Criminal Justice in America Unit 1: What is Law? Section 1: What is Criminal Justice? Questions: 1. Describe the American Experience with crime during the last half century. What noteworthy criminal 2. incidents or activities can you identify during that time, and what social and economic conditions might have produced them? 3. What are the differences between individual rights perspective and the public order perspective? 4. What is justice? What aspects of justice does this section discuss? How does criminal justice relate to social justice and other wider notions of equity and fairness? 5. What are the main components of the criminal justice system? How do they interrelate? How might they conflict? 6. List and summarize the stages of case processing that characterize the American system of criminal justice. 7. What does the term process of law mean? Where in the American legal system are guarantees of due process found? 8. What is meant by the term evidence based practice, and what is the role of research in criminal justice? How can research influence crime control policy? 9. What is multiculturalism? What is social diversity? What impact do multiculturalism and diversity have on the practice of criminal justice in contemporary American society? Vocab: 1. Civil Justice 2. Conflict Model 3. Consensus Model 4. Crime 5. Criminal Justice 6. Criminology 7. Crime-Control Model 8. Due Process 9. Due Process Model 10. Evidence Based Practice 11. Individual Rights 12. Individual Rights Advocate 13. Justice 14. Multiculturalism 15. Public Order Advocate 16. Social Control 17. Social Justice Criminal Justice in America Section 2: The Crime Picture Questions: 1. Describe the historical development of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and list the crimes on which it reports. How is the ongoing implementation o the National Incident Based Reporting System changing the UCR Program? 2. Describe the history of the National Crime Victimization Survey Program. What do data from the NCVS tell us about crime in the United States today? 3. What are the special categories of crime? What are they important? Why are some of them not as important? Vocab: 1. Aggravated Assault 2. Arson 3. Assault 4. Bureau of Justice Statistics 5. Burglary 6. Clearance Rate 7. Computer Crime 8. Computer Virus 9. Corporate Crime 10. Crime Index 11. Crime Typology 12. Cyber stalking 13. Cyber terrorism 14. Dark Figure of Crime 15. Date Rape 16. Domestic Terrorism 17. Forcible Rape 18. Hate Crime 19. Identity Theft 20. International Terrorism 21. Larceny-Theft 22. Malware 23. Motor Vehicle Theft 24. Murder 25. National Crime Victimization Survey 26. National Incident Based Reporting System 27. Organized Crime 28. Part I Offenses 29. Part II Offenses 30. Property Crime 31. Rape 32. Robbery 33. Sexual Battery 34. Spam 35. Special Categories of Crime 36. Stalking 37. Terrorism 38. Transnational Crime 39. Uniform Crime Reporting Program 40. Violent Crime 41. White Collar Crime Criminal Justice in America Section 3: Criminal Law Questions: 1. What is the purpose of law? What would a society be without law? 2. What is the rule of law? What is its purpose in Western Democracies? What does it mean to say, “Nobody is above the law”? 3. What re the types of law? What purpose does each serve? 4. What re the five categories of criminal law? Describe each and rank the categories in terms of seriousness. 5. List and describe the eight features of a crime. What are the “three conjoined elements” that compromise the legal essence of the concept of crime? 6. What is meant by the corpus delicti of a crime? Hoes does the corpus delecti of a crime differ from the statutory elements that must be proved to convict a particular defendant of committing that crime? 7. What four broad categories of criminal defenses does our legal system recognize? Under what circumstances might each be employed? Vocab: 1. Actus Reus 2. Alibi 3. Alter Ego Rule 4. Attendant Circumstances 5. Case Law 6. Civil Law 7. Common Law 8. Concurrence 9. Corpus Delicti 10. Criminal Law 11. Criminal Negligence 12. Defense 13. Diminished Capacity 14. Double Jeopardy 15. Element of a Crime 16. Entrapment 17. Espionage 18. Ex Post Fact 19. Excuse 20. Felony 21. Guilty but Mentally Ill 22. Inchoate Offense 23. Incompetent to Stand Trial 24. Infraction 25. Insanity Defense 26. Jurisprudence 27. Justification 28. Law 29. Legal Cause 30. M’Naghten Rule 31. Mens Rea 32. Misdemeanor 33. Motive 34. Offense 35. Penal Code 36. Precedent 37. Procedural Law 38. Procedural Defense 39. Reasonable Force 40. Reckless Behavior 41. Rule of Law 42. Self Defense 43. Stare Decisis 44. Statutory Law 45. Strict Liability 46. Substantive Criminal Law 47. Tort 48. Treason Criminal Justice in America Unit 2: The Police Section 1: Policing: Purpose and Organization Questions: 1. What are the basic purposes of policing in democratic societies? How are they consistent with one another? In what ways might they be inconsistent? 