CRM 2000 - Youth, Deviance, and Crime

Credits: 4

This course focuses on the social problem of youth and crime and the ways that this problem is defined and addressed through formal and informal means in society. What are the sources of juvenile delinquency? How are other social institutions (family, schools, economy) related to the decisions of youths to engage in deviant and/or unlawful behavior? How are the issues of race/ethnicity, social class, age and gender, and sexuality implicated in who is defined as delinquent and how they are treated by the larger society? Particular attention will be given to the history of the juvenile justice system and how it currently functions (police, courts, corrections). Non-punitive approaches to addressing this problem will also be covered (e.g. community-based corrections, restorative justice).
Prerequisite(s): CRM 1000 or consent of the instructor.
Fulfills: SOSC and D in LS Core