SOCI:255 Crime and Justice.
This course explores the dimensions, causes, costs and correlates of the crime problem in the U.S. and considers the uses and limitations of the criminal justice system in dealing with it. To do this, the course is organized around three interdisciplinary literatures: criminology, law and society, and criminal justice studies. Focusing on issues of lawmaking, law breaking and state response to crime, students will review and critique classical and contemporary approaches to the study of these phenomena; identify a range of theoretical approaches and empirical findings in the literatures identified above; and assess the strengths and limitations of contemporary crime control policies in light of accumulated empirical evidence. Prerequisite: SOCI:101, SOCI:102 or ANTH:162. 4 SH.