Courts and Sentencing

Catalog description

This course is an examination of theory, research, and policy involving courts and their sentencing decisions. The course aims to translate social science research and theory on courts and sentencing into useful perspectives and knowledge for criminal justice practitioners and policy analysts. The course discusses sentencing decisions and how they are shaped by law and policy, the social organization of local courts, and the decision-making discretion of judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. In addition, the course considers the pros and cons of various research strategies for evaluating sentencing policies in an evidence-based way.