1 CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Spring 2015

CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Spring 2015

Instructor: Lynn Greenwood

Course and Contact Information

Class Time and Thursday 2-4:45pm; Founder’s Hall, Room 312
Location:
Office: Founder’s Hall, Room 217L
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-5pm; Wednesdays 10am-1pm; Thursdays 11am-1pm;
or by appointment
Email: lgreenwood@tamuct.edu – when emailing, always identify
yourself and the course number. In general, when
communicating electronically, you should use complete sentences
and be very clear about what you are asking or saying to avoid
miscommunication. I do not check Blackboard email regularly.
Phone: Mobile: 512-525-9173 – if texting or leaving voicemail, please
identify yourself and the course number. I do not regularly check
or answer my office phone.
Preferred Mode of I prefer emails or office visits to phone calls, unless absolutely
Communication: necessary.

Catalog Description:
This course presents an analysis of contemporary ethical issues in crime and justice.
Classical and contemporary ethical theories will be applied to the discussion of such
issues as discretion, corruption, use of force, racism, deception, professionalism, and
the nature and meaning of justice.

Expanded Course Description:

This course provides an overview of classical and modern theories of ethics as applied to
enforcing order and justice in a free society. Specific topics include: theories of ethics,
philosophies of justice, the ethical use of force, the nature and meaning of
professionalism, discretion, lying and deception; race, ethnicity, and justice; and the
prevention of corruption. The course instructor will emphasize the utilization of the
ethical reasoning process for resolving problems commonly encountered by criminal
justice practitioners.

Course Objectives:
1) Students will demonstrate writing skills appropriate to the discipline of Criminal
Justice.
2) Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of technology appropriate to the
discipline of Criminal Justice.
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3) Students will understand and value Criminal Justice ethics.

a. Students will demonstrate understanding of the nature of justice.
b. Students will demonstrate understanding of basic ethical theories and
their application to criminal justice practice.
c. Students will identify ethical issues commonly occurring during criminal
justice operations.
d. Students will demonstrate ability to apply knowledge and reasoning to
resolving common ethical dilemmas encountered in criminal justice
practice.
4) Students will demonstrate multi-cultural awareness and respect for cultural
diversity.
5) Students will understand key concepts of Criminal Justice.
6) Students will apply key concepts to Criminal Justice create operational strategies
and formulate justice policy.

Required Textbooks:
Martin, C., Vaught, W., & Solomon, R.C. (2010). Ethics across the Professions: A Reader
for Professional Ethics. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780195326680

Rachels, J. & Rachels, S. (2012). The elements of moral philosophy. McGraw-Hill. ISBN:
9780078038242

Supplementary Materials:
Supplementary material may take the form of handouts, oral presentations and
references from your instructor, presentations by students, power point presentations,
and online activities. This supplementary material is designed to broaden the
educational experience and create more variety to the usual lecture/discussion format
of class presentations.

Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. To insure you comply with the standards of
academic integrity set forth by TAMUCT, please read the following information, and
follow the links. By now you should all understand what plagiarism is and is not. If you
are unsure, please follow the link I’ve provided and read all material on the subject. Any
student caught plagiarizing will receive a 0 (zero) for that assignment and may be
referred to the university for further discipline.

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Academic Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high
Integrity standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students found responsible
of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or
other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource
materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each
case of academic dishonesty and report the incident to the Associate
Director of Student Conduct. More information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/facultyresources.p
hp.
Plagiarism Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism, most simply
defined, is not properly crediting your sources of information through the
use of textual citations and the provision of a works cited list. If something
is not your own original idea, thought, words, or the product of your
original data collection and analysis, you need to cite your source in the
text. You may expand on work you have submitted in other classes. If you
would like to do so, please contact me to discuss the terms. To learn more
about plagiarism, please visit
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/

Mode of Instruction and Course Access:

This course is web-enhanced and uses the TAMUCT Blackboard system. To be able to
successfully complete this course, the student must have reliable and frequent access to
a computer and to the Internet. In addition, the student must be able to access
Blackboard. If you are unfamiliar with Blackboard, there is a Blackboard Student
Orientation link under the My Courses tab. There is also a link to Blackboard Help.
Please utilize these features of Blackboard before contacting your instructor with non-
course related issues regarding Blackboard.

