Criminal Justice in the US: Paths to Reform

This course offers a policy lens on two of the most consequential and contested issues in American governance: policing and incarceration. Students will examine how the modern police institution emerged and whether it actually reduces crime, why police violence and misconduct have proven so difficult to curb, how the United States came to imprison people at such high rates, and what drives the stubborn persistence of these systems despite widespread calls for change. Drawing on empirical research, legal scholarship, investigative journalism, and documentary media, the course moves beyond diagnosis to grapple with the hard problem at the center of public policy: why do reform efforts often fail, and what conditions are required for meaningful change? Students will leave with both a rigorous analytical foundation and an understanding of the levers and obstacles facing policymakers, advocates, and practitioners working at the intersection of criminal justice, racial equity, and democratic accountability.