SOC 157

Issues in Courts and Prisons

Sociologically analyzes American courts and prisons from prosecutorial intake through sentencing and incarceration. Emphasis is on the role of social factors (in particular race, class and gender) in decision-making practices at each stage of processing. Topics will include, but are not limited to: preventive detention, prosecutorial intake, plea-bargaining, jury selection, pre-sentence investigation reports, sentencing, and legal reconstruction of the American prison in the modern era.

Units: 3.0