The course on Comparative Criminal Justice provides University of Tampere students with the opportunity to study comparative crime and punishment issues with students from Marquette University Milwaukee USA, Appalachian State University North Carolina USA, Finlandia University Michigan USA and Sheffield Hallam University UK.

The students will be instructed as a collective with instructional responsibilities being shared by Dr. Richard Jones of Marquette University Milwaukee USA, Dr. Barbara H. Zaitzow of Appalachian State University, Dr. Richard Gee of Finlandia University Michigan USA, Dr. Jennifer Anne Sloan of Sheffield Hallam University UK and Dr. Ikponwosa Ekunwe of University of Tampere sharing instructional responsibilities.

This joint course with the USA and UK visiting group focuses on:
1. Analysing how crime and deviance are shaped by individual and social factors

2. Examining and analysing how culture and general ideology influence criminal justice policy and practice.

3. What myths are created regarding crime and criminals, and the role of government and media in constructing crime myths.

4. Examining and analysing how society perpetuates deviant and criminal behaviour.

5. Understanding the criminal justice policy and practice in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and USA.

6. Exploring the response to crime, with specific focus on corrections and policing in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and the United States.

Students obtain 6 ECTS by attending the whole course or 3 ECTS without taking part in the excursions.

This course will look at the criminal justice system within a global context.  The course will look at theories of criminality, deviance and punishment within socio-political context of the different countries studied as well as the comparison between the countries.  Within this framework, students will examine theories of crime including but not limited to: the learning theory, corporate crime, and restorative justice.

The course is directed primarily at upper division undergraduate students, but would also be beneficial to master’s level students. It is appropriate for students majoring in sociology, criminology, social welfare and justice, and political science, or any students with a career interest in criminal justice. 

The course will utilize a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, videos, guest speakers and tours of prisons in Finland and Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia.  These countries were chosen because of the contrasting style of responding to crime between/ among the Latvia (harsh punishment), Finland [Gentle Justice] (a penal system of two countries with two different extremes). We will also analyze the USA penal system, another Western country with a very harsh punishment policy.   

METHODOLOGY

The course is designed as both lecture and discussion.  Evaluation will be based on:

A) A class journal (notes from lecture/discussion).

B) A reaction paper that builds off course materials or reflects upon those materials.  

Classroom activities will be designed to encourage students to play an active role in the construction of their own knowledge and in the design of their own learning strategies.

We will combine short lectures with other active teaching methodologies, such as group discussions, cooperative group solving problems, analysis of video segments depicting scenes relevant to criminology topics and debates. Class participation is a fundamental aspect of this course. Students will be encouraged to actively take part in all group activities and to give short oral group presentations throughout the course.

The fifteen days lectures/seminars will provide a practical component, with guest speakers (including criminal justice practitioners, former inmates, and other experts), videos, Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services, and tours of prisons in Finland, Estonia, The Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia and (possibly a detour visit) to a Lithuania prison. 

Lectures at UTA: time and place, (To be announced later)

• Excursions:  Field trips to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, including a visit to Finnish Open Prison as seen below:

  • Tallinn Prison (Tallinna  Vangla)
  • Lecture at the Estonian College of Justice in Tallinn
  • Guided tour of the KGB museum in Riga
  • Prison experience at Karosta prison in Liepaja Lithuania (Day trip)
  • Lecture at University of Vilnius on The History of Lithuania modern Penal System
  • Prison visit in Vilnius Lithuania
  • Open Prison visit in Finland

Travel Agent responsible for both excursions is www.aikamatkat.fi

For further information on combined student price for both excursions will be posted later. 

Course requirements:

All Students are required to participate in class discussion and readings.

Presentations: Each student is expected to write a short presentation, using the required reading materials that will be sent to registered students in advance.

1. Daily Diary of activities including notes from lecture and discussion.
2. Final paper integrating the overall course experience.

To register, the first 20 students to send in a synopsis of their interest in the course and their academic background to ikponwosa.ekunwe@uta.fi will be accepted.

Course is available for all the students at the University of Tampere.  

Compensations in certain studies:

North American Studies: NAM-III Law and Politics

Degree Programme in Social Sciences: Optional studies or compensations on certain courses agreed with teacher responsible

Degree Programme in Social Work: Optional studies