PROBATION, PAROLE, & RELEASE PROGRAMS

Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice

CJC 345

Breyer State University

Instructor: Charles "Chuck" Fields, Ph.D.

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Probation, Parole, and Release Programs, an undergraduate-level course in the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree curriculum, addresses community-based corrections and alternatives to incarceration, and the role they play within the criminal justice system. Probation (traditional and intensive), parole and other early release programs, halfway houses, house arrest and electronic monitoring will be examined. This will include a variety of new and innovative treatment programs, as well as some long established practices. The role of the probation and parole officer will also be discussed.

TIME FRAME: This is a ten (10) semester hour course. The course and all exams and/or 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 your textbooks have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame as extensions are very rare without special circumstances. Upon successful completion of this course you will be awarded ten (10) semester hours of credit. You may accelerate and finish the course prior to the ten-week mark, but not in less than five weeks. There is no mandate to accelerate; it is simply an option if you are able to devote extra time to this course.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one (1) required textbook for this course:

Book 1: Community-Based Corrections, 4th Ed. McCarthy, Belinda Rodgers, et al.Belmont, CA: Wadsworth: (2001)(ISBN: 0-534-51673-4).

Additionally, there is some material you must obtain via the internet (download and print; no charge on the sites). Please obtain the textbook and other materials listed below as soon as possible.

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From the Internet:

1). http://virlib.ncjrs.org/corr.asp (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bulletin: Probation and Parole in the United States, 2001 [August 2002])

2). http://virlib.ncjrs.org/corr.asp (Joan Petersilia, When Prisoners Return to the Community: Political, Economic, and Social Consequences [November, 2000])

ASSIGNMENTS: By the fifth week of class, you should have read the assigned text and the internet materials. By the eighth week, you must have selected and notified me as to a topic for your paper; you may submit an outline of the paper to me for feedback if you so desire.

EXAMINATION/FINAL PAPER: There is one midterm examination for this course (completed by the fifth week) and will consist of several (18-20) short essay questions that demonstrate your understanding of the assigned readings, and a eight-ten (8-10) page final paper on a topic relating to the course (I can offer suggestions as to the topic and must approve your selection). Please use some form of consistent referencing of sources which is due by the tenth week of class (via e-mail attachment). The midterm will have questions from the text as well as from the internet readings. Upon your request, I will e-mail the exam to you and once you complete it (within one week from the time I send it to you), attach it as an e-mail back to me. Both the midterm and the final paper will be graded within one week of receiving them.

GRADING: Final grades for this course will be computed as follows:

Excellent (90-100%)         - A
Above Average (80-89%) - B
Average (70-79%)           - C
Poor (below 70%)            - Fail

Midterm Exam (50% of final grade).

Final Paper (50% of final grade).

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: In addition to teaching in the program at Breyer State University, Charles Fields is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Eastern Kentucky University where his teaching interests include penology, drug policy, and comparative and international criminal justice. He has a B.A. (Political Science, 1980) & M.A. (Political Science, 1981) from Appalachian State University and a Ph.D. (Criminal Justice Theory, 1984) from Sam Houston State University. His previous teaching posts include Saginaw Valley State University (MI), Appalachian State University (NC), California State University, San Bernardino (Department Chair of Criminal Justice), and Eastern Kentucky University (Department Chair of Correctional and Juvenile Justice Studies). He has also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Lapland and the Police College of Finland. Professor Fields is the author or co-author of four edited books, over thirty articles, book chapters and reviews, and numerous technical reports and monographs. Current research interests include international drug policy, comparative criminal justice systems, and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: After completing this course, you should be able to:

1). Define, with examples, each of the various types of community-based concepts.
2). Understand the process by which an offender is assigned to probation services.
3). Comprehend the reintegrative ideal as it relates to dealing with offender in the community.
4). Understand why many jurisdictions have abolished parole.
5). Know the structure and rationale of the pre-sentence investigation.
6). Understand role of the probation and parole officer in the correctional process.
7). Comprehend special needs offenders (e.g., drug/alcohol, sex offenders, mentally ill) that are dealt with in the community correctional system.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may contact the instructor at chuck.fields@eku.edu.

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