URP 534, Section 1

American criminal justice is in crisis, and activists and city leaders across the country have tried to establish new ways of keeping communities safe without relying so heavily on policing and punishment. This course examines the ideals and assumptions that have guided this movement, the interventions it has inspired, and the institutional arrangements that have both sustained and frustrated it. We will explore a wide range of topics including abolitionist theory, violence interrupters, crime prevention through environmental design, mobile crisis teams, private security, place management, and the reintegration of formerly incarcerated people into their communities. We will consider the scope and limits of community-based public safety strategies as alternatives to criminal justice, and we will examine the obstacles that have limited their use and the unintended consequences they have had.