In addition, you must claim and use your university email. All announcements made in
Blackboard will also be emailed to students – these emails only go to university email
accounts. The same applies to all university-level announcements. You may miss out on
vital announcements and information if you do not check your university email
regularly. You can have your university email forwarded to your personal email.

Accessing Blackboard:
• Logon to https://tamuct.blackboard.com to access the course
• Username: your MyCT username (xx123 or everything before the “@” in your
MyCT email address)
• Initial password: MyCT password
• Select Senior Seminar from the course list

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Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement. Make sure your
computer is configured correctly and address issues well in advance of deadlines. If you
have problems with your personal computer and/or Internet, you have access to the
computer lab in Warrior Hall (room 104). Operating times and days can be found on the
TAMUCT website.

Technology Support
For technology issues, students should contact Help Desk Central. 24 hours a day, 7
days a week:
• Email: helpdesk@tamu.edu
• Phone: 254-519-5466
• Web Chat: http://hdc.tamu.edu

When calling for support please let your support technician know you are a TAMUCT
student.

For issues related to course content and requirements, contact your instructor.

Student-Instructor Interaction:
This is primarily a lecture/discussion-based class, with some web-based components.
Most communication between the instructor and students will be in the classroom,
though all students are welcome and encouraged to attend office hours or make an
appointment for an office visit.

I will be checking and replying to student emails on a daily basis - students should
expect a response within 24 hours. Emails sent on a weekend will be responded to the
following Monday, unless it is a holiday. Any deviations from this will be announced on
Blackboard. During office hours, emails will be responded to more quickly, and
Blackboard chat, Skype, Facetime, or some other method of communication can also be
utilized if pre-arranged.

There will be a discussion board available for students to post general questions that
will be checked and responded to on a regular basis – students should expect a
response within 48 hours. This is highly recommended for general questions (for
example, what chapters will be covered on an exam), so that all students in the class
may benefit from the answers.

Conduct:
Mastery of course content is greatly enhanced through professional conduct in the
classroom. You will be expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all
times in this class. Professionalism includes but is not limited to:
- Punctuality – chronic lateness will not be tolerated. If you need to leave class
early, please do so as quietly and with as little disruption as possible.

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- As in any Criminal Justice and Social Science course, the issues of racial and ethnic
diversity must be considered part of the course content. In addition, topics may
come up in class that not everyone will be comfortable with or agree upon. Civility
and courtesy to everyone in the class, including the instructor, is expected.
Incivility or discourtesy to anyone in the class will not be tolerated and may result
in your expulsion from the classroom.
- Use of tobacco products in the classroom or elsewhere in this building (including
smokeless tobacco) is a violation of Texas law.
- It is inappropriate and unprofessional to listen to an iPod, mp3 player, or any other
such device in the classroom; this also includes Bluetooth headsets.
- Please refrain from dressing in such a way as to be distracting to other students;
the classroom should be treated as a professional setting and your dress should
reflect this environment.
- Unless you are “on-call” or dealing with some type of emergency, please turn off
your cell phones and other mobile devices during class; this includes ‘vibrate’.
Having a cell phone or pager in sight during an exam may be treated as a cheating
incident
- Tape recorders are permitted in class, if accompanied by their owners.
- Eating and drinking is allowed; please clean up after yourself!
- Do not sleep in my class!

Netiquette – Communication Courtesy Code: All members of the class are expected to
follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats.
If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message to the
Chair of the department and the online administrators and appropriate action will be
taken, not excluding expulsion from the course.

