Crime Policy

Catalog description

This course focuses on criminal justice policy and the factors that influence policy development and implementation. CRIM 490 Crime Policy (3) This class will study crime and criminal justice in the context of law and the development and implementation of public policy. The course will focus on the politics of law and social control by exploring the construction of crime as a social problem, fundamental aspects of the policy development and implementation process, the legal interpretation of public policy, and the role of federal, state, and local governments in crime control. Students will be evaluated on essay exams and a term paper. This course is intended to be a capstone course for advanced undergraduates. The course will draw on the broad range of course work that students will have taken prior to taking this course to develop a course that takes what we know about crime, the law and the justice system and focus on public policy as it relates to these areas. The course may be used toward the six credits required at the 400 level under Additional Courses or as one of the courses under the Legal Studies Option.