This course will explore how the world of criminal justice intersects with the world of politics. Beginning with a history of the “punitive turn” in the criminal justice policy of the late 1970s, this course will look at the major political issues in criminal justice today. Topics studied will include the constitutional context for legislating the criminal and quasi-criminal law, race and class in criminal justice, Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the criminal justice system, the growth of restorative justice, drug prohibition and reform, the value of incarceration, and white-collar crime and organizational liability. More broadly, the class aims to cover why crime continues to be a major political issue in Canada and the different approaches to addressing its control.

Area of focus: Comparative Politics