This course provides an overview of the legal aspects of corrections. These include legal issues from conviction to release from incarceration. Emphasis is on the practical, legal problems confronting the probation and parole officer and the corrections administrator. This course involves the study of law and social structure, sociology of law, and formal control mechanisms. Students examine the philosophical, legal, and scientific modes of inquiry that are central to the study of law.
Attention is given to fitting the appropriate method of inquiry to social policy questions.
The course explores the effectiveness of the law in developing social policy. This course offers a comprehensive examination of the U.S. correctional system. Special focus is on theories of punishment and rehabilitation, the historical antecedents of modern corrections, offender characteristics, sentencing and community-based corrections. The course examines the operation and administration of correctional facilities, prison life, and contemporary debates concerning the role of corrections in society. The course explores alternatives to imprisoning the offender, including probation, parole and diversion.