VIOLENCE, CRIME AND JUSTICE
CJ 330
FALL 1999
PURPOSES AND APPROACH

PURPOSES

     They say we're a violent society, don't they? That we swim in images, sounds, and news of violence, social toxins surrounding our everyday. Just turn on the radio, or the TV, or go to a movie, or hear about what happened to someone you know who got beat up or raped or knifed. And they say it's getting worse, don't they? More people dying violently than ever before. And they say people are getting away with it too, don't they? Criminals, if they get caught and convicted serve minimal time for their heinous acts, and maybe even make money in prison telling their story. And then they get out and victimize again. And supposedly we're one of the worst, most violent nations on earth, right? And what are we doing about it?
     Does the above sound familiar? More importantly, are the above statements correct? Are they maybe correct for some of us and not others?
     This course examines several features of violence and the criminal justice system response. It is not a comprehensive course; it will not go into detail on the causes of violence, features associated with violent acts and violent individuals, and the system response to those individuals. There is not enough time to cover all of those concerns in great detail, although we will give it some attention.
     Besides, I want to use this course to encourage you to think more broadly about violence. When I say "think more broadly" I mean several things.

• I want you to think historically. You will be reading two books about the history of violence in this country. One, by Lane, covers the history of murder in America, from the 1600s on. He makes several points in that book. In America, there always have been different justice systems for different segments of the population, whether those segments were Native Americans, slaves, immigrants, African-Americans, or women. Differential justice is nothing new. In addition, the forms that violence takes in various epochs reflects closely the particular social, economic, cultural, political, and demographic shifts taking place at the time. Violence is always telling us about how society is coming apart at the seams as society reconfigures itself. Third, he tells us that how we think about violence - what we see as a serious crime, or how we decide what merits the death penalty - is to some extent situationally dependent as well. Why is this history important? Because at the current time you are caught in the crosshairs of several sweeping transformations affecting this country, and others: deindustrialization, suburbanization, depressed rural economies, economic deconcentration of manufacturing jobs away from cities and away from the U.S., more widespread UNconcern about urban problems than witnessed since the 1950s, diminishing federal support for all variety of social programs, the largest prison construction boom in the history of the country, the highest imprisonment and supervision rates seen in the history of our country, international drug trafficking on an unprecedented scale that shapes both economies of entire South American and Central American countries as well as public expenditures and economies in countless cities in this country, views about juvenile offenders that roll the clock back a hundred years to before we even had a criminal justice system. Lane's broad historical sketch helps us understand the current interplay between these various forces.

• In addition I want you to think macro-sociologically. You are going to read another book about changing crime rates in the post-WW II period. LaFree suggests that as various institutions have "lost legitimacy" in American public life, we have witnessed growing crime, violence among them. Why think in macro terms? Because it helps us see the large solutions that are needed. If institutions can change pretty rapidly, and LaFree suggests that they can, then we want to be able to focus on specific changes at the institutional level -- and some of those institutions will be outside the criminal justice system -- that are needed. For schools, families, and more.

• Another set of institutions outside the criminal justice system that we can change is "the media." Bok's book looks closely at the ways media can influence violent behavior, attitudes toward violence, and, perhaps, our appetite for violence. We can change the media because we are the consumers. She argues strongly that consumer choice is an extremely powerful tool. We will look closely at her arguments, and you will let me know whether you "buy" them or not, and we will try and get a better understanding of media's roles in violence and what we can do.

• I want to think about the psychology of violence, from the perspective of the offender or potential offender. We will try and break down the view that there is an "us vs. them" dichotomy between those who are violent and the rest of us who are not. We will do this by looking at Wright and Decker's book about robbers, and gathering some data about our own violent tendencies. We will consider this information in light of what personality theorists tell us are "human needs." As part of that psychology we'll also talk about "exposure to violence" an issue, especially as it concerns urban children, that has sparked considerable concern in the last five years.

• I want to think about the mass psychology or social psychology of violence as well: the violence associated with extremist groups, or "hate groups." What is it about membership in these groups that makes violence more likely? What are the dynamics? Can we protect against it? Can we predict a Benjamin Smith or a Buford Furrow? As of this writing (August, 1999), this has been a heck of a summer for such people. We will read Morris Dees book about these right wing groups. We will both try and unpack these dynamics, psychologically, social psychologically, and economically. We will consider these groups in the context of current and recent immigration and economic trends.

     So that's where we're trying to get to. How will we get there?

APPROACH

     This is a readings course. What does that mean? It means you read material every week. You review questions about that material as you read it. In class we will do several things. Sometimes I will lead a discussion on the reading. Sometimes I may lecture on some of the material you have read, or I may lecture on other material that is related to what you have read.
     But even though it's a readings course, that does not mean we can't do interesting things in class. We are going to look at some news coverage. We are going to collect data on newscasts, and put those data together in class, and report on them. You are going to read and report on some old Philadelphia newspaper stories. We are going to watch at least part of one documentary. We are probably going to watch some "film noir" (but not too much. We are going to explore what legislation is currently under consideration (it may be in the Congress, or in the PA state house, or the NJ state house) on violence. We will look at some comic strips (Doonesbury's Redfern's reactions to his son, a junior in high school, following the Columbine shootings, for example.) We will see how your colleagues view "extremist" groups. I also hope (am not sure yet on this one) that each of you will be able to put together a web site that includes your writings and links to other topics on violence. As part of a CJ 160 class spring 1999 semester, I began putting together such a webliography; individual students contributed as well.
     There are, however, some things we will not be talking about. We are not going to talk a lot about guns and gun availability. This is a topic that I have worked into my CJ 160 (Research Methods) course, and I do not want to go back over that same ground again. It's not fair to the students in that course, or to you if you take CJ 160 with me next semester. In addition, we will not be talking much about sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. I am covering those in my current CJ 141 (Victims) course. Of course, feel free to check that out on-line if you are interested in some references.