Instructor: Michelle Meloy, Ph.D.

Office: 355 Armitage Hall

Phone: (856) 225-6455

Office Hrs: 9:00 to 10:45 am on Tuesday and Thursday, and by appointment

E-mail: mlmeloy@camden.rutgers.edu

REQUIRED TEXTS

Crime Profiles: The Anatomy of Dangerous Persons, Places, and Situations - 2nd edition, by Terrance Miethe and Richard McCorkle

In Their Own Words: Criminals on Crime: An Anthology - 2nd edition, edited by Paul Cromwell

Understanding Sexual Violence: A Study of Convicted Rapists by Diana Scully

Additional readings will be available through the library's reserve system.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will cover many topics related to the field of criminal justice and the study of criminology. The exploration into the world of crime and the criminals that commit these acts will help us understand the diversity of actions that are defined as criminal. In doing so, we will pay particular attention to how the role of power, victim prestige and offender characteristics impact how crimes are defined, viewed, and handled throughout the justice system. In broad terms, this course will focus on crimes of violence, property offenses, occupational and organizational crime, and public order crimes. We will conclude the course by assessing the strengths and weakness of the crime control strategies used to address these issues.

Examinations: There will be three examinations in this course designed to test your understanding of the lectures and supplemental materials. Exams may consist of multiple choice, true & false questions, and perhaps an essay question. Exam grades will be computed on the percent of correct answers as follows: 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; Below 60% = F. The final exam will NOT be cumulative. No make up examinations will be permitted except for emergency situations. Situations that qualify as an emergency are dictated by university standards and must be accompanied by appropriate documentation. The format of make up exams may vary at the discretion of the instructor and may include but are not limited to essay and oral examination.

Grading: Each exam consists of 20% of your final grade. Reaction papers (there will be 6 in total) have a combined worth of 30% of your final grade. Each reaction paper MUST be typed, double spaced, and adhere to general formatting requirements. Each paper must be 2 pages in length. These assignments are an opportunity for you to express your feelings/reactions about the weeks topic and assigned readings. Reactions to you reading assignments MUST be incorporated into each short paper if you expect to receive credit for doing the assignment. If there are current events that correspond to the topic of the week you are encouraged to include a discussion of this along with your reactions to the weeks topic and assigned readings. Points will be deducted for papers that have numerous syntax errors. Proof read your work and/or seek help at the writing center before submitting your reaction papers for a grade. Additionally, attendance and participation make up 10% of your final grade. Although attendance is not mandatory per se it is impossible for you to get full participation and/or attendance points if you are not in class. Additionally, since many of the exam questions will be generated from material that comes directly from the lectures and is not contained in your assigned readers it is highly recommended that you attend class regularly. Although it is not my preference to administer "pop-quizzes" I reserve the right to do so if I feel students are not coming to class prepared or attendance becomes a problem. Should this occur the unannounced quiz scores will be tallied as part of your participation and attendance percentage.
 

Reaction Papers	30%
Exam I	20%
Exam II	20%
Exam III	20%
Class Participation	10%

Academic Dishonesty: This includes plagiarism. Under no circumstances will academic dishonesty be tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams, helping another cheat in any way or taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own. Recently, plagiarism from the internet has become an increasing problem. Every semester I find students who are found in violation of the academic dishonesty standards set forth in the Rutgers University handbook and reiterated on the sociology homepage http://sociology.camden.rutgers.edu. All violations of academic dishonesty will immediately be referred to Rutgers University officials. The specific rules governing academic dishonesty are addressed in the University undergraduate catalog and student handbook. Sanctions range from failing the course to expulsion.

Course Outline and Reading Assignments: This is a general outline and is subject to change based on the discretion of the instructor. Please be mindful of the fact that class lectures are designed to supplement the text as well as raise other issues. Since 10% of your grade is based on participation during discussions, it is expected that you will fully read the assigned material prior to attending class. Remember, you will be responsible for material contained in the text even if it was not specifically covered in class. For your convienance all reserve readings are available via electronic reserve.

Week 1: Crime Theories

Theories of Crime and Victimization
Crime Profiles: Ch.1; ITOW: Ch 1
Taub and Schneider "Women's Subordination and the Role of Law"

*Week 2: Crime Theories, Offending and Victimization Patterns (Continued)

Theories of Crime and Victimization
Crime Profiles: Ch.1; ITOW: Ch 1
Taub and Schneider "Women's Subordination and the Role of Law"

**September 10, 2002 Reaction Paper #1 Due**

Week 3: Violent and Property Crimes

Crime Profiles: Ch. 2, 5: ITOW Ch. 2, 3, 4
Murder, Aggravated Assault

Week 4: Violent Sex Crimes

Rape, Child Molestation, Incest

Crime Profiles: Ch 3; ITOW Ch.14
Diana Scully "Understanding Sexual Violence"
Fred Pelka "Raped: A Male Survivor Breaks his Silence" (on reserve)

