Alternatives to Incarceration

Catalog description

Control and treatment of offenders in the community, probation and parole organizations, diversion programs, innovative sentences, supervision techniques. This course introduces students to the system of "criminal justice" as defined and interpreted by the Supreme Court as well as lower courts. Students study the judicial process, the intricacies of opinion formation, the nature and extent of judicial power, the willingness of the courts to hear appeals, and the reality of criminal sanctioning and procedure. The adversarial process, the willingness of the courts to hear appeals, and the conflicting opinions of the court introduce students to the lack of conformity that is part of upholding Constitutional rights. Court attitudes and how the changing system is studied through stare decisis and case briefing. Particular cases and issues are critiqued such as capital punishment of the mentally ill, juveniles, and those who are mentally challenged. The tension between justice versus law is studied through cases, evaluation of court behavior , and changing attitudes towards racial inequities.