Course Detail

CJ 120 Introduction to Criminal Justice

CJ 120 IS Sec 2, University of Mississippi
[See UM Catalog for Description]

3 credit hours

Instructor Information:

Instructor name:
Dr. Linda Keena

Professor: Dr. Linda Keena obtained her Bachelor's (1984) and Master's (1991) degrees in Criminal Justice from Southeast Missouri State University and her Doctorate (2006) from the University of Missouri. She is a former State of Missouri Adult Probation and Parole officer and for the last nineteen years has taught various corrections courses, community and institutional based. She has established a record of scholarly publications which reflects a variety of criminal justice, restorative justice, religion, corrections, and community-based research topics. In addition, she is co author and project director for MEDFELS, a nationally recognized methamphetamine program for elementary schools. Finally, Dr. Keena is the co-director of the Violence Prevention Office, a program funded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, aimed at educating students and staff about realities of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.

Contact Information:

If you have questions concerning the content of the course, you may contact the instructor directly using the Email Your Instructor link in the Lessons or Content page. NOTE: Whenever sending email, please be sure to indicate your course title and number in the subject line. You can expect a response within 72 hours, although it may be longer on weekends. Many instructors reply within 24 hours.

For lesson or test administration issues, please contact the iStudy department:

Course Description

This is a fourteen lesson independent study course. The course will study corrections, a wide variety of functions carried out by government agencies having to do with the punishment, treatment, supervision, and management of individuals who have been accused of or convicted of criminal offenses.

Textbook Information:

Textbook information will be provided upon enrollment in your iStudy course.

Course Objectives:

Objectives include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Examine and gain a better understanding of the historical development and philosophies in the handling of offenders.
• Examine how the offender is processed from arrest through the legal and justice system.
• Know the major alternatives available to the courts when deciding whether or not to send an offender to prison.
• Understand the processes, impacts and potentials of imprisonment in the past and present systems in the United States.
• Examine the rights of convicted offenders.
• Examine the lessons learned from a simulated terrorist attack and natural disasters.
• Explore the two major systems that attempt to rehabilitate offenders: parole and community-based systems.

Course Outline:

This course is composed of fourteen instructional modules and three examinations.

You MUST take the syllabus quiz within 2 weeks of enrolling or you will be dropped from the course. NOTE: you must pass the Syllabus and Orientation Quiz for the course materials to appear on the Lessons page.

TITLE

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Syllabus

Syllabus Quiz

*You MUST complete the syllabus quiz as soon as you have access to your Blackboard course. This is mandatory to verify your attendance.* NOTE: you must pass the Syllabus and Orientation Quiz for the course materials to appear on the Lessons page.

1

Crime and Corrections

Chapter 1 The Correctional System

2

The Reformers

Chapter 2 From Vengeance to Reform: A Historical Perspective

3

Issues in Sentencing

Chapter 3 Sentencing and the Correctional Process

4

Probation Conditions and Revocation

Chapter 4 Community Corrections: Diversion and Probation

5

Restorative Justice

Chapter 5 Intermediate Sanctions

Course Exam
#1

Test 1

Test 1

6

Jail Inmates at Midyear 2008

Chapter 6 The Jail: Detention and Short-Term Confinement

7

Prisoners in 2008

Chapter 7 Correctional Institutions

8

Prisoner Radicalization

Chapters 8 and 9 The Prison Experience: Males and Females

MIDPOINT OF COURSE

If you are a semester student, you must reach the midpoint of your course by the date specified in your information.
If you are a Flex UM student, you CANNOT WITHDRAW from this course after the lesson has been submitted.

All lesson assignments or exams needed to reach the midpoint of the course.
The exact date semester students are required to reach the midpoint is specified in your information.

9

Prisoners' Rights

Chapter 10 Prisoner Rights

10

Faith-based Programming in Corrections

Chapter 11 Correctional Programs and Services

11

Sex Offenders

Chapter 13 Special Prison Populations

Course Exam
#2

Test 2

Test 2

12

Reentry

Chapter 12 Parole and Release to the Community

13

Death Penalty

Chapter 14 The Death Penalty and the Death Penalty Inmate

14

Prevention

Chapter 15 The Juvenile Offender

Final Exam
Period

FINAL EXAMINATION (Test 3)
All previous work must be submitted and graded to be eligible to sit for the final exam.

FINAL EXAMINATION (Test 3)

Grading:

Each lesson submitted will be read and given a numerical grade. If you make below a 60 on 5 lessons you will fail the course. Also, if receive a grade below 60 on a lesson, you will be expected to re-do that lesson and resubmit it to the instructor. As for your 2 course exams and Final exam, you will be graded using a letter scale of A, B, C, D, F. The final grade will be calculated as follows:

GRADING SCALE
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
Below 59% = F

FAILURE TO TAKE THE FINAL EXAM WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE.

You must submit the lessons required to take the course exam(s). Lessons required but not submitted will receive a grade of zero. For the final exam, all coursework must be submitted and graded.