Course: CJS 270. Critical Justice Systems (3)
Prerequisites: SOC 250 or CJS 102 or CJS 302 or permission from instructor. This course provides a foundational understanding of the development, organization, and process of the police, law and the courts, and corrections from a systemic perspective and their interactions with other social institutions. Course content addresses the historical origins, development, purpose, and goals of the U.S. criminal justice system from colonial institutions of social control to contemporary conflicting methods of crime control and due process orientations. Additionally, issues of diversity, ethics, and (in)justice throughout the system are extensively discussed, including the roles of gender/gender identity, race, ethnicity, indigeneity, class, sexuality/sexual orientation, and other areas of diversity and their intersections, on individuals’ experiences interacting with and working within the systems. Practical application of insights from course material towards crime prevention, policy, and system reform as well as discussions of alternative justice systems are emphasized and required.