Required Course Work:

I. Reading
Reading assignments are to be completed prior to class meetings (see course calendar).
You are expected to be familiar enough with the readings to apply the material to class
discussions as well as to respond to written and oral questions based on the readings.
We will not spend class time going over the book, per se. Readings and lectures for this
course are complementary

II. Class Attendance/In-Class Assignments 0-25 points, for a total of 125 points
I expect you to attend class. I will not take roll – you are an adult and can make the
decision to attend or not. However, anything discussed in class will be possible test
material. I do not give out my lecture notes. If you are not able to attend class, it is up
to you to obtain notes from another student. I do not need to be notified if you are not
going to attend, unless you will be missing an exam. Over the years, I have found that

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students who attend class regularly tend to have higher grades than those who do
not…something to think about…

There will be six (6) unannounced in-class assignments throughout the semester worth
up to 25 points each. These assignments may vary between individual and group work.
Five (5) of the six assignments will be part of your final grade – this means you can miss
one assignment and not be penalized. You must be present in class on the day of the
assignment to receive credit.

III. Exams 0-100 points, for a total of 200 points

There will be two (2) non-cumulative take-home exams in this course. Each exam is
worth 100 points of the total course grade. This is a Writing Intensive course –
therefore, exams will be in essay format. Exams may contain questions from the
required course textbooks, from other materials provided by the instructor, from in-
class discussions, and from writing assignments.

IV. Writing Assignments 0-50 points, for a total of 250 points

Students will be responsible for completing five (5) writing assignments; each
assignment is worth 100 points of the total course grade. The assignments will be
posted on Blackboard – due dates are listed in the course calendar. These writing
assignments are intended to require you to engage in critical thinking and logical
reasoning as well as to further assist you in developing your written communication
skills.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

• 2-4 pages in length; double-spaced; 12-pt. font
• Grammatically correct and free from proofreading errors
• Paragraph, narrative format; 3rd person speech, unless otherwise specified
• Must be completed in Microsoft Word and uploaded in the Turnitin section of
Blackboard. No other method of submission will be accepted.
• At least two (2) outside sources (beyond the course textbooks or notes) must be
used for each assignment; sources must be appropriately cited in text and in a
reference section as per APA standards. Information on APA formatting for
citations and reference lists can be found on the Blackboard homepage for this
course.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT TOPICS:

You may choose from these three main topics for your writing assignments. The order
of submission does not matter. Remember, this is an ethics course. Therefore, the
aspect of each assignment you should be addressing should relate to the class, not your
personal opinion. The number of times a topic can be repeated is indicated below:

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Ethics Violations (x2)

Write an essay about a criminal justice practitioner who has been charged with ethics
violations (this will take some research on your part). This could be a police officer
abusing his/her discretion, a judge accused of taking bribes, excessive use of force by a
corrections officer, etc. Outline the charges and explain the issues in terms of the ethics
associated with the criminal justice system.

Ethics in Film (x2)

After watching a movie that presents a ethical/legal dilemma (Presumed Innocent, 12
Angry Men, Philadelphia, or Michael Clayton), write an essay on the ethical dilemmas of
the characters. Use one or more of the ethical frameworks discussed in class. Movies
other than those listed must be pre-approved by the instructor.

Application (x3)
Write an essay on ONE of the topics listed below defending a pro or con stance in
regards to that issue. You will not be graded on the stance that you choose to support,
but rather on how well you can support your stance using ethical theory, logical
reasoning, and quality sources. Your opinion is not at issue; it is how well you support
your opinion – remember this is an ETHICS course, so that is the aspect of your topic you
should be addressing.
- Prison inmates have no right to rehabilitation
- Torture is a justifiable tactic in law enforcement anti-terror operations
- Deception is justifiable in criminal justice practice

Grading Criteria for Writing Assignments

Content – up to 35 points Does the paper cover the topic adequately and
appropriately? Were all sides presented, including
counter arguments? Is the topic appropriate to the
assignment/course? Is the level of thought, logic, and
reasoning appropriate to the level of the course?
Mechanics – up to 15 points Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary are appropriate for
the level of the course. Proper use of APA format for
citations and reference list

V. Service 0 or 100 points, for a total of 100 points

Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, in a lecture given at Harvard University in the 19th
century, “Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as
think.” Thus one may write about ethics and even publish articles on ethics, but until he
lives ethically, then he misses the point.

