POEC 6300 Crime, Criminals & Societal Responses Fall 2006

Program in Public Policy & Political Economy

School of Economic, Political, & Policy Sciences; University of Texas at Dallas

Wednesdays 4-6:45 in 3.604 Green Hall

Professor Kimberly Kempf-Leonard 972-883-4969 kleonard@utdallas.edu

Office: Green 2.120; Office Hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays 3-3:50 & by appointment

Course Pre-requisites: None

Course Description
This course is a pro-seminar intended to introduce students to graduate-level studies in the field of
criminology. Criminology is an interdisciplinary investigation that integrates a variety of perspectives
and approaches to understand the origins of crime, criminality, and the rationale for and effectiveness of
society’s response to crime and criminals. Criminology, according to most criminologists, is a science.
In this course, we explore what it means to be a criminologist. We become familiar with “mainstream”
explanations for crime, patterns of offending, and typical criminal justice procedures. We consider what
alternatives to traditional “systems” of justice may offer. We also examine emerging topics of interest to
criminologists.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Students will:
1. recognize distinctions between classical and positive schools of criminology;
2. identify patterns of crime and the strengths and weaknesses associated with sources of data
3. analyze theoretical explanations & policy issues connected with a topic currently examined by
criminologists.

Required Readings, Assignments & Academic Calendar

1. Aug. 23 What is criminology?

Class meeting:
We’ll discuss our mutual expectations for the course, criminology, and the
assignments.

2. Aug. 30 What are the resources for criminology?

Assignment #1: Bring to class some recent information on patterns of offending or
offenders and knowledge about the source of these data. Please bring a sufficient number
of copies of tables to share.
Class meeting: Come to class prepared to discuss strengths and weaknesses of existing
sources of data on crime, and what patterns we see in these data.

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 Reading assignment:
Britt, Chester L. (2005) “Criminology.” in K. Kempf-Leonard (ed.) Encyclopedia of
Social Measurement. San Francisco, CA: Elsevier.
Brown, Stephen. E., Finn-Aage Esbensen, & Gilbert Geis (2001). “Production of
crime statistics.” Pp. 83-128 in Criminology: Explaining Crime and Its Context, 4th
edition. Cincinati, OH: Anderson.

3. Sept. 6 Why does crime happen?

Class meeting: Come prepared to talk about the main arguments of Beccaria and
Durkheim and how they differ, and issues about the status of theory raised by Bernard
and Ritti.
Reading assignment:
Beccaria, Cesare (1764) On Crimes and Punishments (pp. 7-67)
Durkheim, Emile (1938) The Rules of Sociological Method. (translated by S.A. Solovay
and J.H. Mueller), G.C. Gatlin (ed.) (1966) NY: Free Press (pp. 65-73).
Bernard, Thomas J. & Richard Ritti (1990). “The Role of Theory in Scientific Research.”
Pp. 1-19 in K. L. Kempf (ed.) Measurement Issues in Criminology. NY: Springer-Verlag.

4. Sept. 13 traditional theoretical explanations

Assignment #2 & class meeting: each group is allotted 30 minutes for their presentation.
Each student in the group will receive the grade for the group on this assignment.
Student teams will identify the main arguments, prominent theorists, and current status of
the theoretical perspective for each of the following:
Social Structure (disorganization, strain, opportunity): Rick H., Meredith C.
Social Process: (learning, control, cultural values): Alicia, Meredith M, Andrew
Societal Reaction: (labeling, restorative justice, conflict): Delawnia, Stephen
Deterrence & Choice, routine activity: Bruce, Jennifer
Reading Assignment:
Foreward, Chapters 1 & 2, and Cullen commentary in Guarino-Ghezzi & Trevino

5. Sept. 20 Independent research

Assignment #3: Instead of class meeting, students should locate and turn in a
bibliography listing 5 articles on a current topic of their choosing. These articles should
be refereed journal articles from top-tier journals.

6. Sept. 27 multi-disciplinary explanations of crime

Class meeting: Please come prepared to discuss the material and commentaries.
Reading assignment:
Guarino-Ghezzi, Susan & A. Javier Trevino (2005). Understanding Crime: A
Multidisciplinary Approach. Cincinnati: Anderson.
Assignment #4: Student teams will lead discussion on chapters and commentaries.
Biology:
Psychology
Economics
Philosophy
Religious Studies

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7. Oct. 4 integration and multi-level explanations
Class meeting: Come prepared to discuss how Matza’s theoretical arguments relate to
theories of crime discussed previously
Reading assignment:
Matza, David (1964) Delinquency & Drift NY: Wiley. (on library reserve)
Assignment #5: Please prepare a short paper (4-5 pages) in which you identify the
relative influence in this work from at least two dominant theoretical perspectives.

