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New Course Description
A. COVER PAGE
Date of Submission (Please include Month, Day and Year):
1. Course Title
Law, Order, and Public Policy
9. Subject Area
o a-History / Social Science
o b-English
o c-Mathematics
o d-Laboratory Science
o e-Language Other than English
o f-Visual & Performing Arts
o Intro o Advanced
4 g-Elective
Category Other
2. Transcript Title(s) / Abbreviation(s)
Law and Order
3. Transcript Course Code(s) / Number(s)
4685
4. School / Program
West (Merrill F.) High School
5. District
Tracy Unified
6. City
Tracy
10. Grade Level
9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
7. School / District / Program Web Site
11. Seeking "Honors" Distinction?
o Yes 4 No
8. School / Program Course List Contact Person
1) Name: Keri McDonald
2) Title/Position: Counselor
3) Phone: (209) 831-5430 Ext. 3036
4) E-mail:
12. Unit Value
o 0.5 (half year of semester equivalent
4 1.0 (one year equivalent)
o 2.0 (two year equivalent)
o Other:
13. Is this internet-based course? o Yes 4 No
If yes, the provider is: o UCCP o PASS/Cyber High o Other:
14. Complete outlines are not needed for courses that were previously approved by UC. If course was
previously approved, indicate in which category it falls.
o A course reinstated after removal within 3 years. Year removed from List?
Same course title? o Yes o No
If no, previous course title?
o An identical course approved at another school in same district. Which school?
Same course title? o Yes o No
If no, course title at other school?
o Year-long VPA course replacing two approved successive semester courses in the same discipline
o Approved Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) course
o Approved UC College Prep (UCCP) Initiative course
o Approved CDE Agricultural Education course
o Approved P.A.S.S. course
o Approved ROP/C course. Name of ROP/C?
o Approved A.V.I.D. course
o Approved C.A.R.T. course
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o Approved Project Lead the Way course
o Other. Explain:
15. Is this course modeled after an UC-approved course from another school outside your
school? 4 Yes o No
If so, which school/program? AdolfoCamarilloHigh School, Oxnard Union H. S. District
Course title at other school: Criminal Justice/Pre Law 4
16. Pre-Requisites
Recommended: Introduction to Law
17. Co-Requisites
None
18. Is this course a resubmission? 4 Yes o No
If yes, date(s) of previous submission? 2005
Title of previous submission: Criminal Justice
19. Brief Course Description
Law, Order and Public Policy is a course focused to enable students to obtain fundamental knowledge of various
legal systems and their policies' impact on societies historically. This course enhances students comprehension of
the basic concepts of constitutional law and government policies interaction as it relates to the legal processes
utilized by today's societies. Students will understand the relationship between the state and federdal systems of
justice and develop their ability to research, comprehend, and analyze critically statutes, regulations, codes, and
case law to report, debate, and further investigation of legal policies affecting American freedoms today.
B. COURSE CONTENT
20. Course Goals and/or Major Student Outcomes
Students will gain a basic understanding of the criminal justice system, including pre- and post-trial action, the role of
police and the workings of the courts.
Students will be able to effectively analyze and argue legal and ethical issues regarding the constitution and the bill
of rights.
Students will understand the history of crime, including crime rates and trends, and be able to differentiate between
various types of crime.
Students will understand the role of judges, the prosecution attorney and defense council.
Students will be able to identify the rights of the accused, legal rights during a trial, and prisoner s rights.
Students will understand actions taken after a trial, including sentencing and probation.
Students will understand the juvenile justice system, including juvenile court and juvenile corrections.
21. Course Objectives
By participating in Law, Order, and Public Policy, students will do the following:
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Learn about the history of crime, and the development of federal involvement in crime.
Learn about the modern criminal justice system, and the formal, and informal justice processes.
Learn about the perspectives on justice, including crime control, rehabilitation, due process, nonintervention, justice
and restorative perspectives.
Learn and discuss methods being used to control the drug trade.
Learn about the process of collecting criminal data and how it is grouped.
Analyze crime rates and trends.
