Course Syllabus

Criminal Procedure
CJUS-P 371 (5241)
Fall 2025

SYLLABUS

Steve Presson     
Adjunct Instructor
smpresso@iu.edu

Office hours and location by appointment

Class meets Wednesdays 4:20 pm to 6:50 pm; course calendar at end of syllabus

Required text:  Criminal Procedure – Vantage Digital Option, 5th Edition, Matthew Lippman (Sage Publications 2022).  ISBN 9781071871218.  (See box.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

         This course in Criminal Procedure will study the rules and processes governing the prosecution of a criminal case from the investigation of crime through convictions and appeals. Most of the focus will be on the pre-trial and trial stages of criminal cases. Our study includes the Bill of Rights, stop-and-talks, Terry stops, probable cause, eyewitness identifications, forensic evidence, statements and confessions, interrogations, the right to counsel, right to jury trials, regulatory and administrative searches and rule enforcement, and more.

          This is a lecture course. There are 12 lecture classes. Examination will be by multiple-choice questions on topics taken from the Lippman text and classroom lectures/discussions. Exam questions will be on material that does not appear in the text, and on text material that has not been discussed in class.  To perform well in this class students must not only remember key criminal procedure concepts, but also be able to assess hypothetical facts patterns, identify what criminal procedure concepts are involved, apply the concepts to the hypothetical facts and then determine the best answer to the exam question(s) posed.

            This course is presented in 3 segments. We’ll move sequentially through the textbook chapters in the 12 lectures. Each segment covers about 4 lectures and 4-5 text chapters. An exam follows each segment. The last exam, during the last week of the course (not finals week), is not comprehensive.

          Class participation is essential. Students may be called upon to brief a legal case and present it to the class, to work through a fact pattern and legal rule presented in class, and to argue for or against the merits of a proposition. Student questions about any part of the textbook, lecture, or class discussions are encouraged.

GRADING

In addition to the 3 scheduled exams, your course grade will include 3 homework assignments, a few in-class quizzes, and the textbook end-of-chapter quizzes. The 3 examinations total 80% of the course grade, the textbook end-of-chapter quizzes total 10%, and the homework and in-class quizzes total 10%. There may be opportunities for extra credit which include class participation and attendance. These allotments may be changed during the semester. If that happens, everyone will be notified. A grading curve may be applied to an exam, across the board for all students, at the instructor’s discretion.

Although the exams are on Canvas, they are taken in our classroom, in person. Please review and note the exam dates and mark your calendars accordingly. Do not schedule health-related appointments, vacations, family visits, etc., on exam days. Make-up exams are given at the discretion of the instructor and may be in a format other than the scheduled exam (i.e. short answer, essay, T/F, and multiple choice). If the third exam is missed for any reason, an Incomplete will be reported to the Registrar, but only if the student is eligible for an Incomplete grade. In the event of a missed exam, it is the student’s obligation to promptly contact the instructor or teaching assistant to determine if and when make-up exams will be provided. A student who misses an exam and fails to contact the assigned make-up proctor and schedule a make-up before the next class will receive a zero score for the exam.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES

          Attendance is required. There are just 12 lectures. However, students who are ill, experiencing symptoms of Covid, or having recent exposure to a Covid-positive person, should not attend class. Discretionary grading adjustments may be informed by the attendance record, including lowering of a final grade because of poor attendance.

            There are NO excused or unexcused absences. An absence is an absence. A student may miss up to 2 classes or portions of class without a grade penalty (other than, of course, a poor grade on an exam due to absences). However, on the third absence, no discretionary grade curves will be applied to exam scores. The student’s raw score will be what is used for final grade purposes.

            Students should save their 2 penalty-free absences for illnesses, family emergencies, or appointment conflicts. It will be highly unlikely that illnesses would keep someone from three classes in a 15-week period. Students with health issues that could affect attendance are encouraged to obtain an Accommodation Letter from the Office of Student Life Accessible Education Services.

