Social Contexts of Criminal Sentencing

Catalog description

This course is an in-depth, advanced examination of sociological and criminological theory, research, and methodological issues in the empirical study of the social and organizational environment of criminal courts and their sentencing decisions. The course discusses sentencing decisions as a function of the complex interplay between formal legal norms, the social organization and culture of local courts, the social environment surrounding courts, the interactions between court participants, and the social psychology of court actors. In addition, the course considers the pros and cons of various empirical research strategies in studying sentencing decisions.