Syllabus
Schedule
Wednesday 17:00 - 18:20, room B103b.
(Week 1) Title: Introduction & syllabus review
Topics:
● Meet your instructors
● Review of the syllabus, requirements and learning outcomes for this course
Instructors: All __
(Week 2) Title: Are people born criminals?
Topics:
● Nature vs. nurture
○ Discussion on the roots of criminal behavior
● What leads different people to commit crime
○ Gender/sex and crime
○ Social status and crime
○ Race and crime
○ Age and crime
● Discussion
Read:
● The Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research. (2016). Theories and causes of crime. http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SCCJR-Causes-of-Crime.pdf
Watch: The Girl Inside Documentary https://tinyurl.com/thegirlinsidedoc
Assignment (5 pts):
● Homework assignment (maximum 3 pts): Write a short response (150-200 words) to how you think different theories presented in the reading could help explain criminal activity of different subgroups, and have one example ready to discuss during class (e.g., what mechanisms could explain White men with high socioeconomic status committing economic crimes?).
● Presence (2 pts)
Instructor: Dr. Kateřina Kudrlová __
(Week 3) Title: Criminal proceedings
Topics:
● Police
○ Investigative techniques and forensic evidence
○ Transnational overlap and international cooperation
○ National specifics
● Path to the truth and/or a victory
○ Public prosecutor
○ To be a defense attorney
○ Witness: relevance, ability, limitations, motivation
○ Victim’s advocate
○ Single judge, judges or a jury
● Discussion
Assignment (maximum 5 pts in total):
● Homework assignment (maximum 3 pts): Explore and write (choose one of the topics as mandatory for maximum 3 pts, completion of both is welcomed):
● I. Police:Think about the position of the police in your country. How much trust do the police have with the population? What power do the police have? Write a short essay (300-1.000 words), submit it via Moodle two days prior to the course and be prepared to present it during class
● II. Investigation methods: Research The History of Crime Scene Investigation https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/1365672 and write down 1-3 investigation methods that could be added to the timeline with short comment, submit it via Moodle two days prior to the course and be prepared to present it during class
● Presence (2 pts)
Instructor: Dr. Kateřina Kudrlová ___
(Week 4) Title: What do we know about victims of crime?
Topics:
● Victimology as a social science in waiting
○ Victim study vs victim blaming
○ Victim-offender relationship
● The role of victim in criminal justice system
● Why me?: the consequences of victimization
● Victimization surveys
Read:
○ Dinisman, T., & Moroz, A. (2017). Understanding victims of crime. London, UK: Victim Support. https://tinyurl.com/mryxkh74
○ Victim Impact Statement Tutorial https://tinyurl.com/2py68tnx
Assignments (5 pts):
● Homework assignment (maximum 3 pts): Write your own victim impact statement. Using the tutorial in required readings, think of a made up crime and write a victim impact statement as a victim of chosen crime. You need to pretend that this crime actually happened to you and include details about the crime, the feelings you experienced and the harm you suffered. It needs to be a complete statement about how this crime impacted your life. You should include the following: 1) The crime that was committed against you or your loved one; 2) How the crime affected you and others (emotionally, physically and financially); 3) What type of sentence you would like the offender to receive, what questions you would like him/her to answer (about the crime or him/herself). Have your statement ready to read during class.
● Presence (2 pts)
Instructor: Mgr. Martina Novopacká __
(Week 5) Title: Corrections : Where is one sent to get “better”?
Topics:
● Punishment philosophies
○ Where do corrections fit in
● Institutional and community corrections
○ Probation and parole
○ Jails, prisons and other institutions
● Types of prison sentences
○ Termed sentences, and extreme sentences and conditions (life without parole, death penalty, solitary confinement)
● Societal consequences of punishment
● Discussion
Read:
○ Miethe, T. D., & Lu, H. (2005). Punishment: A comparative historical perspective. Cambridge University Press. Chapter 2.
● Explore:
○ https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/international
Assignment (maximum 2 pts in total):
● Presence (2 pts)
Instructor: Mgr. Martina Novopacká __
(Week 6) Title: Retribution vs Rehabilitation: The fraught pursuit of justice
Topics:
● Retribute, reform or rehabilitate?
● Alternatives to imprisonment
● Restorative Justice
Watch:
Capital Punishment & Prison Abolition https://tinyurl.com/2p8ye64a
Read:
Copson, L. (2016). Realistic Utopianism and Alternatives to Imprisonment: The ideology of crime and the utopia of harm. Justice, Power and Resistance, 1, 73-96. https://tinyurl.com/2p8uzefy
Assignment (maximum 5 pts in total):
● Homework assignment (maximum 3 pts): Evaluate the merits of restorative justice programs by doing the following:
● Locate a restorative justice program that is currently in use in your country (if you have troubles finding one, ask your instructor for help).
● Write a two-paragraph essay including the following:
Brief description of chosen program. 2-3 costs and 2-3 benefits of the program for victims, perpetrators and community.
● Presence (2 pts)
Instructor:
● Mgr. Martina Novopacká __
(Week 7) Title: Who punishes
Topics:
● The right to a fair trial
● Trial by media
○ Moral panics
● How does the public view the criminal justice system?
○ Public opinion and policy making
○
Annotation
This course is designed to offer an introduction to the study of crime from a social view while uncovering the mechanisms of its processing in Western societies. Covering all relevant branches of the criminal justice system, the main objective is to provide students with a working understanding of the causes of crime, how crime is defined and addressed by formal and informal institutions.
Focus is also on the study of victims of crime (victimology) and means of restoring societal balance after a crime has been committed.