           According to guidance from the Dean of Students, if you miss more than 20% of the semester (approximately 2½ classes) for medical or personal reasons, it may be best to consider withdrawing from all courses until you are able to return and focus on your academic goals.

If you are experiencing challenges with attendance, contact the Student Care and Resource Center (Indiana Memorial Union, lobby level next to Biddle Hotel Lobby); which can provide attendance memos in the event of hospitalization, or the death of an immediate family member.

If you need accommodations due to temporary impairments, including, but not limited to, broken bones, sprains, concussions, and appendicitis,” contact Accessible Educational Services.

 COURSE ACCESSIBILITY

Indiana University is dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities (e.g., chronic health, neurodevelopmental, neurological, sensory, psychological, and emotional, including mental health, etc.) have the support services and reasonable accessibility measures (accommodations) needed to provide equal access to academic programs. You must establish your eligibility for support services through Accessible Educational Services (AES). Note that services are confidential, may take time to put into place, and are not retroactive; citations and alternate media for print materials may take three or more weeks to produce. Contact Accessible Educational Services as soon as possible to register for services. The office is located on the basement floor of Eigenmann Hall in Room 001 and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

As a student at IU, you are expected to adhere to the standards contained in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Links to an external site.) te. (the Code). Academic misconduct is defined as any activity that tends to undermine the academic integrity of the institution. Academic integrity violations include: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, interference, violation of course rules, and facilitating academic dishonesty. When you submit an assignment with your name on it, you are signifying that the work contained therein is yours, unless otherwise cited or referenced. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged. In addition, posting questions from quizzes/exams or assignments or downloading answers from online sources is considered academic misconduct. All suspected violations of the Code will be reported to the Dean of Students (Office of Student Conduct) and handled according to University policies. Sanctions for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on the assignment, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities. If you are unsure about the expectations for completing an assignment or taking a test or exam, be sure to seek clarification from your instructor in advance.

According to the Code cheating includes “using, providing, or attempting to use or provide unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or study aids in any form.” (Code, II: Responsibilities B,4,a). Cheating includes the use of artificial intelligence. You must not use generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Dall-E, Grammarly, QuillBot, and SpinBot for any work for this class without permission of the instructor. Unauthorized use of generative AI in this course will constitute academic misconduct; there will be an academic sanction, and the incident will be reported.

Note Selling: Various commercial services have approached students regarding selling class notes/study guides to their classmates. Selling the instructor’s notes/study guides or uploading course assignments to these sites in exchange for access to materials for other courses is not permitted. Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students (Office of Student Conduct) as academic misconduct (violation of course rules). Sanctions for academic misconduct for this action may include a failing grade on the assignment for which the notes/study guides or assignments are being uploaded, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities. Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s notes/study guides individually or on behalf of one of these services using IU email, or via Canvas may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.

Course Materials: The instructor teaching this course holds the exclusive right under United States copyright laws to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams, whether in digital or non-digital form. Some of the course content may be downloadable, but you should not distribute, post, or alter the instructor’s intellectual property. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, distribute, or reproduce content from this course without the express written permission of the instructor.

No part of this course, including but not limited to, audio and/or visual recordings of class sessions, electronic material presented in class, or anything posted on the course Canvas site, Top Hat site, or Sage Vantage site shall be reproduced, published, or linked for access by any person not enrolled in the course during the Fall Semester 2025. Doing so may violate federal and state criminal laws and will cause legal action to be taken in addition to any sanctions or actions taken by IU.

BIAS INCIDENT REPORTING

Bias-based incident reports can be made by students, faculty, and staff. Any act of discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability can be reported by (1) filling out an online report at https://reportincident.iu.edu, or (2) calling the Dean of Students Office at (812) 855-8187. Reports can be made anonymously at https://reportincident.iu.edu. Please note that incidents involving faculty and staff should be reported to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of your education records. You may authorize a third party to access your education record by adding a release at https://ferpareleases.indiana.edu. Adding a release for a specific individual will generate a PIN that is sent to the student’s IU email and will direct the student to share the PIN with the authorized third party.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

  • The Student Care and Resource Center supports students experiencing challenges that impact their ability to be safe, healthy, and successful. You can walk in, call, email, submit a Care Referral or make an appointment through the Student Appointment Scheduler to connect with the Care Team.

