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Hot Topics in Criminal Justice
  • Level Foundation
  • المدة 19 ساعات hours
  • الطبع بواسطة Vanderbilt University
  • Offered by

عن

The American criminal justice system is in need of reform. We incarcerate too many people. We pay insufficient attention to scientific advances that can help separate out the most and least culpable and dangerous. We grant the police far too much power to use force and technological surveillance. As a way of thinking about dealing with these problems, this course examines two over-arching issues: What should we do with people who have committed crime, and how should we identify who they are? On the first issue, we will look closely at the nature and causes of mass incarceration, the death penalty, the lawfulness and usefulness of preventive detention and risk assessment, and the role of the insanity defense and neuroscience in assessing responsibility for crime. On the second issue, we will explore the laws regulating the police use of force, the growing role of technology and big data in facilitating police surveillance and detection and deterrence of crime, and the remedies for police malfeasance, including the exclusionary rule and damages actions. The overall goal is to help thinking individuals assess today’s criminal justice system and consider ways of making it better. After completing this course, participants should be able to: 1. Describe the mass incarceration problem in the United States and why it might exist; 2. Suggest ways of reducing incarceration; 3. Criticize risk assessment instruments and their use in preventive detention schemes; 4. Discuss the pros and cons of the death penalty, the exclusionary rule, and the insanity defense; 5. Analyze the relevance of neurological evidence in a criminal case; 6. Identify some of the reasons innocent people are wrongly convicted; 7. Elaborate on the role race plays at sentencing and in police use of force, stop and frisk and consent searches and 8. List the types of surveillance technology available to police and the constitutional principles that govern their use.

الوحدات

Course Welcome and Introduction

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Welcome and Course Introduction (4:34)

Part 1: Incarceration Rates in the United States and Europe

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1 Assignment

  • Incarceration and Crime Rates

1 Videos

  • Incarceration Rates in the United States and Europe (7:29)

Part 2: Legal Reasons for Differences Between U.S. and European Incarceration Rates

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • The Impact of Mass Incarceration

1 Videos

  • Legal Reasons for Differences Between U.S. and European Incarceration Rates (11:00)

Part 3: Cultural Reasons for Differences Between U.S. and European Incarceration Rates

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Culture and Punishment

1 Videos

  • Cultural Reasons for Differences Between U.S. and European Incarceration Rates (15:40)

Part 4: Additional Cultural Reasons for Differences Between U.S. and European Incarceration Rates

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Culture and Incarceration

1 Videos

  • Additional Cultural Reasons for Differences Between U.S. and European Incarceration Rates (19:08)

Part 5: Can Incarceration Trends Be Reversed?

    • 1 Videos
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1 Assignment

  • Recent Developments in Imprisonment Policies

1 Videos

  • Can Incarceration Trends Be Reversed? (8:29)

End of Module Reading & Assessment

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Why are incarceration rates higher in the United States than in other countries?

Part 1: Introduction--Reducing Reliance on Harsh Prison Terms

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    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Purposes of Punishment

1 Videos

  • Introduction: Reducing Reliance on Harsh Prison Terms (8:28)

Part 2: Purposes of Punishment

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1 Assignment

  • Understanding the Purposes of Punishment

1 Videos

  • Purposes of Punishment (11:36)

Part 3: The Accuracy of Sentencing Determinations

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Sentencing Factors

1 Discussions

  • Relative Accuracy

1 Videos

  • The Accuracy of Sentencing Determinations (11:09)

Part 4: Treatment Programs

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1 Assignment

  • What works?

1 Videos

  • Treatment Programs (10:48)

Part 5: The Autonomy Principle

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • The Implications of the Autonomy Principle

1 Videos

  • The Autonomy Principle (11:32)

Part 6: Pure Preventive Detention

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1 Assignment

  • Preventive Detention Schemes

1 Videos

  • Pure Preventive Detention (14:50)

End of Module Reading & Assessment

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • The Ideal Sentencing Regime

Part 1: Cases in Which the Insanity Defense is Raised

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1 Assignment

  • Insanity Defense Facts

1 Videos

  • Cases in Which the Insanity Defense is Raised (10:14)

Part 2: Legal Definitions of Defenses Based on Mental Disability

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1 Assignment

  • Mental State Defense Formulations

1 Videos

  • Legal Definitions of Defenses Based on Mental Disability (17:19)

