Life Skills for Inmates
CRJ 3650-01 SL (4 credits)
Fall 2013
Instructor: Dr. Heather Ahn-Redding
Office: 101 Norcross
Email: hahnredd@highpoint.edu
Phone: 336- 841-4682/919-357-1166
Class times & Location:
M/W/F:
3 :25-4:35 PHL 113
Fridays:
1:45-3:00 Detention Center
Office Hours:
MWF 10:45-12:00, TuTh 11:00-12:00
Prerequisites
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Permission of instructor.
You must be at least age 18.
A “clean” background check is required for continued enrollment in this course. If you have questions
about the background check and encounters with law enforcement that might exclude you from
participating, please speak with Dr. Ahn-Redding.
Mandatory Orientation at Detention Center
You are required to participate in a mandatory orientation at the jail during the first week of class (prior to the
drop/add deadline). If you feel uncomfortable and would like to drop the course, you are encouraged to do so in
the first week during the drop/add period.
Syllabus Quiz
You will be required to take and pass an ungraded syllabus quiz. Before you are allowed to start your service
learning, you must achieve a score of 100%. You may repeat the quiz as many times as needed.
Course Description
This elective criminal justice course is designed to provide a service learning component to the study of criminal
justice and the field of corrections. In partnership with the High Point Jail Ministries, students will deliver life
skills classes to inmates who are incarcerated at the High Point Detention Center. There will be three weekly
components to this course.
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Mon/Wed Prep Time in the Classroom: This aspect of the course will take place within a traditional
classroom setting. You will use this time to prepare for the upcoming jail class. You should rehearse the
delivery of course material outside the classroom.
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Fri. On-site Visit: You will depart HPU campus at 1:30 p.m. and meet at the detention center at
1:40.You will go through security and begin the class at 2:00. In groups of 2-3, you will be assigned a
level of the detention center where you will remain for the duration of the semester. This will allow for
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continuity such that you can generally interact with the same inmates on a weekly basis. Departure
time from the detention center will be approximately 3:00 p.m.

Fri. Debriefing in the Classroom: After the detention center visit, we will meet back on campus. We will
hold class and reflect upon and process our experience with the inmates. An in class journal will be kept
after each jail visit and updated in class. Class discussion will also center on connecting the week’s
reading assignments to that day’s jail experience.
What Is Service Learning?
Service learning is more than just a volunteer opportunity embedded in a course. SL is about creating a
synergistic experience that connects traditional course work with an experiential learning opportunity. In other
words, the work you do in the detention center will enrich your understanding of the field of corrections, and
your reading assignments/class discussion will provide a contextual framework to enhance your interactions
with the jail inmates. Structured reflection assignments and journal entries throughout the semester will help
you to process and articulate your experiences, critically engage in the literature, and address many ethical
issues surrounding corrections.
Contact and Service Hours
You will spend 200 minutes each week within the traditional classroom setting. You will complete a minimum
of 25 hours dedicated to service at the detention center (this includes time spent at the detention center, time
rehearsing the lesson plans outside of class, and the time spent preparing the jail brochure). The remaining 20
hours will include travel time, reflection assignments, and preparation for the final presentation.
Course Goals
You will provide valuable life skills classes to jail inmates, thus receiving a meaningful hands-on immersive
experience within a local correctional center. By placing you in a role where you are responsible for
implementing classes for inmates, this experience will foster leadership, collaboration, communication, and
teaching skills. By delivering classes to inmates, you should leave the course with a richer understanding of
correctional and criminological issues, as well as ethical problems in the field of criminal justice. Through
reflection exercises and class discussion, you will be able to connect a body of correctional literature with the
classes you design and see firsthand the relevance of empirical research to you own interactions with the
inmates. You will also be provided with the opportunity to contextualize the literature by hearing firsthand
accounts of inmates’ personal experiences with crime and corrections.
Student Learning Outcomes
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Outcome
Synthesize knowledge from the theory of the course
and the practical service experience to reflect on your
role in civic life
Foster the ethical reasoning skills needed through
practices that require first-hand service and leadership
in the community (in other words, recognizing complex
ethical issues)
Assessment Method
 Reflection papers
 Assigned readings
 Journals
 Midterm essay
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Develop an understanding of diversity through
engagement with people who are different from you
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Exposure to a breadth of correctional literature
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Create lesson plans and deliver life skills classes that
have practical applications for the inmates during their
period of incarceration and upon their release
 Service learning component
 Class participation

Produce a final product to give back to the inmates at
the detention center
 Brochure assignment

