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Criminal Law

Link to www.prisonpolicy.org

The American criminal justice system is unique in both its scope and its organization. Before we start discussing what conduct is criminal (or whether particular conduct should be criminal) it is important to understand exactly what the criminal justice system is.

The Prison Policy Project does an excellent job of both describing the scope of the criminal justice system and breaking it down into its component parts. Please familiarize yourself with how many people are currently incarcerated, where, and for what. We will refer to this information throughout the semester.