Issues in Crime and CJ Policy

Catalog description

A survey of contemporary issues in American crime policy, designed to introduce students to the process by which criminal law and criminal justice policies are crafted and implemented in the American political process. Covers basic concepts about public policymaking across local, state, and national governments. Examines a variety of areas of crime policy and criminal punishment, including but not limited to guns, violent crime, drugs, family violence, and hate crimes. Students will learn the complex nature of the policy process as well as the unique challenges, financial implications, and wider consequences of developing effective crime control policies. Also considers the relative efficacy of different policy approaches to controlling crime from the perspective of social scientific as well as empirical evidence. Prer., Sophomore Standing.