This introductory course provides students with a basic understanding of the criminal justice fields. Students will be exposed to the three key components of the criminal justice system: cops, courts and corrections, and will examine the rule of law and the role of society and culture in the history of crime and the structure of American law enforcement. Students will also study the operation of the court system and institutional and community corrections. Issues prevalent in today’s criminal justice system – such as cyber-crime and terrorism, the Rockefeller drug laws, discriminatory practices in the criminal justice system, the rise of super-maximum security prisons and the adjudication and sentencing of juveniles as adults – will also be examined.