Learn about the theories on crime, including choice, biological, psychological, sociological, conflict, and
developmental theory.
Learn and discuss theories of victimization.
Research the historical, international development of criminal law.
Learn about the sources of criminal law.
Analyze and discuss criminal defenses.
Research the international history of law enforcement and policing.
Learn about the development of policing over the past century.
Learn about the functions of different units, including patrol and investigative functions.
Analyze community oriented policing.
Analyze and discuss issues of policing, including legal, victim, departmental, peer, and other factors.
Learn about problems faced by police.
Analyze search and seizure techniques, and their constitutionality.
Analyze warrants, how they are issued and their exceptions.
Learn about the development of the Miranda rights.
Learn about the structure of state and federal courts.
Learn about the system of appeals.
Learn about specialized courts, and the Supreme Court and its function.
Learn about the role and structure of the prosecutorial position.
Discuss prosecutorial discretion.
Learn about the role of the defense attorney.
Discuss ethics issues regarding defense attorneys.
Learn about pretrial procedures, including the indictment process, the arraignment and plea bargaining.
Analyze and discuss issues regarding plea-bargaining.
Learn about the legal rights of the accused during a trial.
Learn about the trial process, from jury selection to appeals.
Research the international history of punishment.
Learn about and discuss the goals of modern sentencing.
Analyze modern sentencing models.
Discuss and research capital punishment.
Learn about probation and its role in society.
Learn about technology and types of probation.
Analyze restorative justice.
Research the history of correctional institutions.
Learn about jail versus prison characteristics.
Analyze alternatives to correctional institutions.
Learn about prison life, including that of men and women, and of correctional treatment in prison.
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Learn about prison violence, and methods used to guard prisoners.
Analyze a prisoner s rights.
Research the history of juvenile justice.
Learn and analyze the juvenile justice system, and discuss juvenile court and its functions.
22. Course Outline
I. The Nature of Crime, Law, and Criminal Justice
1. Crime and Criminal Justice
i. Is Crime a Recent Development?
ii. The Criminal Justice System Today
iii. The Formal Criminal Justice Process
iv. The Informal Criminal Justice System
v. Perspectives on Justice
vi. Perspectives in Action: Controlling the Drug Trade
1. Images of Justice: Gangs of New York
2. Law in Review: Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of PottawatomieCountyet. al. v. Earls
et. al.
3. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Should Drugs Be Legalized?
2. The Nature and Extent of Crime
i. Measuring Crime
ii. Official Crime Trends
iii. What the Future Holds
iv. Crime Patterns
1. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Explaining Crime Trends
2. International Justice: Why is Crime Booming Around the World?
3. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Should Guns Be Controlled?
3. Understanding Crime and Victimization
i. Crime in the United States
ii. The Cause of Crime
iii. Because They Want To: choice Theory
iv. Because They Are Different: Biological Theory
v. In Their Heads: Psychological Theory
vi. Blame Society: Sociological Theory
vii. It s All About the Benjamins: Conflict Theory
viii. The Path to Crime: Development Theory
ix. It s How You Live: Theories of Victimization
1. Images of Justice: Media Violence
2. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Emerge (Domestic Abuse Program)
3. Race gender, and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice: Building a Bridge over the Racial Divide.
4. Criminal Law: Substance and Procedure
i. The Substantive Criminal Law
ii. Sources of the criminal Law
iii. Classifying Crimes
iv. Criminal Defenses
v. Reforming the Criminal Law
vi. Constitutional Criminal Procedure
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1. Law in Review: Ex Post Facto Laws
2. Law in Review: Chicago v. Morales
3. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: The Insanity Defense
4. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: The Criminal Law and Terrorism
II. The Police and Law Enforcement
5. Police in Society: History and Organization
a. The History of Police
b. The Modern Era of Policing: 1960 to Present Day
c. Policing and Law Enforcement Today
d. Technology and Law Enforcement
i. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Operation X-Out
ii. Criminal Justice and Technology: Crime Mapping and the ICAM Program
iii. Criminal Justice and Technology: Added Security: Biometric Technology
6. The Police: Organization, Role, Function
a. The Police Organization
b. The Police Role
c. The Patrol Function
d. The Investigation Function
e. Community Policing
f. Problem-Oriented Policing
g. The Challenged of Community Policing
h. Support Functions
i. Improving Police Productivity
i. Images of Justice: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
ii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Boston Gun Project: Operation Ceasefire
iii. Analyzing criminal Justice Issues: Citizen Oversight of Police: Civilian Review Boards
iv. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Community Mapping, Planning, and Analysis for Safety Strategies (COMPASS)
7. Issues in Policing
a. The Police Profession
b. Police Discretion
c. Who Are the Police
d. Problems of Policing
i. Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice: Racial Profiling: Does Race Influence the Police Use of Discretion?
