Criminology is the scientific study of the making of laws, the breaking of laws, and the reaction to the breaking of laws. When a crime appears to have been committed and authorities have been notified, the criminal justice system is set in motion. The criminal justice system is the societal response to crime and includes three major activities: law enforcement, the judicial process, and corrections. The course provides an overview of (a) the theories offered to explain crime and delinquent behavior (b) the criminal justice system's responses to those behaviors, and (c) the relationships between the varied explanations of criminal behavior and society's response to those behaviors. The focus of the course is primarily on the United States.
