CRIM 660 - Drugs and the Criminal Justice System

(3 hours) The focus of this course is the historical and contemporary patterns of psychoactive drug use in the United States and the development of policies by the criminal justice system to reduce or eliminate drug use and/or drug problems. Specific topics include major types of psychoactive drugs, organized crime and drugs, the War on Drugs, the international context of drug production and distribution, social problems resulting from drug use and the criminal justice system’s response. A major course objective is the evaluation of different strategies for reducing drug-related problems.