Course Description

601:716. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (2 or 3) WI

Kaplan


The United States currently incarcerates more than 2.3 million people. This means that at least one in 100 adults in this country is in jail or prison. Five states now spend as much on corrections departments and facilities as they do on higher education. This course will explore the theories of criminal punishment, specifically what the state may punish (such as inchoate offenses like attempt, solicitation, and conspiracy) and how it may punish (such as whether the state may publically shame individuals or require medical treatment). We will also consider the effectiveness of punishment practices in achieving their goals and weigh alternatives to punishment such as restorative justice.