Part 3: The Outer Boundaries of Mental State Defenses

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • The Role of Mental Dysfunction in Criminal Justice

1 Videos

  • The Outer Boundaries of Mental State Defenses (15:47)

Part 4: Legal Claims Based on Neuroscience and Neurogenetics

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1 Assignment

  • The Relevance of Neuroscience

1 Videos

  • Legal Claims Based on Neuroscience and Neurogenetics (17:31)

Part 5: Mental Disability and Dispositions After Conviction

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1 Assignment

  • Alternative Systems

1 Videos

  • Mental Disability and Dispositions After Conviction (12:56)

End of Module Readings & Assessment

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Desert v. Determinism

Part 1: History and Structure of the Death Penalty

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1 Assignment

  • The Death Penalty Worldwide

1 Videos

  • History and Structure of the Death Penalty (11:05)

Part 2: Economics of the Death Penalty & Interrogations

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1 Assignment

  • Causes of Wrongful Convictions--Part 1

1 Videos

  • Economics of the Death Penalty & Interrogations (11:40)

Part 3: Eyewitness Identifications

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1 Assignment

  • Causes of Wrongful Convictions--Part 2

1 Videos

  • Eyewitness Identifications (15:11)

Part 4: Labs and Adversarialism

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1 Assignment

  • Cause of Wrongful Convictions -- Part 3

1 Videos

  • Labs and Adversarialism (16:09)

Part 5: The Influence of Elections, Jury Confusion, and Race on Death Sentences

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Assignment

  • Causes of Improper Sentences

1 Discussions

  • American v. European Procedure

1 Videos

  • The Influence of Elections, Jury Confusion, and Race on Death Sentences (13:23)

End of Module Reading & Assessment

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Debating the Death Penalty

Part 1: How Often do Police Use Force and Against Whom?

    • 1 Videos
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1 Assignment

  • Police Use of Force Data

1 Videos

  • How Often do Police Use Force and Against Whom? (12:40)

Part 2: The Law of Deadly Force and Stop and Frisk

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • When should police be able to use force?

1 Videos

  • The Law of Deadly Force and Stop and Frisk (12:07)

Part 3: The Law of Car Stops and Searches

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1 Assignment

  • The Law of Car Searches

1 Videos

  • The Law of Car Stops and Searches (14:48)

Part 4: The Exclusionary Rule and Damages Remedies

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1 Assignment

  • Remedies for Fourth Amendment Violations

1 Videos

  • The Exclusionary Rule and Damages Remedies (16:11)

Part 5: Oversight Boards, Training, and Structural Reforms

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1 Assignment

  • Alternatives to the Court System

1 Videos

  • Oversight Boards, Training, and Structural Reforms (21:47)

End of Module Readings & Assessment

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Thinking about How to Regulate Police Use of Power

Part 1: The Definition of Search Under the Fourth Amendment

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1 Assignment

  • The Scope of the Fourth Amendment

1 Videos

  • The Definition of Search Under the Fourth Amendment (12:09)

Part 2: The Knowing Exposure, General Public Use and Contraband-Specific Doctrines

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1 Assignment

  • The Definition of "Search"

1 Videos

  • The Knowing Exposure, General Public Use and Contraband-Specific Doctrines (14:41)

Part 3: The Assumption of Risk Doctrine

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Thinking about Government Access to Personal Data

1 Videos

  • The Assumption of Risk Doctrine (20:15)

Part 4: Reasons to Regulate Police Surveillance

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1 Assignment

  • The Impact of Surveillance

1 Videos

  • Reasons to Regulate Police Surveillance (12:09)

End of Module Reading & Assessment

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Police Use of Surveillance Technology

Untitled Lesson

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  • End of Course Final Quiz

Auto Summary

Explore critical issues in the American criminal justice system with "Hot Topics in Criminal Justice," a foundational course in Personal Development offered by Coursera. Led by expert instructors, this 1140-minute course delves into mass incarceration, the death penalty, police use of force, and technological surveillance. Ideal for individuals seeking to understand and reform the justice system, it offers insights into reducing incarceration, evaluating risk assessments, and understanding the role of neuroscience in criminal cases. Available with Starter and Professional subscriptions, this course equips you with the knowledge to assess and improve today's criminal justice landscape.

Christopher Slobogin
Instructor

Christopher Slobogin