Share the SL experience with peers, faculty, and
members of the detention center staff through a formal
final presentation.
 Final presentation
Reflection papers
Service learning component
Journals
Midterm essay
Final essay
Reflection papers
“Reality Check”
The goal of this course is not for you to enter the detention center and save the inmates from a life of crime.
Throughout the semester, you will need to remind yourself that you are not responsible for the inmates and
their choices. Similarly, you are not expected to have the life skills training yourself to counsel the inmates in a
professional capacity. You are there to communicate and provide some useful tools/resources to the inmates,
to assist them in understanding how they can help themselves, and to learn from their experiences.
High Point Detention Center
The inmate population at the HP Detention center is approximately 325-350 at any given time. Most inmates
are awaiting trial. Approximately 90% of the inmates are male, and most are under age 40. Approximately 29%
are white and 69% African American. Their offenses range from DWI and burglary to kidnapping, sex offending,
and murder.
The inmates incarcerated at the detention center will benefit from this course in several ways. Because
convicted jail inmates (as opposed to those awaiting trial) have relatively short sentences, they will be returning
to the community where they will be expected to integrate back into their families, find and maintain
employment, abstain from controlled substances, and make positive life choices. Unfortunately, many of these
individuals are ill-equipped to engage in healthy lifestyles and are at risk for recidivating. The classes that you
will deliver to the inmates will provide them with practical tools to help increase their likelihood of success upon
release.
Directions to the HP Detention Center/Parking (507 East Green Drive)
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The jail is in the building adjacent to the court house.
Directions:
o Go west on Montlieu Avenue and turn left onto N. Centennial St.
o Turn left onto Commerce Avenue
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o Make an immediate right and pull into the parking garage on the left
If you cannot afford to pay for parking, please see me!
Expectations
When you enroll in this course, you are expected to…
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Consent to a criminal background check (through the detention center) and complete the volunteer
application form.
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Inform Dr. Ahn-Redding if you have an encounter with law enforcement during the semester that could
exclude you from the class.
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Sign and adhere to the following documents:
o SL Program Code of Professional and Ethical Behavior
o Service Learning Partnership Agreement
o HPU waiver
o Statement releasing the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department from “all responsibility for any
adverse experience” that may occur at the detention center (found on background check
consent)
o “Security Guidelines” outlined on detention center volunteer application

Thoroughly read through the syllabus and sign each page indicating that it has been read.
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Provide your own transportation to the detention center.
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Attend an initial mandatory orientation at the High Point Detention Center.
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Maintain a weekly time sheet to verify service hours.
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Adhere to the safety/conduct guidelines described below, discussed in class, and identified at the
mandatory orientation.
Safety Issues

The HP Detention Center has an excellent safety record among its volunteers. However, neither HPU,
the detention center, nor I can fully guarantee that an incident will not occur. Safety issues will be
addressed at the mandatory orientation.

While unpredictable events may occur in any correctional setting, the detention center staff will take
great precautions to ensure that you will only be interacting with inmates who are deemed fit to
participate in the classes. Inmates who have a history of disruptive behavior within the jail and who
exhibit mental illnesses rendering them incapable of participating will be excluded.

Dr. Ahn-Redding will attend some of the classes at the jail, but may not be with your group on any given
week. You should not assume that she will be with you in the classroom at the jail.
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You have the right to be and feel safe and the right to leave the detention center if you feel
uncomfortable for any reason. You will not be penalized for doing so.
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Any concerns you have throughout the semester regarding physical or emotional safety should be
brought to Dr. Ahn-Redding’s attention immediately. Concerns can also be shared with the jail
administration. If, after the drop/add period is over, you are uncomfortable going to the detention
center, we will attempt to find an alternative service component for you to complete.

The class will be divided into smaller groups at the jail, and each group will work with a different group
of inmates. You will never be asked to deliver a class alone and will always be with at least one other
student. If your partner(s) fails to show up at the jail, you will NOT be asked to teach a class alone. Do
not attempt to teach a class alone! Notify me or the jail staff should this occur.

The “rooms” in which the classes are to take place at the jail are adjacent to the pods in which the
inmates live. A correctional officer will not be physically present in the classroom, but will be stationed
outside the clear glass walls of the room. The door to the classroom will be locked during the class. The
jail staff can’t guarantee that the students will be in the line of sight of the floor officer at all times.

