01:202:425 Race, Crime, and Justice
Description: Explores the relationship between the criminal justice system and racial minorities in the United States. Seeks to understand some of the economic, political, and sociological reasons why racial minorities, particularly African-Americans, are over-represented in the criminal justice system. Explores normative issues of justice and equity in broader social interactions that influence and are influenced by crime and the criminal process.
 
Prerequisites: 01:202:201
Research methods course satisfying the Criminal Justice major.
 
Course Synopsis: Professor KRIVO: The strong connection between race and crime in the United States is prominent in the media and in the minds of the public. But, how large are racial and ethnic differences in criminal involvement in this country? How do we know that such differences exist? How can we explain ethnoracial differentials in crime in the United States? What implications do both the “facts” and the media portrayals of the race-crime connection have for how people think and act in this society? And, how does all of this filter through the various components of the criminal justice system? In this course, we will address these and other questions to learn about the state of knowledge on the relationship between race, ethnicity, crime, and criminal justice. We will discuss data, theoretical approaches, and current research about the ways in which race and ethnicity are connected with criminal involvement and criminal justice processing. In doing so, we will learn about the complex ways in which the race-crime-criminal justice connection is both a product of societal forces and affects broader social relations.
 
Current Syllabus: Spring 2018 KRIVO
Previous Syllabi: Fall 2017 KRIVO
Spring 2016 KRIVO
Spring 2015 KRIVO

Spring 2014 MILLER
Fall 2012 KRIVO