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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: October 30, 2003
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ 490-01: Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice

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.

* * * * *

Week 11: Week of November 9, 2003

Topic: Media and Juvenile Justice

Preparatory Readings:

• Merlo and Benekos. What's wrong with the criminal justice system: Ideology, Politics and the Media. -- Chapter 5.

• Surette. Media, crime, and criminal justice. -- no chapter readings this week.

• Potter and Kappeler. Constructing crime. -- no chapter readings this week.

Lecture related links:


--- Sociology of Knowledge Files .
--- Check out this link -- Ray Surette's website ( found by Bettie Poole).



Concepts to be covered:

• juvenile delinquent
• differences between juvenile justice and the adult criminal justice system
• juveniles waived into adult court
• gangs
• youth violence
• delinquency intervention and prevention



Discussion Questions:

1. Does the public's perception of youth crime match the official data? Why? Explain the role of the media and politics in shaping juvenile justice policy. (M&B:156)

2. Trace the evolution of hte juvenile justice system. What has changed in the last 100 years. Why. (M&B:156)

3. What elements are needed to create successful programs? What role can politicians play in this process? Can the media also become involved? How? (M&B:156)

4. Why has juvenile justice become such a "hot button" issue? What effect has its predominance had on our policy initiatives? How do you foresee its position in the future? Why? (M&B: 156)

Suggested Creative Activities:

• Trace one of the widely publicized juvenile delinquency prevention programs (i.e., DARE, GREAT). Does the program work? Why.
• Visit the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention website. What are some initiatives that they are publicizing the most? Why.
• View a juvenile delinquency/juvenile justice related program (i.e, television program, movie) and relate it to this week's readings.
• Trace a major political campaign to find how juvenile justice is presented. How does this campaign relate to the readings?
• View two or three movies that focus on gangs. Each movie must be in a different decade. Compare and contrast the Hollywood images of gangs. How have the images changed over time? Why.
• How many different juvenile justice related programs are currently broadcast today? Which one is the most realistic depiction? Why.
• A Creative Project with CSUDH students! Check out Visual Essays Project. If interested, let me know.
  

Recommended Readings:

• Anthony Platt. Child Savers.
• Anne Campbell. Girls in Gangs.
• Louis Sachar. Holes . [no credit for anyone who has read or is reading this book in my corrections class, though!]
• Geoffrey Canada . Fist Stick Knife Gun .

Media Sources:

Left/Right Perspectives - Cursor - New York Times
Arts and Letters Daily - The Economist - The Guardian
Wall Street Journal -The Weekly Standard - The Nation
Los Angeles Times - Chicago Tribune - The Washington Post
Cursor's Al Jazeera Archive - Ha'aretz - Palestine Monitor


Indymedia - BBC News - New Profile - Progressive Sociologists Network