CJ 532 - The Politics of Punishment

Course Structure

This is a web-based course. As a summer course students will include campus students and those enrolled in the distance degree program. We will rely on this online course outline, e-mail, and other web-based tools to complete this course.

Throughout this course our focus will be on the analysis of several issues. Please think about these issues as you move through your assignments:

What is punishment and why is it so important?

Is punishment a necessary tool in the effort to reduce crime?

What is the role, and effectiveness, of informal sanctions?

Does punishment have a deterrent value?

Is punishment applied equally or do social class and other variables become active in the process?

How are punishment laws enacted?

How has the push to "get tough on crime" impacted the justice system?

What is the role of the media?

What does the public really know about crime and punishment?

Is this simple a "war on drugs" issue?

Have these laws been effective?

Have punitive policies reduced crime?

How have these policies impacted the prison population?

What costs are associated with punitive responses to crime?

Are more effective options available?

Course Outline and Schedule

Click on the "Course Outline," "Calendar," and "Journals" buttons to review the expectations for this class. Assignments and due dates are listed in the calendar page. Be sure you review the entire Outline and Calendar within the first few days of the semester.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

April 2004 - Kenneth Mentor

http://kenmentor.com