The course is designed to introduce students to the criminal justice system in American and our institutionalized response to the social problem of crime. The criminal justice system comprises several unique and related components. The course will consist of an examination of the various local, state, and federal agencies that make up the system with particular attention to the police, courts, and corrections. The course will also examine critical questions about the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of the criminal justice system.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This course will introduce students to the issue of crime, its social responses, and the formal justice system. We will pay particular attention to criminal behavior, the police, courts, and corrections, as well as specific contemporary issues in criminal justice. At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
- Examine the components, activities, and procedures followed in the law enforcement, adjudication and post-conviction processes in American justice and society;
- Compare and contrast the interaction and organization of federal, state and local agencies that are components of the criminal justice process;
- Analyze and evaluate key periods in the historical evolution and development of policing, courts, and corrections;
- Identify and assess various court decisions that have contributed to criminal justice in the United States and evaluate their impact on the functioning of law enforcement, adjudication, and post-conviction processes;
- Assess future trends in law enforcement, adjudication and post-conviction processes.
- Teacher: Jack Bieger