*Week 5: Violent Sex Crimes (Continued)

Rape, Child Molestation, Incest

Crime Profiles: Ch 3; ITOW Ch.14
Diana Scully "Understanding Sexual Violence"
Fred Pelka "Raped: A Male Survivor Breaks his Silence" (on reserve)

**Exam I: Thursday September 24,, 2002**

*Week 6: Interpersonal Violence

Domestic abuse, stalking, hate crimes

J. Campbell "If I Can't Have You, No One Can: Power and Control in Homicide of Female Partners" (on reserve)
Janice Joseph "Female Victims and Antistalking Legislation" (on reserve)
Susan Miller "Arrest Policies for Domestic Violence and Their Implications for Battered Women" (on reserve)

**October 8, 2002 Reaction Paper #2 Due **

Week 7: Interpersonal Violence (Continued)

Domestic abuse, stalking, hate crimes

J. Campbell "If I Can't Have You, No One Can: Power and Control in Homicide of Female Partners" (on reserve)
Janice Joseph "Female Victims and Antistalking Legislation" (on reserve)
Susan Miller "Arrest Policies for Domestic Violence and Their Implications for Battered Women" (on reserve)

*Week 8: Female Offending

Violence, property offenses, and drug crimes

Rodney Brunson and Jody Miller "Girls and Gangs" (on reserve)
Candace Kruttschnitt "Gender and Violence" (on reserve)
Darrell Steffensmeier and Lisa Broidy "Explaining Female Offending" (on reserve)

**October 22, 2002 Reaction Paper #3 Due **

*Week 9: Occupational and Organized Crime

Professional White Collar Deviance and the Mob and other organized crime organizations

Crime Profiles: Ch. 7
ITOW Ch.11

**October 29, 2002 Reaction Paper # 4 Due

*Week 10: Public Order Crimes: Are they really victimless crime?

Prostitution, Pornography, Drug Use, and Gambling

Crime Profiles: Ch. 8
ITOW Ch. 18, 19, 20, 21
Robert Meier and Gilbert Geis "Morality, Harm and the Criminal Law" (on reserve)

*Week 10: Public Order Crimes: Are they really victimless crimes? (continued)

Crime Profiles: Ch. 8
ITOW Ch. 18, 19, 20, 21
Robert Meier and Gilbert Geis "Morality, Harm and the Criminal Law" (on reserve)

**November 5, 2002 Reaction Paper # 5 Due

*Week 11: Public Order Crimes: Are they really victimless crimes? (continued)

Crime Profiles: Ch. 8
ITOW Ch. 18, 19, 20, 21
Robert Meier and Gilbert Geis "Morality, Harm and the Criminal Law" (on reserve)

** Exam II November 5, 2002**

Week 12: Juvenile Delinquency

Gangs, Drugs, Status Offenses

Kimberly Kempf-Leopard and Paul Tracey "The Gender Effect Among Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders" (on reserve)
Elizabeth Deschenes, et al. "Gender Differences in Delinquency and Substance Abuse" (on reserve)
Meda Chesney-Lind "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" (on reserve)
Darlene Conley, "Adding Color to a Black and White Picture: Racial Disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice System" (on reserve)

**November 12, 2002 Reaction Paper # 6 Due**

Week 13: Criminal Justice Policy and their Implications

Mona Danner "Three Strikes and It's Women Who are Out" (on reserve)
Merry Morash and Lila Rucker "A Critical Look at the Idea of Boot Camp" (on reserve)
Stephanie Bush-Baskette "The War on Drugs as a War Against Black Women" (on reserve)
Zoam Snyder-Joy and Teresa Carlo "Parenting Through Prison Walls" (on reserve)
Michael Tonry "Racial Politics, Racial Disparities, and the War on Crime" (on reserve)
Stewart D'Alessio and Lisa Stolzenberg "Socioeconomic Status and the Sentencing of the Traditional Offender" (on reserve)
Laura Fishman and Richard Turner "Race Matters within the Vermont Prison System" (on reserve)

No Class: Thanksgiving Break Thursday November 28, 2002!

Week 14: Justice Policy and their Implications (continued)

Mona Danner "Three Strikes and It's Women Who are Out" (on reserve)
Merry Morash and Lila Rucker "A Critical Look at the Idea of Boot Camp" (on reserve)
Stephanie Bush-Baskette "The War on Drugs as a War Against Black Women" (on reserve)
Zoam Snyder-Joy and Teresa Carlo "Parenting Through Prison Walls" (on reserve)
Michael Tonry "Racial Politics, Racial Disparities, and the War on Crime" (on reserve)
Stewart D'Alessio and Lisa Stolzenberg "Socioeconomic Status and the Sentencing of the Traditional Offender" (on reserve)
Laura Fishman and Richard Turner "Race Matters within the Vermont Prison System" (on reserve)

Week 15: Review for Final Exam

Week 16: Final Exam Scheduled for Monday December 16, 2002 @ 2:00 -5:00 pm**