UMUC-Europe Syllabus

CCJS 400 Criminal Courts (3) Prerequisite: CCJS 100 or CCJS 105. An examination of criminal courts in the United States at all levels. Topics include the roles of judges, prosecutors, defenders, clerks, and court administrators, and the nature of their jobs; problems of administration, as well as those facing courts and prosecutors; and reform. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CCJS 400 or CJUS 400.

Course Goals/Objectives:

After completing the course, students should be able to: 1. Examine the historical development of American laws and the criminal justice system, 2. Discuss the Amendments 4, 5, 6, 8, and the Due Process Clause of the Amendment 14 of the United States Constitution, 3. Identify the facts, issues, rules, and the application of several U.S. Supreme Court cases, 4. Understand the structural process of U.S. Courts including arrest, pretrial procedure, pretrial motions, hearings, and plea negotiations, jury selection and function, criminal trials and procedures, verdicts and appeals, sentencing and extradition and writs, 5. Explore the meaning of the philosophy of juvenile justice, 6. Discuss the rights of victims.

Course Introduction:

The study of procedure within the American criminal justice system is essential, not only for the student of criminal justice, but for the student of any discipline. Given today's staggering crime statistics, the abundant reporting of crime in the media, the perception of the streets of American as "dangerous", and the notion that judges and juries are "soft" on crime, it is downright compelling to get to the facts. This course does just that. Step-by- step, the student learns precisely how a case proceeds from arrest to release--a powerful body of knowledge enabling him/her to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our laws and courts. As such, the student will better understand a crucial aspect of our government that impacts the quality of life in our communities, and will make better informed decisions regarding this aspect.

Grading Information and Criteria:

Final grades will be based on student performance in the following: · class participation 10% · midterm examination 30% · research paper 30% · final examination 30% A high grade on both examinations and papers/projects will reflect the student's full integration of the materials covered; superior oral/writing/reasoning skills; and active involvement with the subject matter. Grade Scale: A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=below 60; FN=failure due to nonattendance

Other Information:

none

Project Descriptions:

The research paper: Select 1 of the 3 cases to research. The paper sections include: 1. the facts 2. the procedural posture 3. the issue(s) 4. the rule(s) 5. the application You can find these U.S. Supreme Court cases on www.findlaw.com or on lexis/nexis 1. Smith et al. v. Doe et al No. 01-729 Argued Nov. 13, 2002 Decided March 5, 2003 Subject (whether sex offender registry of Alaska is permissible) 2. Grutter v. Bollinger et al. No 02-241 Argued April 1, 2003 Decided June 23, 2203 Subject (Whether a law school can consider race as a factor for admission in its policy) 3. Ewing v. California No 01-6978 Argued November 5, 2002 Decided March 5, 2003 Subject (Whether the California 3 strikes law violates the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) Readings: Assignments from Humes and Frisbie & Garrett will be distributed the second week of the course.

Academic Policies:

none

Course Schedule:

1 Historical Development of Laws, etc. Chapter 1 2 Historical Development of Justice System Chapter 2 3 The Arrest Chapter 3 4 The Initial Appearance Chapter 4 5 Pretrial Proceedings Chapter 5 6 Place and Time of Trial Chapter 6 7 The Trial Chapter 7 8 Midterm Examination 9 Confrontations and Assistance of Counsel Chapter 8 10 Pretrial Motions Chapter 9 11 The Trial: Roles of Major Participants Chapter 10 12 The Jury Chapter 11 Term Paper Due 13 Trial Procedures Chapter 12 14 Trial Procedures (cont.) Chapter 12 The Jury: Instructions and Deliberations Chapter 13 15 The Verdict, Appeals, etc. Chapter 14 16 Final Examination