Criminal Sentencing Seminar & Workshop

SLN #: 15910
Course Prefix: LAW-791
Course Section: 010
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Hessick
Course Books: View List of Books

Course Description:

This course has two distinct components: a seminar and a sentencing workshop. The seminar will meet once a week. It will cover issues in sentencing theory and practice, including theories of punishment, aggravating and mitigating sentencing factors, mandatory minimum sentences, the Supreme Court’s Sixth Amendment sentencing cases, and Arizona state sentencing law. Attendance and class participation are mandatory, and each student is required to complete a 20-25 page seminar paper.

The sentencing workshop will meet all day on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28, 2009. Workshop participants will include all students enrolled in the seminar and eight Maricopa County judges. In preparation for the workshop, students will be asked to read materials from actual criminal cases and prepare memoranda describing their views on appropriate sentences in those cases. In anticipation of the workshop, students will also be required to complete several short assignments. Assignments will include specific problem sets associated with the AZ sentencing statutes, writing a short trial level brief, and a simulated oral argument. Students will receive either written or oral feedback from the instructor on each of these assignments. Students MUST commit to attending the workshop in order to enroll in this course.



Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Numeric Grade or Letter Grade Only
Written Assignment: Yes
Graduation Writing Requirement: Yes*
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: Yes*
Skills Requirement: Yes*
Simulation Course: No
Note: The graduate writing requirement cannot be combined with the flexible writing or skills requirement. The flexible writing requirement can also be used to fulfill the skills requirement if they are both marked above.
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Prerequisite: Criminal Procedure is required. Advanced Criminal Procedure is recommended.
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Limited Enrollment Number: 16
Final Exam Given: No
Mid Term Or Other Exam: No
Paper Or In-Class Presentation: Yes
Participation Points: Yes
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Additional Attendance Policy: Yes

* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.