues, students should contact the TAMU-CT Blackboard
Support Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
Support Portal: http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport
Online chat (through the support portal at: http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport)
Phone: (855)-661-7965
For issues related to course content and requirements, contact your instructor.
Statement for Turnitin.com
Texas A&M University – Central Texas and Tarleton University are committed to academic integrity and the ethical use of information as enumerated in the Texas A&M
Catalogue, Student Handbook, and Academic Integrity brochure. In order to avoid plagiarism and teach students how to properly use and cite sources, papers required in this course may be submitted by students and/or faculty to the plagiarism prevention service, Turnitin. Papers submitted to this service will be evaluated against an extensive database of source documents for textual similarities, and an originality report indicating such similarities will be generated.
All work submitted for credit is expected to be the student's own original thought. If ideas, thoughts, published or unpublished resources, language and like materials are used; appropriate credit must be given.
The instructor will utilize Turnitin.com to ensure that student assignments and discussion posts are 100% original. Any ‘suspicious’ posts will automatically be submitted to
Turnitin.com. Please do not cut and paste from other students and/or websites at any time. It is not worth the risk.
Drop Policy
If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will provide a deadline for which the form must be returned, completed and signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Duck Trax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately. You are to attend class until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an
“F” in the course.

Academic Honesty:
Texas A&M University Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. It is the scholarly responsibility of the student to understand what plagiarism means. Students guilty of academic dishonestly are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of academic dishonesty. Your discussion posts must come 100% from you . Please do not cut and paste any material from the internet and claim it as your own.
Disability Services:
It is the policy of Texas A&M University-Central Texas to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. If you have or believe you have a disability, may wish to selfidentify. You can do so by providing documentation to the Academic Support Programs
Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek information about accommodations to help assure success in this class. Please contact Ryan Thompson at (254) 519-5796 or Main
Building Room 114. Additional information can be found at http://www.TAMUCT.org/StudentAffairs .
Library Services:
INFORMATION LITERACY focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of information resources such as library collections and services, identification of subject databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies. Library
Resources are outlined and accessed at. http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library/
Make-Up Opportunities:
Due to the interactive nature of these assignments, students will not have an opportunity to make-up either threaded discussion posts or the book review. It may be an excellent strategy to plan ahead and complete the mini-paper far enough in advance to avoid any unforeseen circumstances (e.g. illness, family emergency). Late papers will not be accepted and will be awarded a zero. Also, make-up exams will not be given unless a student can provide appropriate cause for missing the exam. Since this is an online course, I really do not think that illness will be an excuse to miss an exam. If there is a death or family emergency, I will consider this, however, I may require documentation. In all cases, I will be the final arbitrator as to whether or not a missed exam will be excused. No incompletes will be awarded for this course.

Netiquette:
All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message to the Chair of the department and the online administrators and appropriate action will be taken, not excluding expulsion from the course. In addition, all students should refer to the TAMU-CT Student Handbook for classroom conduct policies, as it applies equally to online students as well as to students in traditional face-to-face courses. The TAMU-CT Student Handbook is available online at the TAMU-CT website.
What You Can Expect From Me:
* Feedback in the form of graded assignments.
*Return email within 24 hours.
*I will be prepared for class, so I expect the same from you.
*Every rubric for every assignment in this course has as part of the grade: writing,
grammar, and spelling.
* Hands on learning.
* Respect and professionalism.
What I Expect From You:
A high degree of student involvement is expected in formal threaded discussions. In order for class members to take advantage of the learning resources available in class it is essential to complete assigned reading before addressing the threaded discussion question for the chapter.
All students are expected to complete all assignments. In addition, students should turnin assignments in a timely manner by due dates as assigned by the instructor.
Important: If you do not post a discussion in the timeframe expected, there will be no opportunity for you to have a meaningful interaction with your peers. Therefore, you will receive a “zero” for this assignment.
Also, students should try to do much more than meet the minimal discussion criteria. For example, students who try to post at least one or two comments early in the week (e.g.
Monday or Tuesday) usually tend to make higher discussion grades. Also, students who go out of their way to post several follow-up comments throughout the week tend to do very well. And, students who make efforts to challenge a specific classmate by name in a professional manner (e.g. “Hi, Janet, what do you think about….”) also tend to receive very high weekly discussion grades.
All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats.

COURSE OUTLINE
DATE READINGS
6/4 – 6/7 Session One:
*Platt: pp. xi-xxxv ( In Retrospect & Introduction to 2 nd
Ed.
)
*Platt: pp. 3-74 ( Chapters 1, 2, & 3 )
Please complete your comments and email me your plagiarism certificate through Blackboard no later than 11:59 P.M., Friday, June 7 th
.
6/10 – 6/14 Session Two:
*Platt: pp. 75-192 ( Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, & Postscript )
*Pisciotta article (available on Blackboard), pp. 410-425.
6/17 – 6/21 Session Three:
*Bernard & Kurlychek (2010): pp. 3-162 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8)
6/24 – 6/25 Midterm Exam - Must be completed by 11:59 P.M., Tuesday, June 25 th .
7/1 – 7/5 Session Four:
*Bernard & Kurlychek (2010): pp. 163-235 (Chapters 9, 10, 11, & 12)
*Feld: pp. 1-50 (Chapters 1 & 2)
*Singer article (available on Blackboard), pp. 969-986.
7/8 – 7/12 Session Five:
*Feld: pp. 51-150
*
(Chapter 3)
Meyer and Reppucci (Available on Blackboard) pp. 757-781
7/15 – 7/19 Session Six:
*Feld: pp. 193-384 (Chapters 6, 7, & 8) .
Paper is Due 7/15
7/22 Final Exam – Must be completed by 11:59 P.M., Tuesday, July 23 rd .