CONN 318 | Crime and Punishment

The U.S. has 2.3 million people in prison with glaring racial and class disparities. Why is this? Is there something distinctive about American culture and/or politics that produces these outcomes? Are we simply a more crime-prone people or a more punitive people who impose exceptionally harsh sanctions? This class will explore changing ideas of crime and punishment in the U.S. through philosophical, historical, religious and social scientific perspectives. Students will also look at the U.S in a comparative context, seeking to understand how different democratic political systems confront problems of crime and punishment. The class looks specifically at issues such as mental health in prison, the death penalty and restorative justice.