Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

Catalog description

Only a small portion of international criminal law disputes are resolved in some form of international court like the International Criminal Court or a special tribunal. The majority are instead resolved in a domestic court system, meaning that, effectively, the practice of international criminal law occurs in a number of different criminal justice systems. This course familiarizes students with the varieties of criminal justice systems around the world. Though each country or region has its own individual system tailored to its history and culture, regional and cultural similarities exist in the structure and approach of individual systems. The course will ground students in the major types of criminal justice systems around the world, from the Anglo-American system to a European system to an Islamic system. The course will look both at individual systems from countries that have a strong presence in the world of international criminal law and at the general principles that underlie the differences in major systems.