CJA 336 Wk 1 Discussion – Disparities in Arrests, Prosecutions, and Sentencing

Video describing How to Correctly Choose and Post Your Discussion Question Response

Debates over racial and ethnic discrimination in the U.S. Criminal justice systems are often unproductive due to confusion o-ver what is meant by discrimination.

Course Text: Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2018). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (6th ed.). Cengage. Do Not Include Bibliu information Reading Chapters 1 & 2

Week 1 Please Read the Directions First

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation consideration. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students or to the instructor.

Initial Post

Respond to one of the following Initial Post Questions Below, by identifying which question you chose, (1A, 1B, 1C or 1D) in a minimum of 175 words. Do not post the Question.

Replies

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates or the instructor, 75 Words each. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

1A) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• How does disparity relate to discrimination in the criminal justice system? Provide an example of disparity in arrests, prosecution, or sentencing that has occurred in your local community to support your answer.

• What steps would need to be taken to reduce the disparity you identified within your community?

1B) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What does race mean and what does ethnicity mean?

• What are the differences between race and ethnicity? Give some examples that illustrate the differences.

1C) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Name some databases that collect criminal justice data.

• Why are there so many diverse types of criminal justice data?

• What are some of the positive aspects of these data? What are some of the problems with them?

1D) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Do minorities tend to commit more crimes? If so, what are some of the possible explanations for the overrepresentation of minorities committing crimes?

• Are minority communities particularly vulnerable to crime? Why?

NOTE: A reduction in points will be assessed for lateness, not meeting the minimum word count, or not following directions. Not posting the required number of posts will also result in a loss of points

CJA 336 Wk 2 Discussion – Race, Crime, and Victimization

Please Read the Directions First

Textbook Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2018). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (6th ed.). Cengage. Do Not Include Bibliu information Reading Chapters 3 & 4

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation consideration. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students or to the instructor.

Initial Post

Respond to one of the following Initial Post Questions Below, by identifying which question you chose, (2A, 2B, 2C or 2D) in a minimum of 175 words. Do not post the Question.

Replies

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates or the instructor, 75 Words each. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

2A) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Do you think racial categories should be excluded from arrest and victimization statistics? Why or why not?

• Which criminological theory do you feel best explains racial differences in crime trends?

• How does race factor into crime trends in your local community? Are any trends specific to your area?

• How would you improve the recording of racial statistics following a crime? Explain your answer.

2B) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Do you think there has been substantial progress has been made about the employment of people of color in policing?

• Does that make a difference in actual police operations on the street? In what ways? Explain.

• Police departments throughout the nation are hiring. Are minorities applying? If not why?

2C) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Define the concept of affirmative action, what is it?

• Do you support or oppose affirmative action in the employment of police officers?

• Do you think affirmative action is more important in policing than in other areas of life? Explain.

2D) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What is racial profiling? Is it against the law?

• The course text argues that some progress has been made in reducing racial profiling. What evidence supports that view? Are you persuaded? Why or why not?

NOTE: a reduction in points will be assessed for lateness, not meeting the minimum word count or not following directions. Not posting the required number of posts will also result in a loss of points.

CJA 336 Wk 3 Discussion – Bail and Pretrial Detention

Please Read the Directions First

Textbook: Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2018). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (6th ed.). Cengage. Do Not Include Bibliu information Reading CH 5&6

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation consideration. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students or to the instructor.

Initial Post

Respond to one of the following Initial Post Questions Below, by identifying which question you chose, (3A, 3B, 3C or 3D) in a minimum of 175 words. Do not post the Question.

Replies

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates or the instructor, 75 Words each. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

3A) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What are crimes, or court decisions in response to alleged crimes, which may lead to pretrial detention? Is there anything someone could do or say to avoid this outcome?

• What are the consequences of pretrial detention?

• How could the bail system be reformed to reduce the disparities surrounding pretrial detention?

3B) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What is plea bargaining? Why do the courts have and use plea bargaining?

• Is plea bargaining a fair process for the defendant, Why or why not? Is it fair for the victim(s)? Explain

3C) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Minority enrollment has increased over the years in higher education and yet minorities comprise an exceedingly small proportion of the lawyers and judges in the United States. What accounts for this?

