ISSUE 2:  Is Criminal Behavior Determined Biologically?

 

YES:  Adrian Raine, from “The Biological Basis of Crime,” in James Q. 

      Wilson and John Petersilia, eds., Crime: Public Policies for 

      Crime Control (ICS Press, 2002)

 

NO:   Jeffrey H. Reiman, from “Crime Control in America,” The Rich Get  

      Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal  

      Justice (Allyn and Bacon, 1998)

 

1.  Explain fearlessness theory and stimulation-seeking theory, as discussed by Raine. What might Reiman have to say about such explanations for violent behavior?

 

 

 

ISSUE 3:  Is a Person’s Body Type Clearly Linked to Criminal Behavior?

 

YES:  Sean Maddan, Jeffrey T. Walker, and J. Mitchell Miller, from 

      “Physiques, Somatotypes and Crime.” An essay. (2009)

 

NO:   Chris L. Gibson and Kevin M. Beaver, from “Does Body Type Really 

      Have an Effect on Criminal Behavior?” An essay. (2009)

 

2.  What example of research evidence do Gibson and Beaver describe that involves a relationship between ice cream sales and deaths by drowning? Discuss the point they are trying to make.

 

ISSUE 4:  Does a “Warrior Gene” Make People More Prone to Violence?

 

YES: Kevin M. Beaver and Joseph A. Schwartz, from “MAOA Genotype

Contributes to Violent and Criminal Behaviors,” adapted from Beaver, K.M., DeLisi, M., Vaughn, M.G., & Barnes, J.C. “Monoamine Oxidase A Genotype Is Associated with Gang Membership and Weapon Use.” Comprehensive Psychiatry (2010, vol. 51, pp. 130-134)

 

NO:   Joshua W. Buckholtz, from “Neuroprediction and Crime.” NOVA ScienceNOW (2012)

 

1.  Explain the notion of biological positivism and how it has influenced past attempts at identifying criminals. Are there lingering suggestions of biological positivism in the efforts to establish a “warrior gene” today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNIT 2:  CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES IN CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

 

Issue 5: Does the United States Have a Right to Torture Suspected Terrorists?

 

YES:  Andrew A. Moher, from "The Lesser of Two Evils? An Argument for

      Judicially Sanctioned Torture in a Post-9/11 World," Thomas

      Jefferson Law Review (Spring 2004)

 

NO:   Elisa Massimino, from "Leading by Example? U.S. Interrogation of

      Prisoners in the War on Terror," Criminal Justice Ethics (Winter

      2004)

 

5.  In your opinion, are the Geneva Conventions relevant to a war on

    terrorism? Why, or why not?

 

 

ISSUE 6:  Is Racial Profiling an Acceptable Law Enforcement Strategy?

 

YES:  Jared Taylor and Glayde Whitney, from "Racial Profiling: Is

      There an Empirical Basis?" Mankind Quarterly (Spring 2002)

 

NO:   Michael J. Lynch, from "Misleading `Evidence' and the Misguided

      Attempt to Generate Racial Profiles of Criminals; Correcting

      Fallacies and Calculations Concerning Race and Crime in Taylor

      and Whitney's Analysis of Racial Profiling," Mankind Quarterly

      (Spring 2002)

 

6. Present your views on the statement that "it is the job of the

   police to catch criminals, and they know from experience who is

   likely to be an offender."

 

ISSUE 9:  Should It Be a Crime to Download Copyrighted Music from the Internet?

 

YES: Barry Shrum, from “The Magical Ring of Gyges: Why Illegal Downloading Is So Rampant in the Age of Cyberspace,” Law on the Row (2011)

 

NO:   Janis Ian, from “The Internet Debacle—An Alternative View,” Performing Songwriter Magazine (May 2002)

 

9. Imagine that you are a recording artist. Define your status in the industry (e.g., newcomer, top of the charts, former star). Do you, as this artist, advocate or refute Ian’s support of free downloading?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNIT 3:  PUNISHMENT

 

ISSUE 10:  Are Supermax (Control Unit) Prisons an Appropriate Way to Punish Hardened Criminals?

 

YES: Gregory L. Hershberger, from “To the Max,” Corrections Today (February 1998)

 

NO:   Daniel P. Mears, from “A Critical Look at Supermax Prisons,” Corrections Compendium (September/October 2005)

 

10. If you were charged with coming up with the “magic bullet” for reforming the penal system, how would you respond?

 

 

ISSUE 12:  Does Imprisoning Drug Offenders Reduce Crime Rates?

 

YES: Ilyana Kuziemko and Steven D. Levitt, from “An Empirical Analysis of Imprisoning Drug Offenders,” Journal of Public Economics (2004)

 

NO:   Dave Bewley-Taylor, Chris Hallam, and Rob Allen, from “Report 16: The Incarceration of Drug Offenders: An Overview,” The Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme (2009)

 

12. Explain some of the alternatives to incarceration for drug offenders that have been tried in the United States. Do you think these efforts should be expanded in order to address the growing prison population?

 

 

ISSUE 16:  Do Strict Gun Control Laws Reduce the Number of Homicides in the United States?

 

YES:  Franklin E. Zimring, from "Firearms, Violence, and the Potential

      Impact of Firearms Control," Journal of Law, Medicine and

      Ethics (Spring 2004)

 

NO:   Lance K. Stell, from "The Production of Criminal Violence in

      America: Is Strict Gun Control the Solution?" Journal of Law,  

      Medicine and Ethics (Spring 2004)

 

16. Imagine that all of the inhabitants in a peaceful village were

    presented with a loaded handgun each. Would the percentage of

    homicides go up for the year?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNIT 5:  THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, CRIME, AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

 

ISSUE 19:  Does the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Protect the Right to Possess a Firearm?

 

YES:  Antonin E. Scalia, from Majority Opinion, District of Columbia v.

Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008)

 

NO:   John Paul Stevens, from Dissenting Opinion, District of Columbia 

      v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008)

 

19. Who is prohibited from infringing on the right to bear arms: Congress? The individual states? Does the right belong to everyone—including, say, dangerous criminals?