Syllabus: Ethics and Policy in Criminal Justice 50:202:449  Instructor:  Ted Goertzel, goertzel@camden.rutgers.edu.    

The Schedule and Assignments page is at:  http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/CJAssignments.html

Some class notes and materials can be found at:  http://crab.rutgers.edu/%7Egoertzel/CJNotes2004.html
These do not include everything covered in class - you should take your own notes in class.

This course covers the development, implementation, and evaluation of criminal justice policy, and the ethics of law enforcement, court processes, and corrections.  

The Prerequisites for this course are 50:202:201 (Intro to Criminal Justice) and 50:920:301 (Methods and Techniques of Social Research).  If you have not taken Methods prior to this course, you must take it concurrently. 

The textbook for the class  will be  Sense and Nonsense About Crime and Drugs by Samuel Walker, fifth edition (2001).  Used copies are available in the bookstore.  You will need a copy of the book to complete the assignment due on January 26,

Procedures and Grading:

The class meets Monday and Wednesday, 2:50 to 4:10.  Regular attendance is required and will count for at least 10% of the grade.  If you must miss class, on either a Monday or a Wednesday, you should check the Alternative Assignments page for a make-up writing assignment.  Alternative Assignments are due within one week of the class missed, and should be posted to the Alternative Assignments discussion list on WEBCT.  Just copy the text and paste it in the space provided.  No more than two classes can be made up with an alternative writing assignments unless acceptable excuses are presented.  (Please save your medical or other excuses until you need them to miss a third class.)  This policy applies to classes in the first two weeks - even if you join the class late you must do an alternative writing assignment to cover the absences.

Study questions will be posted each week on the Schedule and Assignments page.   Typed answers to these questions must be brought to class on Monday.  Students will be asked to share their answers with the class.  We will go over the "correct" answers to the questions in class, they will not be posted.  These study questions will count for at least 10% of the course grade.  If you must miss a Monday class, you may email  the answers to the instructor by 1 p.m. on Monday so they can be shared with the class.  Please paste the answers into the text of the email, do not attach Word or other files.  You will get full credit for the emailed answers, if they arrive by 1 p.m. on Monday, but you will not get attendance credit for the day unless you complete a make-up writing assignment.  No credit will be given for late study questions.

On Wednesdays, we will have a variety of activities including lectures and discussion, but also laboratory exercises and group activities.  Criminal justice policies are formulated and implemented by organizations and groups, and it is important to practice leadership, teamwork  and communication skills.  Group activities help us to learn from each other   Elizabeth Brood will be joining the classes on Wednesdays to assist with group process.

In the second part of the semester, students will be divided into teams to prepare options memoranda that will be presented to the class.  These will count for about 20% of the grade.  Midterm and final examinations, quizzes and other assignments will make up the remainder of the grade.