32 Matching Annotations
  1. Last 7 days
    1. Connecticut’s policy has the explicit intention of strengthening the parent-child relationship (Dutcher 2021). The state requires that at least two persons visit an incarcerated person and one must be the incarcerated person’s child (under age 18). The second person may be the incarcerated person’s spouse or parent and/or the child’s legal guardian. If an incarcerated person does not have a minor child, they cannot participate in the program.

      I appreciate this information as it clarifies why incarcerated individuals cannot participate in the program if they do not have a minor child.

    2. Sources : California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (n.d.), Dutcher (2021)

      Very insightful information. I think students will appreciate this table. It will generate considerable discussion.

    1. The team forfeited its season after it came to light that seven players were actually ineligible to play due to their low grades (NBC 5 Chicago 2014). The Chicago Sun-Times conducted a broader follow-up investigation in 2016. The newspaper’s investigative team found that the Chicago School District did not discipline coaches for failing to submit incomplete, inaccurate, or no documentation about the academic performance of their student athletes (Chicago Sun-Times  2016). In this lax environment it is easy to see how a coach could find it more beneficial to not follow or enforce policies. The potential reward would include maintaining or improving their reputation and employability as a winning coach and their school’s status in a sport.

      Great example. I think this will resonate with students.

    1. In the United States more than 2 out of 3  people in jail are legally innocent and simply awaiting trial because they cannot pay bail (Sawyer and Wagner 202, Sawyer et al 2026).

      I'm happy to see this information included.

    1. Men of African, indigenous, or other non-white ancestry would have endured restrictions on their ability to participate in policing efforts, and women’s involvement in policing would have been inconceivable until the middle of the 20th century

      I recommend creating two sentences. The first sentence should include a date.

      Example = Men of African, indigenous, or other non-white ancestry endured restrictions on their ability to participate in policing efforts until...

      Also, women’s involvement in policing was prohibited until the middle of the 20th century.

    1. Building and Location Responsible Police Department Rockford City Hall (425 E State Street) Rockford Police Department Alpine Pool (4310 Newburg Rd) Rockford Park District Police Winnebago County Jail at Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center (650 W State Street) Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office Brookview Elementary School (1750 Madron Road) Rockford Police Department Estelle M. Black Library (Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road) Rock Valley College Police Department

      This table is very helpful. I wonder if it would be beneficial to include a comparison to Baltimore to help students understand how unique the structure of government is in Illinois.

  2. Jul 2026
    1. perform quite nuanced combinations

      I'm questioning whether "perform" is the correct word to use in this sentence.

      I wonder if you could say:

      "If we have access to the survey responses, we can analyze the findings and provide more nuanced information about your town, such as....

    1. I am calling Example Teaching You about Explanatory Frameworks Theory (ETYEF). Workers perform their job better due to formal training and work experience. New workers perform their job less well compared to more experienced workers These statements serve as my starting point to investigate one or more aspects of deadly incidents in which a police officer fatally shoots  a person in the line of duty. To test ETYEF Theory I make the educated guess, derived from the theory’s key idea, that police officers who are beginning their law enforcement career will be more likely to kill a person than their more experienced colleagues. I will need to define precisely what I mean by “experienced” in order to sort consistently officers and the tragic incidents they were involved in. The following is just one set of definitions. Probationary Experience: up to 2 years after completing academy training Little Experience: between 2 years and 1 day up to 5 years Intermediate Experience: between 5 years and 1 day up to 10 years

      I appreciate how you walk the reader through a deductive investigation of this theory. Perhaps one activity could assign students two well-known criminal justice theories and ask them to develop procedures for a deductive investigation. I think this activity would challenge students to think and apply this lesson.

    2. Alternatively, I may discover that the observable data does not support my deduction. In 2016, Chicago Tribune journalists reported on their analysis of every Chicago police officer shooting from the years 2010 – 2015. They discovered that the officers had on average nine years of experience (Smith Richards et al 2016).

      Great point to include in this section.

    1. Persons living in areas with high unemployment rates, who are also disproportionately people of color, suffer a lower quality of life and even lower lifespans due in part to the prevalence of guns. A radical perspective on crime directs attention to the ways that racial and ethnic minorities have never enjoyed an unqualified right to gun ownership.

      Or equal access to law enforcement. This could be a great opportunity to discuss the "code of the street" literature and how unreliable law enforcement potentially contributes to a heavy reliance on guns.

    2. The largest gap in life expectancy appears in Chicago; Black residents live to an average of 67 years compared to white residents who live to 87 years.

      Insightful! I appreciate the inclusion of this information, as it will certainly resonate with students. I can see several discussion questions stemming from this data.

    3. When we apply this word to a person, we suggest that they are an extremist.

      To improve clarity, I recommend reiterating the contemporary time period by adding a transition like "typically"

      "Typically, when we apply this word to a person, we suggest that they are an extremist."

    4. As a rider on Chicago Transit Authority trains, I have had my share of experiences where someone played music too loudly or was sleeping across multiple seats. I have never confronted someone in this situation, and I remain hard-pressed to recall another rider confronting a person breaking the law in either of these ways. More importantly, I do not recall anyone contacting the train conductor because doing so would mean a delay as the conductor investigated and/or contacted the police. A focus on conduct norms invites seeing social interactions as legitimate subjects of study for criminologists, criminal justice scholars, and practitioners

      Great example!

    5. Likewise, when we think about crime, we tend to think about interpersonal violence more than we consider property crimes (which happen on a much bigger scale) or entrepreneurial crimes like fraud or wage theft that harm a larger number of persons.

      I think the inclusion of a chart based on the most recent FBI data would strengthen this point.

    1. These restrictions are the most extreme for persons in jail and prison because they have lost freedoms or choices associated with movement, location, activities, daily routines, and association.

      You could mention Gresham Sykes work on the "Pains of Imprisonment." You could also mention Megan Comfort's work on how the "pains of imprisonment" extend to family and significant others.

    2. However, focusing on laws as a way to define crime has drawbacks. Thinking about the provisions in the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) highlights the limitations of Tappan’s view. The law bans the sale, purchase, and possession of certain firearms. If the police and courts never learn that I bought, sold, or have a banned gun, have I still broken the law? Technically, yes, I have. However, I would never appear as a criminal under Tappan’s definition.

      Great work here as well

    3. Returning to Paul Tappan’s perspective on crime, it is important to note that he did not view a person who is in jail awaiting trial as a criminal because they have not been convicted.

      Great job highlighting this distinction.

    4. Second, Tappan suggests a story element highlighting that a person has no defense or excuse for their lawbreaking behavior.

      I wonder if you could add some additional context here. I cannot imagine some undergraduate students reading this and debating whether legitimate criminal acts, such as robberies or thefts, would be considered crimes if the perpetrator commits the act to buy food, pay for shelter, etc. In their minds, those excuses may amount to a defense.

    5. If I do not update my car’s registration or renew my driver’s license, my neglect or lack of action is a crime of omission.

      I recommend adding "For example" at the beginning of this sentence to help students understand that this is an example of a crime of omission. Another option would be to place this sentence in a block quote in the middle of the paragraph to draw attention to it and isolate it from the rest of the text.

    1. Do we consider crime as illegal behavior defined and codified in law, as the actual focus or priority of law enforcement agencies (police and prosecutors), as a violation of a community or social group’s customs, or as a violation of human rights?

      I think this sentence should be split into two sentences to improve clarity.