CC 208

This course engages with crime as a function of the political process of criminalization and will introduce students to criminal justice policymaking in Canada. Students will learn how the discourse of crime has functioned historically and presently in political rhetoric, about the legislative processes that lead to the creation of laws that criminalize or decriminalize, and to evaluate political rhetoric in light of criminological and social science evidence. Additionally, students will be introduced to frameworks and concepts that inform how government makes decisions including how problems are defined, the role of institutions in shaping decisions, interest group influence, and the role of knowledge (values and “evidence”) in decision making. <br>