CRJ-255 Corrections in the United States

Course Overview

An overview of the U.S. corrections system with a focus on the most pressing correctional problems of the twenty-first century. Emphasis will be on the philosophy of punishment, the nature of the prison experience, alternatives to incarceration, judicial intervention in correctional affairs and the controversy over the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs. This class will provide students with a review of contemporary institutional and community-based correctional systems including jails, prisons, probation, parole, and alternative sanctioning. The course will examine how punishment justifications impact the policy and procedures in the correctional system. Specific attention is given to identification of evidence-based practices and programs in all aspects of the corrections system. This course will also examine how political power, dominance, and bias create a corrections system that disproportionately impacts different groups and subgroups of people (based on race, class, gender, sexual identity and more).

Faculty