Philosophy of Corrections

Catalog description

This course reviews the history and philosophy of corrections from a comparative perspective; specific attention will be given to the history punishment and justice in America as well as other major industrialized nations of the world. Students will examine corrections from an evidence-based perspective and explore the relationship between empirical research and theory to correctional practices (e.g., the impact of prisons on crime, the effectiveness of community “control” programs, and the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions). Finally, students will learn about how correctional policy is shaped by prevailing social and political forces as much as by “data” and “crime rates.”