CRIJ 275 - LAW OF CRIMINAL EVIDENCE
3 CREDIT HOURS

Spring 2008

Instructor: Chris Meyerhoeffer
Office: Aspen Building 128A
Office Phone: 732-6873
E-Mail Address:

Office Hours: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. M, W, F
9:30a.m. 11:00a.m. T, TH

Class Schedule: Monday 6:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Shields Building Room 109

Prerequisite: CRIJ 201 or permission of the instructor.

Required Textbook: Thomas J. Gardner & Terry M. Anderson; Criminal Evidence (6th Edition, 2007) Thomson* Wadsworth

The College of Southern Idaho Mission Statement

The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides educational, social and cultural opportunities for the diverse population of South Central Idaho. In this rapidly changing world, CSI encourages our students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives.

Social Science Department Mission Statement

The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.


Social Science Department Goals: This course addresses the following Social Science Department goals, which are to:

1. help students understand important facts, concepts and theories of Social Science subjects.

2. help students acquire techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in the disciplines.

3. help students learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.

4. teach students to use evaluation, analysis and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.

5. teach students to use different perspectives from the social sciences to make better-informed decisions

6. help students acquire an informed understanding of various cultures.

7. prepare students to transfer to a university.

Criminal Justice Program Mission Statement

The mission of the CSI Criminal Justice Program is primarily to prepare graduates to transfer as Junior-level students to 4-year universities and to prepare two year graduates for entry level positions in the criminal justice field.

Criminal Justice Program Objectives: Students will…

1. gain mastery of a breadth of knowledge of the discipline of criminal justice, criminal procedure, and criminal evidence law (breadth of knowledge).

2. gain mastery of a depth of knowledge of the discipline of criminal justice, criminal procedure, and criminal evidence law (depth of knowledge).

3. be well practiced as a critical consumer of information (critical thought).

4. be well practiced in professional written communication (professional writing).

5. be well- prepared as a potential contributor to scientific discovery in criminal justice (scientific capability).

6. be well-prepared for upper-division coursework in criminal justice (career-focused education plan).

7. be well-prepared for entry level position in criminal justice (career-focused plan).

Criminal Justice 275 Catalog Description

Presentation of the laws and rules of evidence, burdens of proof, exclusionary rule, presumptions, opinion evidence, and leading court cases involving the presentation and acceptability of evidence. Witness examination procedures and related legal problems are presented.

Course Outcomes* Social Science Goals (SS) and Program Objectives (CRIJ):

Students will… / SS / CRIJ
1. Acquire an understanding of the Constitutional and practical grounds for criminal procedure and criminal evidence law / 1, 4, 6, 7 / 1, 2, 4, 6
2. Understand the role of the judiciary and the rule of law in society and the legal system / 2, 3, 4, 7 / 2, 3, 4, 5
3. Examine the historical evolution of procedural doctrines, standards, and tests that impact the admissibility of evidence / All but 1 and 2 / 2, 3, 6
4. Analyze both early and contemporary Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment safeguards for criminal defendants / All but 1 and 2 / 2, 3, 6
5. Appreciate and understand the foundations and principles underlying the basic rules of evidence / All but 1 and 2 / 2, 3, 5, 6

Outcomes Assessment

Assessment performs a number of functions within the teaching and learning process: It gives feedback to the student on their learning experience; it measures the performance of the student; and contributes to the evaluation of effectiveness of the subject content and delivery. Assessment of student learning can be conducted using a variety of available instruments and methods. A combination of assessment approaches can be the most effective way to measure student learning.

Assessment practices embedded in courses will generate information about what and how students are learning. A wide range of formal and informal interaction and performance assessment methods will be used in this course to determine whether students attained prescribed educational goals and objectives:

Multiple- Choice Exams / Chapter Quizzes / Essay Question on Exams / On-line Course Evaluations / Writing Assignment
CO1 / ü / ü / ü
CO2 / ü / ü / ü
CO3 / ü / ü / ü
CO4 / ü / ü / ü
CO5 / ü / ü / ü
Policies and Procedures

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend class. I will take attendance each day we are scheduled to meet. If a student misses three classes during the first two weeks of class, I may drop the student from the class. After the first three weeks of class I will not drop a student from the course. It is the responsibility of each student who does not intend to complete the course to drop the course through the records office. Students who quit attending and do not drop the course will be given a failing grade. Attendance is worth 50 points.

