Course Descriptions

Professor LAVINE: Introduces students to the process by which criminal law and criminal justice policies are crafted and implemented in the American political process.  Because of the nature of U.S. federalism, crime policy is a multi-layered process with distinctive features at each level.  Students will learn basic concepts about public policy-making across local, state, and national governments and will focus on specific areas of criminal punishment in order to more fully understand the complex nature of the policy process as well as the unique challenge of developing effective crime control policies.
 
This course will be a study of the American criminal justice system to assess whether or not it effectively reduces crime and achieves justice.  We will evaluate its proficiency as an instrument of social control, as well as the ideals and objectives of law enforcement, in order to develop more effective strategies in the planning and development of crime policy.

Professor WALKER: This course is concerned with the political aspects of criminal justice policy in the United States. The class is designed to contend with questions of democracy, inequality, the constitutional structure of a democratic republic and power. We will examine the ideals and objectives of law enforcement, and we will leverage race, class, and gender inequalities to evaluate law enforcement strategies as an instrument of social control. We will cover such topics as police use of force, stop-and-frisk, search and seizure and the right to counsel. The overall goal of the course is to equip students with a working knowledge of the institutional structures that shape criminal justice policy, and the outcomes these policies create.

Fall 2017 LAVINE
Fall 2017 WALKER
Spring 2017 DONNELLY
Fall 2016 MAYFRYER
Spring 2016 DONNELLY
Fall 2015 LAVINE
Spring 2015 JIMENEZ
Fall 2014 JIMENEZ
Spring 2014 JIMENEZ
Fall 2013 JIMENEZ
Spring 2013 JIMENEZ
Spring 2011 DARCAN