Male students are only permitted to work with male inmates; female students may be asked to work
with male or female inmates.
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If an inmate becomes disruptive during the class, you have the right to notify the officer and ask
him/her to be removed (as long as you can document the reason).
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If any of the above makes you uncomfortable, you should consider withdrawing from this class.
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Please re-read the “Security Guidelines” listed on the volunteer application.
Personal Conduct
In addition to the code of conduct and security guidelines set forth through the HP Detention Center, you must
adhere to the following:
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Do not disclose any personal information to the inmates (e.g., last name, campus address,
home/mailing address, email, cell phone number, home phone number, etc.).
Do not agree to or actually do any personal favors for the inmates (we will discuss refusal strategies).
Do not visit, contact, or write to any of the inmates beyond the scope of the established SL class time.
Do not visit, contact, or write to any of the inmates’ friends or family members for any reason.
Avoid discussing the following specific topics with inmates: sex, sexuality, prostitution, and politics.
Follow the rules/security/dress code guidelines set forth through the detention center at all times.
Avoid all forms of physical contact with inmates.
Males are not permitted to go on the Female floor.
If you have a friend/relative who is incarcerated at the Detention Center, you must notify me and the jail
staff.
Act in a respectful and professional manner at all times while at the detention center (e.g., no vulgar or
sexually graphic language).
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Legal Issues
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You will be required to bring a driver’s license/ID card upon entrance to the HP Detention Center.
Bringing contraband (e.g., tobacco, over-the-counter or prescription drugs, money, cell phones, pocket
knives) into the detention center is a criminal violation. If you bring contraband into the jail, you will be
subject to criminal prosecution.
Do not give anything (e.g., mail, money) to the inmates aside from class materials that have been
approved (e.g., handouts).
Do not bring in pens/pencils to the inmates. Pencils will be supplied by the Detention Center.
Dress Code (during site visits)
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You will be asked to go through a metal detector upon arrival at the detention center and may be
subject to a physical pat down.
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Casual dress is permitted, but you must adhere to the following restrictions:
o No belts, heavy jewelry, watches, cell phones
o No items that would be considered contraband by prison staff
o No revealing, tight, provocative clothing (e.g., tank tops, low cut shirts, skirts, tight fitting tops)
o Tennis shoes are recommended
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All other restrictions discussed during the mandatory orientation must be followed.
Syllabus
This syllabus is a general outline of the class and my expectations for you. It is your responsibility to read it
thoroughly to make sure you understand each aspect of this course and all of the policies I have set forth for the
semester. It is also your responsibility to ask for clarification. By enrolling in this course, it is assumed that you
fully understand and agree to all aspects of the syllabus (e.g., test taking honor policy).
Required Reading:
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John Irwin. (1992). The Jail: Managing the Underclass in American Society.
Gary Cornelius. (2007). The American Jail: Cornerstone of Modern Corrections.
Allen & Bosta. (1981). Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit By Knowing Them.
o Please read over the summer!
1” spiral notebook (for in class journal entries)
(BB): Blackboard reading
Schedule
The following schedule is tentative and is subject to change throughout the semester. You are
responsible for reading the material by the date under which it is listed.
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DATE
Aug.
21,23
Aug. 26,
28, 30
Sept. 2,
4, 6
TOPIC
 Complete necessary
paperwork
 Review syllabus
 Discuss appropriate
conduct at the jail
and safety guidelines