Student Care and Resource Center

Indiana Memorial Union, L010

Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone: 812-856-CARE (2273) // Email: iucare@iu.edu 

  • Mental Health Support: If you or someone you know needs assistance, you are encouraged to contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 812-855-5711 or by visiting their webpage. They will help you navigate any difficult circumstances you may be facing by connecting you with the appropriate resources or services.

Counseling and Psychological Services

IU Student Health Center, Fourth Floor
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone: 812-855-5711 (choose option 1 after-hours)

 TimelyCare: Free 24/7 virtual mental health support is available to students who are enrolled in at least one course through the Timelycare platform or through your Canvas portal. You do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services.

Pregnancy:  IU is dedicated to supporting students who are pregnant or have experienced other conditions related to pregnancy (termination of pregnancy, miscarriage, lactation, or related medical conditions). To register for accommodations due to pregnancy or a related medical condition, please contact Accessible Educational Services.

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

Instructors must reasonably accommodate students who want to observe their religious holidays at times when academic requirements conflict with those observances. If you will miss class for a religious observance, you must fill out the Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form at least two weeks before your anticipated absence.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND TITLE IX

IU policy prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, sexual exploitation, and dating and domestic violence. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with the IU Sexual Assault Crisis Services at (812) 855-8900 or contact a Confidential Victim Advocate at (812) 856-2469 or cva@iu.edu.

It is also important that you know that University policy requires that I share certain information brought to my attention about potential sexual misconduct with the campus Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator or the University Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator. In that event, those individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken, and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of the utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist. I encourage you to visit http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/index.html to learn more.         

STUDENT RESOURCES

Library Research Assistance: IU Libraries offers one-on-one consultations with students who need assistance with library research.

Student Advocates: Retired IU faculty and staff members assist students with resolving academic, financial, and conduct-related issues.

Technology-related resources provided by the university include:

  • Free on-campus wireless internet (wifi) access through the “eduroam” network
  • Free in-person tech support in the Wells Library

Tutoring Resources: There are many free and paid tutoring resources on campus that are available to students.

Writing Tutorial Services: Offers free one-on-one writing help from a trained tutor. 

 

COURSE CALENDAR – READING ASSIGNMENTS & EXAMS - Updated Aug. 4, 2025

Date                         All chapter references are to the Lippmann Vantage text

August 27              Chapters 1 & 2

                                Introduction to and Sources of Criminal Procedure

September 3          Chapter 3

                                Searches and Seizures of Persons

September 10       Chapter 4

                                Searches and Seizures of Persons, cont’d

                                Stop and Frisk

September 17        Chapter 5

                                Probable Cause and Arrests

September 24        Chapter 6

                                Searches and Seizures of Property

October 1              Exam One – 60 multiple choice questions

                                 Covering Chapters 1-6

October 8              Chapter 7

                               Inspections and Regulatory Searches

October 15           Chapter 8

                               Interrogations and Confessions

October 22           Chapter 9

                               Eyewitnesses and Scientific Identifications

October 22            Last day to withdraw from class with a W on transcript

October 29           Chapter 10

                               The Exclusionary Rule and Entrapment

                               Review of lineup assignments; Identification issues 

November 5         Exam Two – 60 multiple choice questions

                                Covering Chapters 7-10

November 12       Chapters 11 & 12

                               Remedies for Constitutional Violations

                               Filing a Criminal Case, Bail, Right to Counsel

November 19       Chapter 13

                               Pretrial and Trial Process in the Courtroom

November 26       Thanksgiving Break – no class

December 3         Chapters 14 & 15

                              Sentencing and Appeals

                              Counterterrorism

December 10       Exam Three – 60 multiple choice questions

                                Covering Chapters 11-15