Criminal Justice Policy

Catalog description

This course focuses on the analysis of American and International criminal justice policies. Policy analysis is conducted through the lens of major sociological and criminological theories (e.g. deterrence theory, social disorganization theory, Marxist theory, routine activities theory, rationale choice theory, social learning theory, and others). The theoretical foundations of the theories presented will be related to policy initiatives of elected officials and senior policy makers. In addition to providing a theoretical analysis of criminal justice policy, this course will present empirical research findings on the efficacy of various policies and the theories which underpin them.