 Ethics and service
learning
 Refusal strategies
 Discuss assigned
readings and develop
classroom
rules/expectations
for inmates
 Discuss “Games
Criminals Play” book
READINGS (due by Monday
of each week)
Cornelius Chapter 1
Assignments
Review syllabus
*Complete “Games Criminals
Play” book for next week
Reflection paper
#1 due Friday
Syllabus quiz on
Friday
(BB): “Incarceration and
Crime”
Reflection paper
#2 due Aug. 30
Jail Visit
Mandatory
Orientation
at
Detention
Center on
Wednesday,
August 21
(6:30-8:30)
Fri.
August 30
Week
1
2
(BB): Pollock reading on
ethical systems (chapter 2 )
 Topic: “Introduction
to Anger”
(BB): “Criminological
Theories Summary”
 Topic: “Where Does
Your Anger Come
From?”
Cornelius Chapter 2
(BB): “Video Visits for
Children Whose Parents Are
Incarcerated”
No jail visit
Reflection paper
#3 due Sept. 6
Sept. 6
Jail Visit 1
3
Sept. 9,
11, 13
Reflection paper
#4 due Sept. 13
Sept. 13
Jail Visit 2
4
(BB): “The Collateral Costs of
Short-Term Jail
Incarceration: The LongTerm Social and Economic
Disruptions”
Sept. 16,
18, 20
 Topic: “Before You
Get Angry”
*Listen to “Bail Burden
Keeps U.S. Jails Stuffed With
Inmates” (www.npr.org)
Sept. 20
Jail Visit 3
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*Listen to “Inmates Who
Can't Make Bail Face Stark
Options” (www.npr.org)
Cornelius Chapter 4
Sept. 23,
25, 27
Sept. 30
Oct. 2, 4
 Topic: “How to Keep
Out of Fights”
 Topic: “Handling
Provocations”
 Discuss Irwin’s “Jail”
book
(BB): Excerpt from “The Rich
Get Richer and the Poor Get
Prison”
Cornelius Chapter 3
*Complete “The Jail” book by
Sept. 30
Reflection paper
#5 due Sept. 27
Sept. 27
Jail Visit 4
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Reflection paper
#6 due Oct. 4
Oct. 4
Jail Visit 5
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Oct. 7, 9,
11
Oct. 14,
16, 18
Oct. 21,
23, 25
Oct. 28,
30
Nov. 1
 Topic: “When You
Need to Express a
Complaint”
 Fall Break
Cornelius Chapter 8
 Topic: “Conflict
Resolution Practice”
 Topic: “Introduction
to Stress
Management”
Cornelius Chapter 5
(BB): “State-Level Estimates
of Felon
Disenfranchisement”
Midterm on Oct.
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Oct. 11
Jail Visit 6
Reflection paper
#7 due Nov. 1
Oct. 18
No jail visit
Oct. 25
Jail Visit 7
Nov. 1
Jail Visit 8
8
9
10
(BB): “Race, The War on
Drugs, and the Collateral
Consequences of Criminal
Conviction”
Nov. 4, 6,
8
 Topic: “Stress
Management #2”
Cornelius Chapter 7
Nov. 11,
13, 15
 Topic: “Coping Skill –
Warning Yourself”
Cornelius Chapter 6
Nov. 18,
20, 22
 Topic: “Breathing
Skill for Relaxation”
(BB): “Rethinking
Sentencing”
Jail brochure
assignment due
Nov. 11
Nov. 8
Jail Visit 9
11
Nov. 15
Jail Visit 10
12
Nov. 22
Final Jail
Visit 11
13
Presentation
of jail
brochure to
inmates
Nov. 25
Nov. 27,
29
Dec. 2, 4
TBD
Cornelius Chapter 11
14
 Thanksgiving break
 Reentry
(BB): “When Prisoners Return
to the Community: Political,
Economic, and Social
Consequences”
Reflection paper
#8 due Dec. 4
Nov. 29
No jail visit
No jail visit
this week
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Cornelius Chapter 12
Saturday,
Dec. 7
See Final Exam Schedule
4:00-7:00
Presentation to
CRJ department
to be scheduled
during finals
week
No jail visit
this week
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Attendance Policy
Because this course relies largely upon group work, your classmates (and the jail inmates) are depending upon
you to attend all classroom reflection/planning sessions and arrive at the jail on time to deliver the courses to
the inmates. If you miss class (on campus) on more than two occasions for any reason, you will be placed on
probationary status. An absence is an absence, regardless of whether it is due to illness, personal/family
emergencies, or deaths in the family. A third absence will result in a student being dropped from the course or
involuntarily withdrawn.
If you anticipate missing a site visit, you must inform me ahead of time. Missed site visits will be dealt with on a
case-by-case basis. Missing more than two site visits will be result in a student being dropped from the course
or involuntarily withdrawn.
If you violate the regulations of the detention center and/or act unprofessionally and disrespectfully at the
detention center, you may be dropped from the course or involuntarily withdrawn. Failing to follow the
conduct/dress code/safety policies identified in the syllabus and discussed in the classroom may result in you
being dropped or involuntarily withdrawn.
Grades and Assignments

