CORRECTIONS THEORY AND SYSTEMS

Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice

CJ 170

BREYER STATE UNIVERSITY

Instructor: John Moran, BS

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to "Corrections Theory and Systems", a Bachelor Level course in the curriculum for the Degree, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. I am pleased to instruct you in this course, which will allow you to study the American Correctional system. This course is designed to give you a better understanding of different theories and types of issues addressed in the correctional field on a daily basis.

During this course, you will be exposed to various terms used in the correctional field, correctional theories & programs, as well as the roles in the correctional field. We will not perform an in depth study of these topics. This will be done in later courses. This course will only superficially expose you to all the different views and issues facing a corrections officer in the vast field of corrections.

I am looking forward to mentoring you through this course and enjoy seeing you through this step on your way to completing your Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice.

TIME FRAME: This is a six (6) semester hour course. The course assignments must be completed within ten weeks. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course or the day that you advise me that you are ready to begin your studies. Please monitor the time frame as extensions are very rare without special circumstances. Upon successful completion of this course you will be awarded six (6) semester hours of credit. You may accelerate and finish the course prior to the ten week mark, but not in less than four weeks. There is NO mandate to accelerate, it is simply an option for those students who are able to devote extra time to this course.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one required textbook for this course.

Book 1: Corrections in the United States: A Contemporary Perspective. Dean John Champion. Pearson Education. 2005: ISBN # 0-13-102736-0.

Optional Books:

Book 2: America's Dumbest Criminals. Daniel R. Bulter, Leland Gregory, Alan Ray. Random House Value Publishing, Incorporated
May, 2000: ISBN # 0517208903.

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EXAMINATIONS: There will be two exams for this course. A mid-term and a final exam. The mid-term will be at the end of week five, and the final will be at the end of week ten.

GRADING: The grading scale for the course is as follows:

90%-100%  = A
80%-89%   = B
70%-79%   = C
Below-70% = Fail

TOPIC PAPER: You are to write a paper on a topic that you learned from this class. It should be around five to seven pages which does not include the cover or the bibliography. This will count as 30% of your total grade.

POINT DISTRIBUTION: There is 200 possible points.

Midterm      - 70 points or 35%
Final           - 70 points or 35%
Topic Paper - 60 points or 30%

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me via e-mail, group chat in BSU's virtual chat room, or even by telephone if necessary. Depending on how many students are enrolled in this course, we may have one or several group chats scheduled, of which you will be notified. If your e-mail address changes at any time during this course, please notify me right away.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: I, John Moran, graduated from Youngstown State University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Criminal Justice. During my studies there I took many psychology and computer science courses. I also am a graduate of the Youngstown State Police Academy, where I graduated with the third highest grade of a class of 50 cadets. I plan to, in the future, earn my Masters in Policing Science. In my spare time I enjoy weight lifting, jogging, music, and pistol shooting.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Understand the various philosophies within Corrections.
2). Know the history of the Correctional System.
3). Understand the functions of jails, their history, and the types of inmates they house.
4). Understand the various positions in jail administrations.
5). Understand how prisons differ from jails.
6). Know about the privatization of prisons.
7). Understand inmate rights.
8). Understand the various early release programs available, such as parole, probation, and community corrections.
9). Know about correctional officers, their training and how they are selected.
10). Know about woman offenders.
11). Know about Juvenile Corrections.
12). Understand various terms used in the field of Corrections.

COURSE CONTENT: The following is a sample of the course content.

1). Types of prisons.
2). Types of prisoners.
3). Prison security measures.
4). Rehabilitation programs.
5). Prisoner release programs.
6). Different jobs involved in the correctional field.
7). Theories in the correctional field.
8). Stress related issues.
9). The prisoner sub-culture.
10). Prison gangs.
11). Juvenile justice system.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may address them to adm@breyerstate.com. An administrative faculty member will respond to all questions.