2. What are the three major levels of law enforcement? Why do we have so many different types of law enforcement agencies in the United States? What problems if any do you think are created by such a diversity of agencies? 3. What are they various features of police administration? What is meant by chain of command? 4. What stages of historical development aid American police agencies experience? How did policing styles differ by historical era? 5. What is community policing? How does it differ from traditional policing? Does community policing offer an opportunity to improve policing services in the United States? Why or why not? 6. What is police discretion? How does the practice of discretion by today’s officers affect their departments and the policing profession as a whole? Vocab 1. Chain of Command 2. Charleston Policing 3. Community Policing 4. Comp Stat 5. Crime Prevention 6. Directed Patrol 7. Evidence Based Policing 8. Kansas City Experiment 9. Legalistic Style 10. Line Operations 11. Police Discretion 12. Police Management 13. Police Subculture 14. Police-Community Relations 15. Problem Solving Policing 16. Quality of Life Offense 17. Scientific Police Management 18. Service Style 19. Sheriff 20. Span of Control 21. Staff Operations 22. Strategic Policing 23. Team Policing 24. Watchman Style Criminal Justice in America Section 2: Legal Aspects of Policing Questions: 1. Name some of the legal restraints on police action, and list some types of behaviors that might be considered abuse of police authority. 2. How do the Bill of Rights and democratically inspired legal restrains on the police help ensure personal freedoms in our society? 3. Describe the legal standards for assessing searches and seizures conducted by law enforcement agencies. 4. What is arrest, and when does it occur? How do legal understandings of the term differ from popular depictions of the arrest process? 5. What is the roll of interrogation in intelligence gathering? List each of the Miranda Warnings. Which recent Supreme Court cases have affected the Miranda Warning requirements? Vocab: 1. “Sneak and Peek” Search 2. Anticipatory Warrant 3. Arrest 4. Bill of Rights 5. Compelling Interest 6. Digital Criminal Forensics 7. Electronic Communications Privacy Act 8. Electronic Evidence 9. Emergency Search 10. Exclusionary Rule 11. Fleeting of Targets exception 12. Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Doctrine 13. Good Faith Exception 14. Illegally Seized Evidence 15. Inherent Coercion 16. Interrogation 17. Landmark Cases 18. Latent Evidence 19. Miranda Triggers 20. Miranda Warnings 21. Plain View Doctrine 22. Probable Cause 23. Psychological Manipulation 24. Reasonable Suspicion 25. Search Incident to an Arrest 26. Suspicion less Search 27. USA Patriot Act 28. Warrant 29. Writ of Certiorari Criminal Justice in America Section 3: Issues and Challenges of Policing Questions: 1. What is the police working personality? What are its central features? How does it develop? How does it relate to police subculture? 2. What are the different types of police corruption? What themes run through the finding of the Knapp Commission and the Wickersham Commission? What innovative steps might police departments take to reduce or eliminate corruption among their officers? 3. What are the dangers of police work? What can be done to reduce those dangers? 4. How has the threat of terrorist attacks affected American policing today? Are American police agencies prepared to prevent and respond to terrorism? Explain. 5. What are some of the civil liability issues associated with policing? How can civil liability be reduced? 6. What is racial profiling? Why has it become a significant issue in policing today? 