Criminal Justice
Mr. Pallatto
Course
Information and Outline
The
Course
Students
will engage in a study of the American criminal justice system. Topics to be covered include; evolution of
law, types of crime, justice as a system, the police, the courts and
prisons. Students will learn through
text, class discussions, and student oral presentations. Students will also be exposed to a variety of
topics and will meet a number of professionals who work in various jobs related
to the field.
Supplies
·
A
three-ring binder. The binder must have rings with a diameter of at least 1½
inches. The binder must be divided into 3 clearly labeled sections: Class
Handouts, Notes and Homework, and Returned Work. The Notes and Homework section
must have lined loose-leaf paper.
·
A
cover for your textbook. Textbooks are expensive and it is costly to have them
fixed/replaced. Students who have seriously damaged their textbooks will be
charged for repairs/replacements.
·
Pens
and pencils (Pencils are needed for Scantron
sheets. Pens must be used on written tests, quizzes, and in-class essays.)
·
It
is always wise to have index cards, highlighters, Post-it notes, and computer
storage media (CDs or flash drives) available at home.
Grades
The
grade for each ten-week period is divided into the following categories:
·
Homework/Classwork/Participation:
20%
Homework
includes your reading, and other specific assignments. I will assign homework
for most classes. The more you focus on and actively engage with your
assignments, the more prepared you will be for tests—most of your studying will
have been done ahead of time.
Essays will be done in class. Students
will often have class time to organize essays beforehand. This will be a major
portion of this course in order for to improve persuasive writing skills. Projects
are long-term individual or group research assignments. You may be asked to
create a poster or pamphlet, prepare a PowerPoint presentation with a group,
follow a WebQuest, or participate in a debate.
Participation
includes group work, discussions, class and group participation. Class
discussions will require that students have done the assigned reading; we will
then expand upon that and attempt to make conclusions, connect what we have
read to other things we have learned, and see how the content we are studying
has relevance to current events. Being disruptive and disrespectful in the
classroom will lower your participation grade!
·
Quizzes: 35%
Quizzes are based on nightly readings
from the textbook or other outside sources.
You should always be prepared for a quiz the day after a reading
assignment is given.
·
Tests, Essays and Projects: 45%
Tests are based on whole chapter
and/or larger units of study. Tests will be made up of several types of
questions such as multiple-choice, matching, true or false, and
fill-in-the-blank. Unit tests will have significant writing sections as well. Presentations will count as test grades.
The two
ten-week grades (40% each) and the final exam (20%) will count as the FINAL
grade for the course.
Attendance
With our
schedule, classes do not meet every day of the week, so on either Tuesday,
Wednesday, or Thursday, we will not meet as a class—but students should expect
to be working on assignments every night. Being absent on the day class does
not meet will not excuse students from turning in work if they were present the
day it was assigned as well as the day it is due. It is important not to miss
class! Even with borrowing someone else’s notes, it is difficult to make up the
things learned from discussions and from hearing and seeing lessons and
activities firsthand. Being successful in this course means being here for
every class possible.
See the Student
Handbook for policies on tardiness, absence, credit, and grades.
Making up work: Obviously, some absences are
unavoidable and will be excused. Students may make up work for excused
absences. Check the website or contact classmates to get the assignment for the
next class (or e-mail me, but I may not be checking my e-mail often once I
leave the building for the day). If illness, a family death, or something else
means a student will miss several classes, try to reach me so that I make the
assignments available in advance. In
most cases, make-up work has to be turned in before the end of a unit, but that
will depend on when the absence occurs.
Tests
and quizzes will be made up as soon as possible—within the first few days of
returning to school. See me immediately to arrange to take the test during
lunch/activity period or after school.
Cheating
and the Honor Code
The
Student Handbook describes the consequences for cheating—which includes
plagiarism. When any student turns in homework or a test, he/she is saying that
he/she did all the work and gave credit to others when their work was used as
sources. Copying the exact words out of the textbook to answer assigned
questions is plagiarism and is unacceptable. We will be covering
source citation in class. For class essays and projects, students will be
expected to use formal documentation (such as MLA style).