ii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Working with Problem Cops: Early Intervention Programs
iii. Criminal Justice and Technology: Less Than Lethal Weapons
8. Police and the Rule of Law
a. Police and Courts
b. Search and Seizure
c. Warrantless Searches
d. Arrest
e. Custodial Interrogation
f. Pretrial Identification
g. Pretrial Identification
h. The Exclusionary Rule
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i. Law in Review: United States v. Bin Laden
ii. Analyzing Criminal Justice issues: The Future of the Exclusionary Rule
III. Courts and Adjudication
9. The Courts and the Judiciary
a. The Criminal Court Process
b. State Courts
c. Federal Courts
d. Court Congestion
e. The Judiciary
f. Court Administration
i. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Specialized Courts: Drugs and Mental Health
ii. Images of Justice: Commonwealth v. Louise Woodward
iii. Criminal Justice and Technology: Technology and Court Management
10. The Prosecution and the Defense
a. The Prosecutor
b. The Prosecutorial Discretion
c. The Defense Attorney
d. The Right to Council
e. The Defense lawyer as Professional Advocate
i. Law in Review: The Danielle Van Dam Case: Should Defense Lawyers Tell the Truth?
ii. Law in Review: Wiggins v. Smith, Warden et. al. (2002)
11. Pretrial Procedures
a. Procedure Following Arrest
b. Pretrial Services
c. Bail
d. Charging the Defendant
e. Plea Bargaining
f. Pretrial Diversion
i. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Pretrial Services Programs
ii. Law in Review: United States v. Salerno
12. The Criminal Trial
a. Legal Rights during Trial
b. Fair Trial versus Free Press
c. The Trial Process
i. Images of Justice: TV or Not TV? Should Criminal Trial Be Televised?
ii. Law in Review: Batson v. Kentucky (1986)
iii. Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice: Jury Selection and Peremptory Challenges
13. Punishment and Sentencing
a. The History of Punishment
b. The Goals of the Modern Sentencing
c. Sentencing Models
d. Capital Punishment
i. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Getting Tough: Three Strikes Laws
ii. Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice: Race and Sentencing
iii. International Justice: The Death Penalty Abroad
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iv. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: The Capital Jury Project
IV. Corrections
14. Community Sentences: Probation, Intermediate Sanctions, Restorative Justice
a. History of Probation
b. Probation Today
c. Immediate Sanctions
d. Restorative Justice
i. Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Criminal justice: Alternatives to Incarceration Abroad
ii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: DTAP: Drug Treatment Alternative-to Prison
iii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Reintegrative Shaming
iv. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Restorative Justice in Community
15. Corrections: History, Institutions, and Population
a. History Correctional Institutions
b. Jails
c. Prisons
d. Alternative Correctional Institutions
e. Correctional Populations
i. International Justice: The Development Parole
ii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Penal Harm: The No-Frills movement
iii. Criminal Justice and Technology: You ve Got Mail?
iv. Criminal Justice and Technology: Ultra maximum-Security Prison.
