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INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE - CRMJ 201
The Citadel
Fall 2012
Professor:
Brian Norris, bnorris@citadel.edu
Meets:
CRMJ 201 01, Capers 417, 9:00 – 9:50 AM, MWF
CRMJ 201 02, Capers 417, 11:00 – 11:50 AM, MWF
Office hours: MWF, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
TR, by appointment
Required books (for purchase at the Citadel bookstore or online):
 Karen Matison Hess and Christine Hess Orthmann, Introduction to Law Enforcement
and Criminal Justice, 10th ed. (Delmar, Cengage, 2009)
 Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (Signet Classics).
Course description:
This is a sophomore level introduction to the criminal justice system in the United States. The
course will introduce students to the history, philosophy and current function of the three
principal components of the US criminal justice system: police, courts and corrections. The
course will cover the governmental structures that police, courts and corrections institutions are
embedded in, including checks and balances and citizen rights and responsibilities. Students
will further learn about the nature of crime in the US and recent trends in crime and different
methods of crime reporting. Students will learn about careers in criminal justice and we will have
at least one guest speaker who is a professional in the field.
We will end the semester by reading an American true crime classic, In Cold Blood, and
applying concepts learned in class to the facts related in this book.
Learning objectives:
 Describe the history, philosophy and current function of each of the three pillars of the
US criminal justice system: police, courts and corrections.
 Define crime and speak knowledgably about sources of data on crime and crime trends
in the US.
 Develop the habit of critically reading the newspaper.
 Develop writing and critical thinking skills by writing one analytical paper.
Grading:
Midterm
Final
Paper
4 quizzes (5pts each, drop lowest quiz)
Weekly Blackboard assign (14 @ .72 ea) + news article (2 pts.)
Class attendance and participation
1
20%
30%
10%
15%
10%
10%
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Attendance and class participation: Attendance is mandatory and students are expected to
participate in class.
Selected online resources:



Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS):
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
Nat’l Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS): http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACJD/NCVS/
New York Times www.nytimes.com, Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com, Post and Courier
http://www.postandcourier.com/
Readings:
Intro.
Week
Week 1 (8/22 - 24)
Week 2 (8/27 - 31)
Week 3 (9/3 - 7)
Week 4 (9/10 - 14)
Police
Week 5 (9/17 - 21)
Week 6 (9/24 - 28)
Case
Corrections
Courts
Week 7 (10/1 - 5)
Week 8 (10/8 - 12)
Week 9 (10/15 - 19)
Week 10 (10/22 26)
Week 11 (10/29 11/2)
Week 12 (11/5 - 9)
Week 13 (11/12 16)
Week 14 (11/19 23)
Week 15 (11/26 30)
Week 16 (12/3 12/5)
Topic
Historical origins of law and policing
The US system: Law and theories of
law enforcement
Crime, crime reporting and victims
Contemporary policing
Readings
Police patrol and specializations
Policing philosophies and current
professional issues
Current issues in crime: Gangs, Drugs,
Terrorism
Chs. 5, 6
Current issues in policing and
becoming an officer
US Courts
Corrections
Corrections
Corrections in the US in the 1830s, a
famous study
In Cold Blood
Assignments
Ch. 1*
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
online quiz 1, due
8/31, 11:00 PM
online quiz 2, due
9/21, 11:00 PM
Chs. 7, 8
Chs. 9, 10
Chs. 11, 12
Ch. 13
Schmalleger,
13
Schmalleger,
13
take home
midterm due
10/10
online quiz 3, due
10/26, 11:00 PM
Tocqueville
TBD
online quiz 4, due
11/16, 11:00 PM
Fall break, no class
In Cold Blood
TBD
In Cold Blood, review
TBD
Paper draft due
11/28
Final paper due
12/6
take home final
due 12/7, 10**
*All chapters refer to
Matison Hess
**Sec. 1 (9:00 - 9:50) exam is at 13:00 on 12/7, Sec. 2 (11:00 - 11:50) exam is at 13:00 on 12/10,
see http://www.citadel.edu/root/fall-2012/exam-schedule-day-classes
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Other policies:
All policies described in the Honor Manual, including those related to plagiarism, will be
enforced (http://www.citadel.edu/honor/honor-manual.html).
Plagiarism is a violation of the honor code. Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words
or ideas as your own without giving proper credit to the source:
(1) When you quote another’s words exactly you must use quotation marks and a citation to
tell exactly where the words came from.
(2) When you mix another’s words and ideas with your own in one or more sentences,
partially quoting the source exactly and partially substituting your own words, you must put
quotation marks around the words you quote and not around your own. Then you cite the
source.
(3) When you paraphrase another’s words or ideas, that is, when you substitute your words
for another’s words but keep those idea(s), you do not use quotation marks, but you must
cite the source.
(4) When you use only another’s idea(s), knowing that they are the other’s ideas, you must
cite the source of that idea or those ideas.
(5) Citing the source means giving, as a minimum, the author (if available), the title of the
book / periodical / web site / etc, and the page number or internet URL.
-The Honor Manual, p. 3
Recommended purchase for paper writing:
Strunk and White, Elements of Style (any edition).
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