Black Males in the Criminal Justice System | Spalding University Catalog

CJR-340: Black Males in the Criminal Justice System

3 credit hours

This course is focused on the relationship between black men and the American criminal justice system. This course will explore and critique the many ways the criminal justice system impacts the lives of black boys and men at every stage of the criminal process, from pre-arrest through post-sentencing. You will read essays from a book titled, Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment, which range from explication of the historical roots of racism in the criminal justice system to an examination of modern-day police killings of unarmed black men.  The contributors discuss and explain racial profiling, the power and discretion of police and prosecutors, the role of implicit bias, the racial impact of police and prosecutorial decisions, the disproportionate imprisonment of black men, the collateral consequences of mass incarceration, and the Supreme Court’s failure to provide meaningful remedies for the injustices in the criminal justice system.  Policing the Black Man is an enlightening must-read for anyone interested in the critical issues of race and justice in America. This course can be used to satisfy University Studies requirements.