The student is required to engage in 15 hours of community service for the course. The

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student may wish to go online to Killeen Volunteers, Inc., or www.volunteermatch.org

and enter a location to see what is available. Or the student may already know of some
agency that will work with him. Examples of service might include the humane societies,
tutoring, homeless shelters, spouse abuse centers, fundraising events, and a host of
others.

I will need a signed letter from a contact person who monitors your community service,
verifying that you did at least 15 hours service. The contact person will need to supply a
phone number or email address on the letter. Please bring your signed letters to class
on the day they are due.

VI. Service Learning Paper 0 to 100 points, for a total of 100 points
A service learning paper is required for the course, which relates to the service you
performed. The paper will have two sections: description and analysis.

Description (please answer the following questions)

Had you ever done community service before? If “yes,” provide some details of this
service. If “no,” then explain why you haven’t done community service before.
Briefly describe the organization where you performed service.
Briefly describe the service you performed.
Briefly describe, if any, difficulties you had in completing your service.

Ethical Analysis
Interpret your service experience by reference to material from your assigned readings.
How do you interpret intellectually what you did in service?

The descriptive portion of the paper should be 1 to 2 pages; the analysis part should also
be 1 to 2 pages. Use the headings “Description” and “Analysis” in your paper to divide
the two sections.

No cover page or abstract page is required. In the analysis section of your paper, you
will need to cite sources when you refer to ethical concepts from your readings. A
reference page is therefore required as well. Use APA guidelines.

SERVICE LEARNING PAPER MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

• 2-4 pages in length; double-spaced; 12-pt. font
• Grammatically correct and free from proofreading errors
• Paragraph, narrative format; 3rd person speech, unless otherwise specified
• Must be completed in Microsoft Word and uploaded in the Turnitin section of
Blackboard. No other method of submission will be accepted.
• Sources must be appropriately cited in text and in a reference section as per APA
standards. Information on APA formatting for citations and reference lists can

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be found on the Blackboard homepage for this course.

Grading Criteria for Service Learning Paper

Content – up to 75 points Does the paper cover the topic adequately and
appropriately? Were all sides presented, including
counter arguments? Is the topic appropriate to the
assignment/course? Is the level of thought, logic, and
reasoning appropriate to the level of the course?
Mechanics – up to 25 points Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary are appropriate for
the level of the course. Proper use of APA format for
citations and reference list

There are no optional assignments for extra credit and late discussion posts or writing
assignments are not accepted.

Grading Criteria Rubric and Conversion:

Final course grades will be assessed on the following scale:

Assignment Points My Grade

In-Class Assignments 125 (5x25)
Exams 200 (2x100)
Writing Assignments 250 (5x50)
Service 100
Service Learning Paper 100
Total 775

POINT SCALE PERCENT CONVERSION LETTER GRADE

694-775 89.5%-100% A
616-693 79.5%-89.4% B
539-615 69.5%-79.4% C
461-538 59.5%-69.4% D
0-460 59.4% and below F
______________________________________________________________________

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Course Calendar: Subject to revision, if necessary, during the semester

Key for readings:

MVS = Ethics across the Professions – Martin, Vaught, and Solomon
RR = The Elements of Moral Philosophy – Rachels and Rachels
Class Date Description Reading/Assignments
Jan 22 Course expectations
Syllabus
Jan 29 What is it to be professional? RR Ch. 1
What is morality? MVS Ch. 1
Feb 5 How to be ethical MVS Ch. 2 (up to p. 69)
Virtue ethics RR Ch. 6, Ch. 12
Social contract theory Essay 1 due via Blackboard by
11:59pm
Feb 12 How to be ethical MVS Ch. 2 (p. 69-81)
Absolute moral rules RR Ch. 9, Ch. 10
Ethical formalism
Feb 19 How to be ethical MVS Ch.2 (p. 81-92)
Utilitarianism RR 7, 8
Essay 2 due via Blackboard by
11:59pm
Feb 26 Professional duties and client’s MVS Ch. 3
rights