16. Prison Life: Living in and Leaving Prison
a. Men Imprisoned
b. Women Imprisoned
c. Correctional Treatment Methods
d. Guarding the Institution
e. Prison Violence
f. Prisoner s Rights
g. Leaving Prison
i. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Girl Scouts beyond Bars
ii. Images of Justice: Newjack
iii. Criminal Justice and Technology: Technocorrections: Contemporary Correctional Technology
iv. Law in Review: Hope v. Pelzer et al.
v. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: The Problems of Reentry
vi. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Residential Substance Abuse Treatment
V. The History and Nature of the Juvenile Justice System
17. The Juvenile Justice System
a. The History of Juvenile Justice
b. Juvenile Justice Today
c. Police Processing of the Juvenile Offender
d. The Juvenile Court Process
e. The Juvenile Correctional Process
f. Preventing Delinquency
g. Keep the Juvenile Court?
i. Law in Review: In re Gault
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ii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Teen Courts
iii. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: The Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP)
iv. Analyzing Criminal Justice Issues: Should the Juvenile Court Be Abolished?
23. Texts & Supplemental Instructional Materials
Textbook:
Introduction to Criminal Justice, Tenth Edition, Larry J. Siegal & Joseph J. Senna
c 2005, Thomson Learning Incorporated
Workbook:
Study Guide for Introduction to Criminal Justice, Tenth Edition, Larry J. Siegal & Joseph J. Senna
C 2005, Thompson Learning Incorporated
Supplemental Reference Book
2006 Deskbook Encyclopedia of AmericanSchool Law, Center for Education & Employment Law, c. 2005-Center
for Education & Employment Law
Additional Educational Material:
Personal computers w/ Microsoft Office
Internet Access
Community Speakers
Textbook Related Websites:
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Supplemental Websites:
24. Key Assignments
Key Assignments
Criminal Justice Lecture Series- Students review lecture sessions from the online book resources. The students
complete the question and answer sessions coordinated with class discussions.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center- Students are to research the facts found in the center pertaining to a certain
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topic or issues such as, environmental policy, prejudice, abortion, health care reform, media violence and etc.
Students are then to write a brief on their findings. They are to identify the facts of the arguments of each topic s
proponents and detractors. Discussions are held by students during the class period.
InfoTrac- Students review the InfoTrac articles and journals, and then discuss the issues outlined in the articles and
they then write a short research paper. Discussion sessions are held within the class period.
Mind of a Killer- Students are to research the different cases on killers, and then prepare short research papers and
presentations identifying the justice issues and public policy issues in each case.
Careers in Criminal Justice- Students take a self- assessment to tell them which career in the Criminal Justice
spectrum is suitable for them. They then write a brief reflecting on the results of the assessment.
Criminal Justice Issues- Students are to analyze current issues and practices. This assignment helps students learn
and think critically about current issues, i.e. Amber Alert.
Images of Justice- Students are to analyze how the media influences crimes and justice, student must also answer
thought provoking questions such as, Should Criminal Trials be Televised? This assignment shows how the criminal
justice system is portrayed.
Law in Review- Students are to review the facts, decisions, and significance of critical legal cases and must write a
brief on the effects that the rulings had on society.
Perspectives on Justice- Students are to read the material within the Perspectives on Justice Boxes and they must
write a brief on the how competing viewpoints influenced the way the justice system operates.
Mock Trials Student will take part in various mock trials. Students are to assume the role of either an attorney or
witness. Students reenact that role within a trial and write a reflection on the how each role affected the case as well
as identify the legal issues within the case.
25. Instructional Methods and/or Strategies
Methods of instruction will include at least all of the following:
1. Building Critical Thinking Skills through: lecturing, identifying information, applying facts, rules, and principles,
and developing ideas, opinions, decisions and judgments through Socratic questioning.
2. Integrating cooperative learning through group projects and presentations.
3. Using role-play activities to better explain situations and develop points of view.
4. Teaching with debates over a wide variety of legal topics.
5. Preparing students for competitive events, such as Mock Trial competition.
6. Spotlighting careers, and inviting guest speakers.
7. Integrating and discussing ethical issues involved in legal cases.
8. Creating awareness of cultural diversity and International Law through research assignments and presentations
on current legal issues.
9. Integrating Technology into the curriculum, with access to the internet and supplemental learning materials such
as legal websites and e-journals.
10. SDAIE and differentiated instructional needs lesson plans.
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