Intro to American CJ

Catalog description

This course provides an introduction to the criminal justice system in the U.S. The primary goal of this course is to foster a general understanding of the functions and impact of the 3 components of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. In addressing these components, we will examine each component from the due process and crime control perspectives of criminal justice. Due process stresses individual rights while crime control stresses the protection of the society at large Some of the topics that we will cover include policing, the courts, incarceration and alternative sanctions, the War on Drugs, and the War on Terrorism. The course will conclude with a discussion of the future of criminal justice.