Criminal Justice

The role of criminal law is to identify, discourage, and punish behavior that harms other people or otherwise threatens the very fabric of civil society.

A look at two different theories prescribing why societies should criminalize behavior, and a comparison of those theories to the reasons our government presently criminalizes behavior.

Learn the roles and procedures of the American jury trial and follow the stories of Andrew Hamilton and William Penn in two deeply intertwined court cases.

Under the Constitution, crime fighting is supposed to be reserved to state and local government. But over the past 40 years, Congress has federalized many of the crimes that have always been investigated by local police.

Few Americans appreciate the role that plea‐​driven mass adjudication has played in transforming their criminal justice system into little more than a conviction machine.

See what a well‐​functioning and truly just criminal justice system could look like, explore how we can end overcriminalization, and learn what jury nullification is.