The Justice System in Action

Catalog description

This course surveys the U.S. Criminal Justice System and its component institutions and processes, including overviews of policing, corrections, courts, and their inter-relations in the criminal justice system. Throughout the course, discussions will focus on the origin of the criminal justice system and how it has evolved into its current form. A brief overview of popular theories of criminology will be presented that are used to help explain why people do, or do not participate in criminal behaviors. There will be a brief discussion of the nature and measurement of crime, patterns of offending and victimization, and criminal justice responses to offending and victimization. Historical and emerging issues are introduced including a variety of insights related to effective, professional and ethical practices in criminal justice.