You will be held accountable for purposes of grading for the readings and exercises listed here. There will be no "testing." That means that you will not have to live in anxious anticipation of what we will ask and how much you will have to know. Instead, we will provide weekly discussion questions, lectures, essays, and concepts we feel that you should know as a result of having taken this course. You will assure us of that learning and receive your grade for the questions and concepts about which you choose to write and talk with us. In addition, you will find detailed explanations and examples on our grading policies in the first week's reading.

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Week 13: Week of November 23, 2003

• Topic: Juvenile Corrections and Holes

• Preparatory Readings and Other Materials:
  --- Haas and Alpert. Dilemmas of Corrections. ch. 36-37
  --- Sachar. Holes. ch. 44-50.
  --- Juvenile Justice: Annotations on Holes

• Lectures/Discussions: in class

• Concepts:

  • juvenile justice system
  • status offenses
  • boot camp
  • juveniles waived into adult court
  • gangs

• Discussion Questions:
  
  
  1. What are the differences between the juvenile justice system and the adult criminal justice system? Why.
  2. Compare and contrast some of the major problems in today's juvenile correctional institutions with Holes. Why.
  3. After completing Holes, what does this tell us about juvenile corrections? Why.
  4. What is the future direction of juvenile corrections? Why. Do you agree or disagree with this direction? Why.

Ideas and Suggestions for Creative Measures

• Research "what works?" for juveniles? In other words, what are today's most successful programs for kids today? Why.
• Research the unique problems of juveniles.

Recommended Readings:

• If you liked Holes:
  --- Carl Hiaasen. Hoot.
  --- Will Hobbs. Downriver. (highly recommended by my kid but i haven't read it yet).
  --- Christopher Curtis. Bud, Not Buddy.
  --- Eoin Colfer. Artemis Fowl .
  --- Kimberly Holt. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.
  --- Paul Beatty The White Boy Shuffle. [not children's literature]
  
  
  
• Alfie Kohn. Beyond Discipline.
• James Austin and John Irwin. It's About Time: America's Imprisonment Binge.
• Jeffery Reiman. The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison.

Interesting Links:

The Problem with Incarcerating Mothers
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Jail Cam Link found by Mary Frances Chachula.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections
Virtual Prison Tour





• Minimum Requirements for Week 13:
  • Know the unique characteristics and problems relating to juveniles.
  • Be an active discussant in class demonstrating competence in answering this week's discussion questions.
  • Be able to go back and forth between correctional theories (ideologies), policies and practices relating to juveniles.