Course Info

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Course Info for PBPL - 365 - 01, Spring 2026
Class number: 2528 Title: Crime,Punishment&Public Policy Department: Public Policy & Law
Career: Undergraduate Component: Lecture Session: Regular
Instructor's Permission Required: No Grading Basis: Regular Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 19 Current enrollment: 17 Available seats: 2
Start date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 End date: Friday, May 8, 2026 Mode of Instruction: In Person
Schedule: W: 6:30PM-9:00PM, SH - S205 Instructor(s): Harwell, Jonathan
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: C- or better in Public Policy 201, Public Policy 202, or Political Science102, or permission of instructor.
Distribution Requirement: Meets Soc Sciences & Identity Power Equity Req
Course Description:
This course considers the origins of mass incarceration, the role of race, gender and poverty in our criminal justice system, and current proposals for reform. Topics include mandatory minimum sentences, plea bargaining and prosecutorial discretion; the criminal procedure revolution of the 1960s and its aftermath; false confessions, forensic evidence, and post-conviction review; and probation, diversionary programs and sex offender registration. It also will consider constitutional limitations on governmental search and seizure in an age of technological change and the evolving understanding of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Finally, the course will examine the interaction between the criminal justice system and societal concerns over the use of force by police.