This course provides an overview of the criminal justice system
currently operating in the United States. Class will begin with an
examination of crime, its definitions and nature, its trends, and
its measurement. The course will then proceed to address those
agencies in society that are tasked with responding to crime:
police, courts, and corrections. We will trace their historical
development, lead into their current structure, form, and operation,
and discuss their relationship to society. Organizational and
political issues constraining and affecting actors within the
Criminal Justice system will be addressed. Class will also touch on
contemporary issues such as: “Racial Profiling”, “Crime Control vs.
Due Process”,  “The War on Drugs”, “The War on Terrorism”, and “The
Media and Crime”, and “Myths of Crime”.

While this is a required course for all criminal justice majors, it
also fulfills distribution requirements for other schools in the
College of Arts & Sciences.

Class meetings:  Daily, 10:30-11:20

Instructor:  Stephen Tillotson, criminal justice department