7. In what kinds of situations are police officers most likely to use force? When has too much force been used? 8. Is police work a profession? Explain. What are the advantages of viewing policing as a profession? How can professionalism be enhanced? 9. What ethic and gender differences characterize policing today? What is the social significance of this diversity? 10. What are the nature and extent of private protective services in the United States today? What role do you think private protective services will play in the future? How can the quality of such services be ensured? Vocab: 1. Biological Weapons 2. Bivens Action 3. Civil Liability 4. Criminal Intelligence 5. Deadly Force 6. Excessive Force 7. Intelligence-Led Policing 8. Internal Affairs 9. Knapp Commission 10. Less-Lethal Weapon 11. Police Corruption 12. Police Ethics 13. Police Professionalism 14. Police Subculture 15. Police Use of Force 16. Police Working Personality 17. Private Protective Services 18. Problem Police Officer 19. Racial Profiling Criminal Justice in America Unit 3: Adjudication Section 1: The Courts Questions: 1. How did the American court system develop? What are some of the unique features of American court history? What is the dual court system? Why do we have a dual court system in America? 2. How is a typical state court system structured? What different types of courts might exist at the state level, and what kinds of jurisdiction might they have? 3. What are the three levels characteristic of the federal judiciary? What are some of the differences between the state and federal court systems in America? 4. What steps are typically taken before the start of a criminal trial? Vocab: 1. Appeal 2. Appellate Jurisdiction 3. Arraignment 4. Bail Bond 5. Community Court 6. Competent to Stand Trial 7. Court of Last Resort 8. Danger Law 9. Dispute-Resolution Center 10. Federal Court System 11. First Appearance Bail 12. Grand Jury 13. Indictment 14. Information 15. Judicial Review 16. Jurisdiction 17. Nolo Contendere 18. Original Jurisdiction 19. Plea 20. Plea Bargaining 21. Preliminary Hearing 22. Pretrial Release 23. Property Bond 24. Release on Recognizance 25. State Court Administrator 26. State Court System 27. Trial de Novo Criminal Justice in America Section 2: The Courtroom Work Group and the Criminal Trial Questions: 1. Who are the professional members of the courtroom work group and what are their roles? 2. Who are the nonprofessional courtroom participants, and what are their roles? 3. What is the purpose of a criminal trial? What is the difference between factual guilt and legal guilt? What do we mean by the term adversarial system? 4. What are the various stages of a criminal trial? Describe each one. Vocab: 1. Trial Courtroom Work Group 2. Judge 3. Prosecutor 4. Prosecutorial Discretion 5. Exculpatory Evidence 6. Defense Counsel 7. Public Defender 8. Bailiff 9. Expert Witness 10. Lay Witness 11. Subpoena 12. Victim Assistance Program 13. Juror 14. Change of Venue 15. Rules of Evidence 16. Adversarial System 17. Speedy Trial Act 18. Peremptory Challenge 19. Jury Selection 20. Scientific Jury Selection 21. Sequestered Jury 22. Opening Statement 23. Evidence 24. Direct Evidence 25. Circumstantial Evidence 26. Real Evidence 27. Probative Value 28. Testimony 29. Perjury 30. Hearsay 31. Hearsay Rule 32. Closing Argument 33. Verdict Criminal Justice in America Unit 4: Sentencing and Corrections Section 1: Sentencing Questions: 1. Describe the five goals of contemporary criminal sentencing. Which of these goals do you think ought to be the primary goal of sentencing? How might your choice vary with the type of offense? In what circumstances might your choice be less acceptable? 2. Describe the nature of indeterminate sentencing and explain its positive aspects. What led some states to abandon indeterminate sentencing? 3. What is structured sentencing? What structured sentencing models are in use today? Which model holds the best promise for long-term crime reduction? Why? 4. What are alternative sanctions? Give some examples of alternative sanctions, and offer an assessment of how effective they might be. 5. What is presentence investigation? How do PSIs contribute to the contents of presentence reports? How are presentence reports used? 6. Describe the history of victims’’ rights and services in this country. What role does the victim play in criminal justice proceedings today? 7. What re the four modern sentencing options? Under what circumstances might each be appropriate? 