CJBA 120 Dimensions of Justice

3 hours 

This course asks what we mean by justice. In particular, it asks what we add to the concept of justice when we speak of criminal justice. Drawing on readings from the Bible, the Qu'ran, Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Kant, Bentham, Rawls, and others, the course examines concepts central to justice generally and criminal justice in particular. It examines terms such as lex talionis (often rendered as "an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth") and the justice/mercy distinction that Shakespeare draws in The Merchant of Venice. It also considers specific types of justice - in particular corrective justice retributive justice restorative justice and distributive justice.