Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System

This course is an introductory survey of the American criminal justice system with a view to its social and institutional context, and its structure and functioning. The course provides an overview of the foundations and components of the criminal justice system, including (substantive and procedural) criminal law, police, courts and corrections. The main emphasis will be placed on the criminal justice process, and how the various institutions of criminal justice interact. Key issues will be addressed as they arise at different stages of the process, such as the conflict between crime control and due process, and conflicts related to, for example, gender, class and ethnicity. This course will satisfy the Social Sciences elective requirement for all QCC degree programs.

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