Mar 5 Cultural relativism RR Ch. 2, Ch. 3

Subjectivism in ethics Essay 3 due via Blackboard by
11:59pm
Mar 12 Truth, lies, and deception MVS Ch 4
Exam 1 due via Blackboard by
11:59pm
Mar 16-20 Spring Break
No Class This Week
Mar 26 Does morality depend on RR Ch. 4
religion?
Apr 2 Privacy, confidentiality, secrecy, MVS Ch. 5
and trust Essay 4 due via Blackboard by
11:59pm
Apr 9 Integrity and loyalty: MVS Ch. 6
Whistleblowing and self- Movie in class: Serpico
regulation
Apr 16 Integrity and loyalty: MVS Ch. 6
Whistleblowing and self- RR Ch. 5
regulation Essay 5 due via Blackboard by
Ethical egoism 11:59pm
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Apr 23 Professionalism, justice, and MVS Ch. 7

social welfare
Apr 30 Feminism and the ethics of care RR Ch. 11
Documentation of service due in
class
May 7 Reciprocity, conflicts of interest, MVS Ch. 8
and government regulation Service learning paper due via
Blackboard by 11:59pm
May 14 No class Exam 2 due via Blackboard by
11:59pm

Please review and become familiar with our TAMUCT policies. In addition to TAMUCT
policies, I included sections on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism. Please review both of
those sections and visit the links provided. Any student caught plagiarizing receives a
zero for that particular assignment and may receive a zero for the course.

COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES AND POLICIES

UNILERT Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central
Texas the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly
via email, text message, and social media. All students are automatically enrolled in
UNILERT through their myCT email account. Connect at www.TAMUCT.edu/UNILERT
to change where you receive your alerts or to opt out. By staying enrolled in UNILERT,
university officials can quickly pass on safety-related information, regardless of your
location.
Disability If you have or believe you have a disability and wish to self-identify, you can do so by
Support providing documentation to the Disability Support Coordinator. Students are
Services encouraged to seek information about accommodations to help assure success in
their courses. Please contact Vanessa Snyder at (254) 501-5836 or visit Founder's Hall
114. Additional information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/disabilitysupport/index.php.
Tutoring Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects
tutored include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (APA).
Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Founder's Hall, Room 204, and also in
the Library in the North Building. Visit www.tamuct.edu/AcademicSupport and click
"Tutoring Support" for tutor schedules and contact info. If you have questions, need
to schedule a tutoring session, or if you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact
Academic Support Programs at 254-501-5830 or by emailing
cecilia.morales@tamuct.edu. Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for almost any subject on
your computer! Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT
students to login and receive FREE online tutoring and writing support. This tool
provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics,
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Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. To access Tutor.com, click on

www.tutor.com/tamuct.
Library Information Literacy focuses on research skills that prepare individuals to live and
Services work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the
development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use
of secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration
of information resources such as library collections and services, identification of
subject databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies.
Library resources are outlined and accessed at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/library/index.php.
Drop If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office
Policy and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always
the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which the
form must be returned, completed, and signed. Once you return the signed form to
the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into DuckTrax and confirm that you
are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, you must FOLLOW-UP with the
records office immediately. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the
procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
Graduation
Deadline to Apply for Deadline to Apply for
Application Graduation Ceremony
Degree & Degree Conferral
Date Date
Commencement Only
May 16,
Spring 2015 November 21, 2014 May 14, 2015
2015
August 8,
Summer 2015 April 17, 2015 August 5, 2015
2015
December
Fall 2015 June 26, 2015 December 9, 2015
11, 2015

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