Honesty Policy: I follow the honesty policy in the CSI Student Handbook. If a student cheats on an exam or plagiarizes on a writing assignment, I will give the student a zero on that exam, quiz or writing assignment. If a student violates the honesty policy more than once, I may fail the student.

Late Policy: I expect students to take exams and quizzes on the day scheduled. I will notify students in advance of giving a quiz or exam. No make up quizzes will be given if a student is absent on the day a quiz is given. If a student cannot be present on the day an exam is scheduled, please notify me in advance. Make up exams may be given if the student notifies me in advance. However, I may give the student a different exam which does not correlate directly to the study guide for that exam. I will not allow make up tests if the absence is not excused prior to the exam and the student will receive zero points for that exam. Excused absences are absences that are excused by me prior to time the exam is scheduled. Writing assignments are due as indicated in this syllabus unless other arrangements have been made.

Required Assignments: I expect students to read the assigned material prior to each class. This helps facilitate student learning, and makes meaningful discussion about the lecture material possible. In addition, quizzes will be based upon the assigned reading material for a particular class.

Grading Practices: Each student’s grade in the course will consist of the following:

  1. Four exams each worth 100 points during the semester. Each exam will have 45 to 50 objective questions worth 2 points each (total 90 to 100 points). Each exam may have one essay questions worth 10 points. Your best three exam scores will be used to calculate your final grade. The exams will be designed to assess the course outcomes.
  2. 10 quizzes worth 20 points each (total 200 points) during the semester. Each quiz will have 10 objective (true/false) questions.
  3. Attendance during regularly scheduled class is worth 50 points. Each unexcused absence will cost the student 5 points.

The following grading scale will be used:

A = 495 to 550 Points (90-100%)
B = 440 to 494 Points (80-89%)
C = 385 to 439 Points (70-79%)
D = 330 to 384 Points (60-69%)
F = Less than 330 Points (0-59%)

Self-Assessment: To encourage self-assessment, each student will be asked to predict on the answer sheet the letter grade they expect on the exam or quiz. If the prediction is accurate, the student will receive two or three bonus points.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

Day / Topic / Chapters
January 14 / Introduction; History and Development of the Law of Criminal Evidence / 1
January 21 / No Class
January 28 / Important Aspects of the American Criminal Justice System / 2
February 4 / Using Evidence to Determine Guilt or Innocence; Direct and Circumstantial Evidence and the Use of Inferences / 3 & 4
February 11 / Unit 1 Exam (Chapters 1-4)
February 18 / No Class
February 25 / Witnesses and the Testimony of Witnesses; Judicial Notice and Privileges of Witnesses / 5 & 6
March 3 / The Use of Hearsay in the Courtroom; Exceptions to the Hearsay Rule / 7 & 8
March 10 / Unit 2 Exam (Chapters 5-8)
March 17 / Spring Break
March 24 / The Exclusionary Rule; Where the Exclusionary Rule Does Not Apply / 9 & 10
March 31 / Obtaining Statements and Confessions for Use as Evidence; The Law Governing Identification Evidence / 12 & 13
April 7 / Obtaining Physical and Other Evidence; Obtaining Evidence by Use of Search Warrants, Wiretapping, or Dogs / 14 & 15
April 14 / Unit 3 Exam (Chapters 9-15)
April 21 / The Crime Scene, the Chain of Custody Requirement, and the Use of Fingerprints and Trace Evidence / 16
April 28 / Videotapes, Photographs, Documents and Writings as Evidence; Scientific Evidence / 17 & 18
May 5 / Unit 4 Exam (Chapters 16-18)

On-line Course Evaluation Statement:

Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course. Evaluations are very important to assist teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are available on-line at: http://evaluation.csi.edu. Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete an evaluation is the last day of the course. During the time evaluations are open, students can complete the course evaluations at their convenience from any computer with Internet access, including in the open lab in the Library and in the SUB. When students log in they should see the evaluations for the courses in which they are enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the evaluation should take only a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated.

Student Disability:

Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact the coordinator of Disability Services at their first opportunity after registration for a class. Student Disability Services is located on the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls Campus. Contact at 208.732.6260 (voice) or 208.734.9929 (TTY), or email .