8. Do you support or oppose capital punishment? Outline the arguments on both sides of the issue. Vocab: 1. Aggravating Circumstances 2. Alternative Sentencing 3. Capital Offense 4. Capital Punishment 5. Concurrent Sentence 6. Consecutive Sentence 7. Determinate Sentencing 8. Deterrence 9. Diversion 10. Equity 11. Gain Time 12. General Deterrence 13. Good Time 14. Incpacitation 15. Indeterminate Sentencing 16. Just Deserts 17. Mandatory Sentencing 18. Mitigating Circumstances 19. Presentence Investigation 20. Presumptive Sentencing 21. Proportionality 22. Rehabilitation 23. Restoration 24. Restorative Justice 25. Retribution 26. Sentencing 27. Social Debt 28. Specific Deterrence 29. Structred Sentencing 30. Truth in Sentencing 31. Victim-Impact Statement 32. Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines 33. Writ of Habeas Corpus Criminal Justice in America Section 2: Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections Questions: 1. What is probation? How did it develop? What purpose does it serve? 2. What is parole? How do probation and parole differ? How are they alike? 3. List and explain the advantages and disadvantages of probation and parole. 4. Name and describe significant court cases that have had an impact on the practices of probation and parole. 5. What do probation and parole officers do? What role do probation officers play in the sentencing of convicted offenders? 6. What are intermediate sanctions? How do they differ from more traditional forms of sentencing? What advantages do they offer? 7. How are probation and parole changing? What does the future hold for each? Vocab: 1. Caseload 2. Community Service 3. Conditional Release 4. Conditions of Parole 5. Conditions of Probation 6. Discretionary Release 7. Home Confinement 8. Intensive Probation Supervision 9. Intermediate Sanction 10. Mandatory Release 11. Mixed Sentence 12. Parole 13. Parole Board 14. Parole Revocation 15. Parole Violation 16. Prisoner Reentry 17. Probation 18. Probation Revocation 19. Probation Revocation 20. Probation Violation 21. Recidivism 22. Remote Location Monitoring 23. Restitution 24. Revocation Hearing 25. Shock Incarceration 26. Shock Probation 27. Split Sentence Criminal Justice in America Unit 5 Prisons and Jails Section 1 Prisons and Jails Questions: 1. What are today’s prisons like? What purpose do they serve? 2. What role do jails play in American corrections? What are some of the issues that jail administrators currently face? 3. What is the role of private prisons today? What will be the state of private prisons two or three decades from now? Vocab: 1. ADMAX 2. Classification System 3. Design Capacity 4. Direct-Supervision Jail 5. Ex Post Facto 6. Jail 7. Justice Model 8. Operational Capacity 9. Prison 10. Prison Capacity 11. Private Prison 12. Privatization 13. Rated Capacity 14. Regional Jail Section 2 Prison Life Questions: 1. What are prison subcultures, and how do they influence prison life? How do they develop, and what purpose do they serve? 2. How do women’s prisons differ from men’s? why have women’s prisons been studied less often than institutions for men? 3. What are the primary concerns of prison staff? What other goals might staff member’s focus on? 4. What causes prison riots? How might riots be prevented? 5. What are some of the major issues that prisons face today? What new issues might the future bring? Vocab: 1. Total Institution 2. Prison Subculture 3. Prisonization 4. Prison Argot 5. Security Threat Group 6. Hands-Off Doctrine 7. Civil Death 8. Balancing Test 9. Grievance Procedure 10. Deliberate Indifference Criminal Justice in America Unit 6 Juvenile Justice Questions: 1. Describe the history and evolution of the juvenile justice system in the Western world, and list the six categories of children recognized by the laws of most states. 2. What are the major similarities and differences between the juvenile and adult justice systems? 3. What directions might juvenile justice take in the future? What might provide the impetus for such changes? Vocab: 1. Abused Child 2. Adjudicatory Hearing 3. Blended Sentence 4. Delinquency 5. Delinquent Child 6. Dependent Child 7. Disposition Hearing 8. Intake 9. Juvenile 10. Juvenile Court 11. Juvenile Disposition 12. Juvenile Justice System 13. Juvenile Petition 14. Neglected Child 15. Parens Patriae 16. Status Offender 17. Status Offense 18. Teen Court 19. Undisciplined Child