Success
in This Class
A
student is the only one who can guarantee his/her success. Teachers, parents,
and other students can offer help and guidance, but each individual has to do
the work that brings personal success. In high school, grades reflect the
effort and the quality of student work. But grades aren’t the only sign of
success. I hope this class will be fun for all students and will help them to
think about what is happening in the world in terms of what has happened in the
past.
For
questions or concerns, please see me before school, during lunch/activity
period, or after school. Feel free to e-mail me as well.
Rules
of the Classroom
This is
a short list of my major expectations. I have the right to add or amend rules
as we progress through the class if I feel it is necessary and proper.
1. Civility is of the highest
importance to successful learning. We learn best when we listen to others, are
open to their ideas, and offer others the respect we also wish to receive.
2. Be on time and ready to work and
learn. A pass is always required if you are late to class.
3. Once the bell rings, class has
started. You should end all personal conversations after the bell rings. Be in
your seat and ready to start.
4. Being prepared for class is a
sign of respect. Bring all the supplies you need and do all the assigned work.
5. Students will raise their hands
if they wish to speak during class. Additionally, students are responsible for
listening in class and for all instructions/directions given orally.
6. Students will sign out whenever
they leave class and will sign in when they return or are tardy.
7. Food and drink will be allowed in
the classroom until it becomes a distraction, makes a mess, or is left behind
as trash in the classroom. This includes chewing gum as well.
8. Do not touch anything on my desks without permission. I will
respect your property and privacy and demand that you respect mine.
9. We all have rights—to have the
quiet atmosphere needed for discussion and learning, to have our property (and
communal property, such as the classroom) respected. Students that misuse or
abuse classroom materials and resources will lose their privilege to use them.
10. Use of electronic devices such as
cell phones and iPods are not allowed in class. They should be turned off and
placed in lockers. If they are used during class, those items will be
confiscated and a parent/guardian will have to pick them up at school.
11. There will be no whining about or
haggling over grades. If you have a question or concern about grades, I will be
more than happy to discuss it before school, during lunch/activity, or after
school. It is not appropriate for a student to demand shared class time to
argue over his/her individual scores.
A Quick Math Lesson
I would like to take a minute
to demonstrate the impact a 0 can have on your grades. All too often I see students show little
concern for their averages until it is too late to change. I hope this will drive home how important it
is to complete your work.
Lets say you have two assignments on one you receive a 100
and on the other a 0. Your average will
be a 50 or an F.
Now let’s say you score
another 100. 100+100+0 /3= 66.6 Average = D
100+100+100+0 /4= 75 or C
100+100+100+100+0 /5= 80 or B-
So
if you get even one zero it will take 4 100’s to get a B-. This of course works the same way for quiz
and test averages. Stay on top of the
assignments.
Criminal Justice
Potential Topics to be Covered:
1) Evolution and Necessity of Law:
Why
do we need Law?
Tribal
Law-
Hammurabi’s
Code-
Greek
Law-
Roman
Law:
British
Common Law:
2) Crime and Justice in America:
Crime and Justice as Public Policy Issues-
Defining Crime-
Types of Crime-
The Crime Problem Today-
4) The Criminal Justice System:
Te Goals of the Criminal Justice System-
Criminal Justice in a federal System-
Criminal Justice as a System-
Operations of Criminal Justice Agencies-
The Flow of Decision Making-
Crime and Justice in a Multicultural Society-
5) Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law:
Foundations of Criminal Law-
Substantive Criminal Law-
Procedural Criminal Law-
The Supreme Court Today
6) Police:
History of police-
Law enforcement agencies-
Police Functions-
Organization of the Police-
Police Policy-
Police Actions-
Police and the Community-
7) Police and Constitutional Law:
Legal Limitations on Police Investigation-
Plain View Doctrine-
Warrantless Searches-
Questioning Suspects-
The Exclusionary Rule-
8) Courts:
Courts and Pretrial Process-
Prosecution and Defense-
Determination of Guilt-
Punishment and Sentencing-
9) Corrections:
Development of Corrections-
Organization of Corrections in the
U.S.-
Jails: Detention and Incarceration-
The Law of Corrections-
Correctional Policy-
Correctional Policy Trends-
10) Juvenile Justice:
Youth Crime in the U.S.-
The Development of Juvenile Justice-
The Juvenile Justice System-
The Juvenile Justice Process-
Problems and Perspectives-