Syllabus/HP Detention Center orientation quiz
o This quiz is non-graded but is mandatory. You will be asked to re-take the quiz until you have a
perfect score. The quiz will emphasize the safety, personal conduct, and dress code aspects of
the syllabus and mandatory orientation.

Class participation
o This is reflected by your contributions each week to the lesson plans at the jail. You will be
asked to evaluate yourself at the end of the semester. Your score will be considered in
calculating your class participation grade. You will be asked to rate yourself on your classroom
contributions, the quality of your work, your ability to work well with your partner(s), and the
amount of work you put into rehearsing outside of the classroom.

Midterm and Final Essay Exams
o Under special circumstances, and at my discretion, students may make arrangements to take a
test on an alternative date. Arrangements must be made prior to the test. A late penalty of 10
points may be applied at my discretion, depending on the nature of the special circumstance.
o A student who does not show up to take a test without making prior arrangements will receive
a 0, except in very unusual circumstances. If you miss a test due to a valid personal emergency,
you or someone else must contact me at some point during the day of the exam in order for a
make-up test to be considered. Do not assume that I will contact you.
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Formal reflection assignments
o Late papers will be penalized 5 points (out of 25) each day that they are late. Papers will not be
accepted if they are more than 3 days late.
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In Class Journal
o You will complete several in class writing/journal assignments throughout the semester. These
will bridge your experiences in the jail with the reading assignments. These will enable you to
share with me your thoughts, concerns, and general reflections on that week’s jail visit.
o Missed in-class journal entries cannot be made up.

Service project: brochure for jail inmates
o You will also put together a handout/brochure to give back to the inmates/jail at the end of the
semester. The brochure will provide a list of community resources that inmates can utilize upon
release, and may also summarize in a creative manner the main lessons learned through the life
skills classes. The content of the brochure will be driven by the needs of the detention
center/inmate, which will be determined as the course progresses.
o All students will receive the same grade on the brochure. If a student does not contribute as
expected to this project, he/she may receive a separate grade.
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Final Presentation
o You will collaborate with the entire class to create a final presentation for the criminal justice
department.
o All students will receive the same grade on the presentation. If a student does not contribute as
expected to the presentation, he/she may receive a separate grade.
Use of Email for Assignments
If you are given permission to email me an assignment, it is your responsibility to ensure that the email was
actually sent. You should check your outbox to confirm that the email was delivered. If you tell me that you sent
an assignment via email but I did not receive it, and you cannot prove to me that it was sent on the due date, it
will be considered late.
Grades
You will receive a letter grade in this course. Your final grade will be based on the following components:
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Class participation
In class journal (10 pts each x 14)
Formal reflection assignments (25 pts each x 8)
Midterm essay
Final presentation to CRJ department
Final essay test
Handout for jail inmates
TOTAL
= 100 points
= 140 points
= 200 points
= 50 points
= 100 points
= 50 points
= 100 points
= 740 points
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
=
=
=
=
=
=
94 - 100
90 - 93.5
86 - 89.5
84 - 85.5
80 - 83.5
76 - 79.5
C
CD+
D
DF
=
=
=
=
=
=
74 - 75.5
70 - 73.5
66 - 69.5
64 - 65.5
60 - 63.5
below 60
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Disabilities
Students who require classroom accommodations due to a diagnosed disability must submit the appropriate
documentation to Disability Support in the Office of Academic Development, 4th Floor Smith Library. Requests
for accommodations should be made at the beginning of a course. Accommodations are not retroactive.
Contact Rita Sullivant, Coordinator of Disability Support (rsulliva@highpoint.edu, 336-841-9061) for additional
information.
Writing Center
The Writing Center provides writing assistance for students at any level of study – from freshman to graduate –
at any stage in the writing process, from invention through revision. The Writing Center staff will be available in
a variety of locations during various hours throughout the day, Sunday through Thursday. Go to
https://highpoint.mywconline.com/ to make an appointment. Appointments can only be made through the
online portal. Appointments will be available starting September 2, 2013.
Writing consultants do not proofread or edit students’ papers for them, but they do work with students to help
them develop strategies for improving their writing in light of their respective assignments, instructors, and
writing styles. For more information, contact the Writing Center Director, Dr. Leah Schweitzer, at
lschweit@highpoint.edu or (336) 841-9106.
Course Evaluations
Please complete the online course evaluations at the end of the semester. The information you provide is
valued by me, the department, and the administration. I am only granted access to the evaluations after final
grades have been submitted.
Disclaimer
No aspect of this course should ever be interpreted as legal advice. The class material, lectures, notes, and
readings should be construed as having academic purposes only. I am not a lawyer! While we may learn about
and discuss certain laws, this is not a substitute for nor intended as actual legal advice.
Cheating and Plagiarism
All students are expected to abide by High Point University’s Academic Honor Code. Cheating and plagiarism,
which I take seriously, will not be tolerated and will be handled in accordance with the University Honor Code
and its related sanction policies. Forging your service learning hours is an honor code violation. Honor code
violations could possibly lead to failing the class and an academic citation.
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