This course examines the history of crime and punishment in America from colonial times to the dawn of the twenty-first century. It addresses changing theories of crime and punishment and their varying applications, including corporal punishment, the rise of the penitentiary, and the attempted reforms of the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The course also examines changing definitions and categorization of crime in areas such as sexual conduct, economic activity, race, and religion.
Semester Offered
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