• What difference, if any, would it make if more of the lawyers representing criminal defendants were racial minorities?

3D) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Are racial minorities, who are poor, disadvantaged by the legal system? How? Explain.

• Are racial minorities represented by public defenders or assigned counsel treated more harshly than those represented by private attorneys?

• If you were a person of color, Hispanic, or Native American defendant and could choose whether to be represented by a public defender or a private attorney, which would you choose? Why?

NOTE: a reduction in points will be assessed for lateness, not meeting the minimum word count, or not following directions. Not posting the required number of posts will also result in a loss of points.

CJA 336 Wk 4 Discussion – Death Penalty Disparities

Please Read the Directions First Textbook Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2018). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (6th ed.). Cengage. Do Not Include Bibliu information Reading Chapters 7 & 8

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation consideration. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students or to the instructor.

Initial Post

Respond to one of the following Initial Post Questions Below, by identifying which question you chose, (4A, 4B, 4C or 4D) in a minimum of 175 words. Do not post the Question.

Replies

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates or the instructor, 75 Words each. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

Prior to completing this discussion, you may wish to review and practice identifying disparities in the Week 1 Interactive: Disparities in Sentencing and the Week 4 Interactive: Case Study: Brock Turner and Cory Batey. The choice to seek the death penalty is governed by laws, prosecutor discretion, and key factors of the crime.

4A) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What disparities exist regarding those for whom prosecutors seek the death penalty? Explain

• What disparities exist in sentencing? Explain

• Try to support your response with examples from your local community.

4B) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• People of color are more likely than whites to be willing to serve time in prison rather than be sentenced to some alternative to incarceration such as electronic monitoring or intensive supervision probation or parole.

• What accounts for these racial differences in perceptions of the severity of sanctions?

• Do people of color have a choice in the way they are sentenced? Explain.

4C) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Do you personally believe in the death penalty, why or why not? Explain.

• Do you agree or disagree with the so-called “Marshall Hypothesis”—that the average citizen who knew “all the facts presently available regarding capital punishment would … find it shocking to his conscience and sense of justice”? Why or why not? Explain.

4D) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What are the five remedies for racial discrimination in capital sentencing?

• Which do you believe is the most inappropriate remedy? Why?

• Which do you believe is the most appropriate remedy? Why?

NOTE: a reduction in points will be assessed for lateness, not meeting the minimum word count, or not following directions. Not posting the required number of posts will also result in a loss of points.

CJA 336 Wk 5 Discussion – Criminal Justice Reform

Please Read the Directions First

Textbook Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2018). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (6th ed.). Cengage. Do Not Include Bibliu information Reading Chapters 9 &10

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation consideration. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students or to the instructor.

Initial Post

Respond to one of the following Initial Post Questions, by identifying which question you chose, (5A, 5B, 5C or 5D) in a minimum of 175 words. Do not post the Question.

Replies

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates or the instructor, 75 Words each. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

5A) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Select and label one of the following topics: 5A1) Law Enforcement, 5A2) Courts, 5A3 Corrections, or 5A4) Juvenile justice

• What are some possible criminal justice system reforms you would like to see in the topic you selected?

• How could the reform you chose affect existing disparities? Explain your answer.

5B) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Should post-prison reintegration programs be race neutral? Why or why not?

• Were the factors that led to offending and incarceration race neutral?

• In what ways should issues of race and ethnicity be considered when creating policies to facilitate inmate readjustment to society upon release?

5C) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Do you think prison gang formation is influenced most by external forces and the gang affiliations offenders bring to prison from the street?

• or is it by the internal forces of the prison environment, such as racial composition?

• What arguments can you offer to support your position?

5D) Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Describe the characteristics of juvenile victims of crime. Are they like or different from the characteristics of adult victims of crime?

• There is a common perception that the typical juvenile offender is a person of color. Is this an accurate perception?

• Is there greater potential for racial discrimination in the juvenile justice system than in the adult justice system? If so, why?

NOTE: a reduction in points will be assessed for lateness, not meeting the minimum word count, not following directions, or not posting the required number of posts.