CJS 3305: Social Control and Criminal Sanctions Dr.

Kimberly Kempf Leonard

Fall 2005 Office 2.120 Green Hall
Wed. 4-6:45 in 1.102 Conference Ctr. Office hours: 5:30-6:30 Tu., 3-3:45 W. & by appt.
Phone: 972-883-4969
Email: kleonard@utdallas.edu
Course Description
No prerequisite, but CJS 3302 Criminology or 3303 Criminal Justice or related experience is recommended. This course will
examine various means by which society attempts to control the deviant and criminal conduct of its members. Social control
encompasses both formal and informal mechanisms and a variety of institutions and social processes that are designed to
deter inappropriate conduct, if possible, and/or punish and reform such conduct when it does occur. Social control has
changed considerably over time and various social control philosophies and techniques have been prevalent in one time
frame but not in others.
How to respond to crime problems is a controversial concern in modern society. Politicians are careful to avoid actions and
statements that may be interpreted as “soft on crime.” Few criminologists claim to be experts on how to respond to crime,
however, we are often considered authorities and called upon to provide advice. Our views tend to be founded on dominant
philosophies and methods available to us. The public debate about what to do about crime will be better informed if the
public is exposed to what we know, how we have come to know it, and what we do not and cannot know.
Writings on the social response to crime come from a variety of disciplines—law, philosophy, social psychology, sociology,
and criminology. We will read selections from many of the best representative works on the criminal justice process as it
functions internally and as it relates to the society where it operates. We will read some of the classic works along with
contemporary scholars.
Expectations of Students & Grading Policy
Course grades will be calculated based on the following:
10% Active attendance & collegial interaction.
Students are expected to read assignments in advance of class meetings and to take part in discussions.
Diverse experiences and opinions make it especially important for learning about controversial social
control perspectives that class participants be open-minded and respectful of one another. In addition to
being courteous and responsible, it is important for learning that students attend class, so repeated
absences or tardiness, regardless of the reason, will not be considered favorably. Moreover, except in
unusual circumstances, late submissions and make up assignments will not be allowed.
30% Notebook (due Oct. 26)
Students will compile a notebook of current events related to social control obtained from recent
newspaper and magazine articles. This collection should include five complete articles on different topics.
Students should write a brief (2-3 pages) evaluation of each article based on two theoretical perspectives
covered in class. Notebooks will be graded on accuracy of theoretical interpretations, relevance and
applications to current social control issues, and thoughtful creativity. The best efforts will include most of
the theories somewhere in the notebook.
30% Group project (presentations throughout & reports due Nov. 9)
Students will participate in one group project, designated on Aug. 31. Each group will be assigned a
current issue of social control, and will be asked to identify policies and procedures, determine how they
relate to theoretical perspectives, assess their likelihood of success, and make creative recommendations
for the future. Each group will present their findings to the class on an assigned day, and provide the
professor with a short written summary on Nov. 9. Project grades will be based 50 percent on the
aggregate of individual scores from each member, and 50 percent on professor’s assessment of the
project.
30% Evaluation of Making Good (due Nov. 23)
Students will relate social control theories covered throughout the semester to Maruna’s findings in his
research on recidivism and desistance among active, committed offenders. This is the final opportunity for
students to convey their comprehension of course materials. The 6-9 page paper should be typed, double-
 spaced, with 11-12 pt. font, 1” margins, proofread, and with appropriate citations. Given the size of the
class, electronic submissions won’t be accepted.
Required Readings
Garland, David. 2001. Mass Imprisonment: Social Causes and Consequences Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• This edited volume is a collection of conference papers originally published as a special issue of Punishment &
Society: The International Journal of Penology (2001, vol. 3, issue 1)
Maruna, Shadd. 2001. Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives. Washington, D.C.: American
Psychological Association. (ISBN 1-55798-731-9)
• winner of the American Society of Criminology’s Michael J. Hindelang Book Award for the most outstanding
contribution in criminology in 2001
Both books should be available at both bookstores. Making Good is also on library reserve. Other reading assignments are
accessible at websites noted below or on reserve at the library. To access materials on electronic reserve, follow these
instructions: 1. Go to library catalog: library.utdallas.edu
2. Click the “Course Reserves” tab.
3. From the pull down menu next to Course, select CJS 3305
4. Select desired title from list.
5. Password for this e-reserves course is: cjs3305
Course Schedule Assigned Reading
Week 1: Aug. 24 syllabus!
Week 2: Aug. 31 1. Garland, David. Introduction to Mass Imprisonment
2. Mauer, Marc. chapter 1 in Mass Imprisonment
Week 3: Sept. 7 1. Beccaria, Cesare, 1764. Dei delitti e delle pene. (Of Crimes and Punishments)
(chapters 1-8, 12, 19, 27-29, 41, 44, 47)
Available at: http://www.constitution.org/cb/crim_pun.htm
http://www.crimetheory.com/Archive/Beccaria/Beccaria01.htm
http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/poltheory/beccaria/delitti/
2. Bentham, Jeremy, 1823. Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. (chapters 1-4)
Available at: http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/poltheory/bentham/ipml/ipml.toc.html
Week 4: Sept. 14 1. von Hirsch, Andrew. 1976. Doing Justice. NY: Hill and Wang, pp. 68-76; 98-140.
2. Tonry, Michael. 1996. Sentencing Matters. NY: Oxford University Press, pp. 3-24. (chapter 1)
Week 5: Sept. 21 1. Rusche, George & Otto Kirchheimer 1939. Punishment and Social Structure. NY: Columbia
University Press, pp. 5-11, 24-27, 29-30, 62-67.
2. Beckett, Katherine & Bruce Western. Chapter 4 in Mass Imprisonment
Week 6: Sept. 28 1. Van den Haag, Ernest. 1975. Punishing Criminals. NY: Basic, pp. 8-33.
2. Newman, Graeme. 1983. Just and Painful. NY: Narrow and Heston/Macmillan, pp. 97-136. (ch. 10-13)
Week 7: Oct. 5 1. Schur, Edwin M. 1973.Radical Non-Intervention. Englewood Cliffs,NJ: Prentice-Hall,pp.153-171.
2. Braithwaite, John.1989. Crime, Shame & Reintegration.Cambridge:Cambridge Univ Press, pp54-68(ch4)
Week 8: Oct. 12 1. Messner, Steven F. & Richard Rosenfeld. 1994. Crime & the American Dream, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, pp. 90-112. (chapter 5)
2. Downes, David. Chapter 5 in Mass Imprisonment
Week 9: Oct. 19 1. Feeley, Malcolm and Jonathan Simon. 1994. Actuarial justice: The emerging new criminal law.
In D. Nelkin (ed.), The Future of Criminology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 172-201.
2. Anderson, Elijah. Chapter 8 in Mass Imprisonment
Week 10: Oct. 26 notebook due
Week 11: Nov. 2 Maruna, Shadd. 2001. Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives.
Week 12: Nov. 9 written report of group project due
Week 13: Nov. 16 No class meeting: Annual Meetings of American Society of Criminology
Week 14: Nov. 23 paper due