This course will examine some of the many moral questions raised by
the institution of legal punishment.  These include questions about
the justifying aims of the institution (retribution, crime
reduction, moral education, restitution0, the underlying assumptions
that theories of punishment make about the kinds of agents who can
be help criminally responsible for their acts, the kinds of actions
that should be criminalized, and the types of losses and
deprivations that can be legitimately imposed on serious offenders
in the name of punishment.  Specific topical issues will include the
use of supermax confinement, the preventive detention of dangerous
offenders, the disenfranchisement of felons, and the fairness and
desirability of resolving criminal charges through plea bargaining.

Class meeting:  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-5:15

Instructor:  Professor Richard Lippke, criminal justice department