LCJS 1700 - ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
This writing-intensive course will employ a combined practical and theoretical approach to the study of ethics in relation to the American criminal justice system. We will examine ethical dilemmas at all levels of the criminal justice system from policing and investigations to prosecution and adjudication, paying particular attention to those that lead to discrimination based on race, class and gender and abuse of authority. To that end, we will examine in-group/out-group dynamics and noble cause corruption in both policing and prosecution. We will consider prosecutorial discretion and the ethical mandate of the public prosecutor as well as judicial conduct and oversight. Additionally, we will examine the role of structural biases in the criminal justice system in perpetuating race, class and gender inequality. Above all, we will ask how the criminal justice professional can operate ethically within a morally imperfect system. We will consider not only what is ethical behavior, but also common barriers (cognitive, interactional, organizational) to ethical action. The course will revisit topics introduced early in the major such as the nature of crime, the decision to criminalize and the purpose of punishment in the American criminal justice system, and it will ask students to assess the legitimacy and fairness of these approaches.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Seminar
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis
Click here for class schedule information.
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