Criminal Justice

Courses

The Law School has compiled the following list of upper-level courses currently or recently offered to guide students interested in criminal justice. Related clinics and/or externships are marked with an asterisk and grouped separately at the end of the list. The Law School offers the listed courses regularly, but some are not available every year. For guidance about which courses might best fit your particular needs, please consult the faculty members listed below.

• Advanced Trial Practice & Procedure
• Criminal Justice Clinic*
• Crime Policy & the Growth of Incarceration
• Criminal Justice Reform Movement Seminar**
• Corporate & White Collar Crime
• Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
• Criminal Procedure: Investigation
• Evidence
• International Justice & Conflict Resolution Externship*
• International Criminal Law
• International Money Laundering, Corruption & Terrorism
• Post-Conviction Relief Clinical Practicum*
• Pretrial Practice: Criminal
• Prosecution Law Clinic*
• Public Law Theory Seminar
• Theories of Punishment Seminar
• War Crimes

*The Law School offers the following clinics and externships related to criminal justice: the Criminal Justice Clinic, the Prosecution Clinic, the Post-Conviction Relief Clinical Practicum, and the International Justice & Conflict Resolution Externship.

**Over the past decade, “criminal justice reform” has become a rallying cry, attracting voices from across the political spectrum. On federal, state, and local levels, the criminal system has been under fire. Commentators have decried the expansive reach of substantive criminal law, racial disparities in policing and prosecution, and dramatically expanding prison populations. Activists, academics, attorneys, and politicians have worked to craft critiques of criminal law and to shape policy solutions. This seminar explores contemporary criminal justice reform movements.  Discussions will focus on a range of pressing issues in criminal policy including bail reform, progressive prosecution, policing, and wrongful convictions. Throughout the course of the semester, we will learn about various systemic critiques and proposed policy solutions.

Certificate Programs

JD students interested in this area of the law may wish to apply for the Public Interest Law Certificate.

Other Opportunities

Students interested in criminal justice may wish to join the Criminal Law Society. In addition, both the National Moot Court Team and the Trial Team often involve criminal law problems. Internationally, the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute regularly recruits research assistants to support the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative.