Public Policy and Criminal Justice

Catalog description

This course will examine how the public policy process responds to crime and the operation of the criminal justice system at the federal, state and local level. The course will explain how the public policy process works. It will review the role of key participants such as each of the three branches of government, public opinion, interest groups and the media. The course also considers the impact of the public policy process on the components of the criminal justice system and how the interaction of these participants shapes public policy regarding crime and its prevention.