8. Oct. 11 Why did crime decline in the 1990s (and what’s different now)?
Assignment #6: Write a brief paper (4-5 pages) that identifies at least three arguments
advanced to explain the decline in several types of street crime that occurred in the late
1990s in most parts of the U.S. In particular consider what criminologists have offered as
explanations; how these arguments have been developed, and which arguments are the
best.
Suggested readings:(other scholarly sources you identify are welcome too)
Blumstein, Alfred & Joel Wallman (2000). The Crime Drop in America. Cambridge: NY:
Cambridge University Press. (on library reserve)

9. Oct. 18 Perceptions and reality of crime problems

Assignment #7: Bring two examples of media portrayal of Mexican immigrants to the
U.S. and relate these images to criminologist’s arguments about public perception of
crime.
Suggested readings:
Welch, Michael, Melissa Fenwick & Meredith Roberts (1998). “State Managers,
Intellectuals, and the Media: A Content Analysis of Ideology in Experts’ Quotes in
Feature Newspaper Articles on Crime.” Justice Quarterly 15(2): 219-41.
Chesney-Lind, Meda (1999) “Media Mysogyny: Demonizing ‘Violent’ Girls and
Women.” Pp. 115-41 in J. Ferrell & N. Websdale. Making Trouble: Cultural
Representations of Crime, Deviance, and Control. NY: Aldine.
Bridges, G. S.and S. Steen (1998). “Racial disparities in official assessments of juvenile
offenders: Attributional stereotypes as mediating mechanisms.” American Sociological
Review 63: 554-770 (PDF file on WebCT)

10. Oct. 25 Criminal justice responses to crime problems

Class meeting: Come prepared to compare elements of criminal justice processing
models and discuss other factors that affect responses to crime problems.
Reading assignment:
Walker, Samuel (2001). Sense and Nonsense about Crime and Drugs: A Policy Guide, 5th
edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (pp. 26-60)
Gottfredson, Michael R. & Don M. Gottfredson (1988). Decision Making in Criminal
Justice: Toward the Rational Exercise of Discretion,2nded. NY: Plenum.(pp.1-14;257-82)
Tonry, Michael. (2004) Thinking about Crime: Sense and Sensibility in American Penal
Culture. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (on library reserve & ebook)

11. Nov. 1 American Society of Criminology Annual Meetings, no class meeting

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12. Nov. 8 Desistance (Criminal careers, life course criminology, & the developmental perspective)
Assignment #8: Write a short paper explaining key elements that contribute to desistance
of crime.
Suggested readings:
Maruna, Shadd (2001). Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives.
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association (on reserve)
Sampson, Robert J. & John H. Laub (2003) “Life-Course Desisters? Trajectories of
Crime among Delinquent Boys Followed to Age 70.” Criminology 41 (3): 555-92.
Gadd, David & Stephen Farrall. (2004). “Criminal Careers, Desistance and Subjectivity:
Interpreting Men’s Narratives of Change.” Theoretical Criminology 8(2): 123-56.
Piquero, Alex R. (2004). “Somewhere Between Persistence and Desistance: The
Intermittency of Criminal Careers.” Pp. 102-28 in S. Maruna & R. Immarigeon (eds.)
After Crime and Punishment: Pathways to Offender Reintegration. Devon, UK: WIllan.

13. Nov 15, What interests you?

&14. Nov. 22 Current issues concerning crime, criminals, and society’s response
Assignment #9: Each student will make a brief presentation about the status of
criminological knowledge on a specific topic of interest. The presentation should review
at least 5 articles and include the following: why topic is important; how criminologists
investigate this topic; main findings; whether findings show consensus; what remains to
be identified and how might we proceed.

Nov. 15 Nov. 22
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
6. 6.

Grading Policy

Student’s grades will be calculated based on scores of the following assignments and participation:
5% Assignment 1. crime distribution handout (Aug. 30)
10% Assignment 2. traditional theoretical perspective team presentation (Sept. 13)
5 % Assignment 3. Bibligraphy list of five articles on chosen topic (Sept. 20)
10% Assignment 4. Discussion leadership on multi-disciplinary approaches (Sept. 27)
15% Assignment 5. Paper examining Matza’s theory (Oct. 4)
10% Assignment 6. Paper explaining crime trend (Oct. 11)
5% Assignment 7. exercise on media (Oct. 18)
10% Assignment 8. Paper on desistance (Nov. 8)
15% Assignment 9. Presentation on analysis of current issue (Nov. 22)
15% Colleagial Participation throughout semester

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 Course & Instructor Policies

This is a graduate seminar and it is expected that students will always do the required reading in advance
of class and be prepared to participate substantially in class discussion. Class discussion and debate will
be an integral part of the course experience and such discussion greatly facilitates the synthesis of class
materials. It is not possible to participate in class discussions in any successful fashion without doing
the readings and attending class.

Assignments must be submitted on the due date. There will be no extensions for any reason. Any
assignment that is not submitted on time will be given a grade of zero.

The course requirements have been structured to form a coherent and integrated process. Thus, there is
neither a need nor any opportunity for extra credit assignments.

Class attendance is mandatory unless prior permission has been granted

Again, this is a graduate seminar and students are expected to conduct themselves accordingly. Students
will respect one another as colleagues and any immature, childish, or disruptive behavior will not be
tolerated. Students who fail to comport themselves with these expectations will be required to leave and
will be marked absent.

Field Trip Policies

Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University
policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules
and regulations may be found at the following website address
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean. Below is a description of any
travel and/or risk-related activity associated with this course.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for
the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each
student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct
and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD
publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules
and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

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A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or
she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university
regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of
conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are
also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that
degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications
for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not
one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating,
plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are
subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general
catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for
possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning
security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official
student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and
staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows
the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and
the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is
to be used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at
U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must
be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other
words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will
not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

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 Student Grievance Procedures
Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the
matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates
(hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for
assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not
resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to
the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make
a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and
convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results
of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students,
where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work
to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline,
the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union.
Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to
7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary
to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove
classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are
blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus
an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility

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impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to
provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student
has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should
contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the
travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from
property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the
exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length
of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any
missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the
exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or
assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a
reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor
may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the
student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

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