SMNR: Societal Problems Arising from Texas Criminal Procedure

• Semester: Fall 2019
• Course ID: 397S
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 28705

Description

This will be a writing seminar focused on significant social problems resulting from various aspects of Texas criminal procedure.  While as a class we will conduct a study of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and related statutes, each student will select (or be assigned) a specific research topic which will be the subject of a paper of no less than 30 single spaced pages.  In addition to written resources, students will be required to reach out to active practitioners in the criminal justice system---prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and others---to gain an understanding of how the criminal justice system actually works and to develop an understanding of the often unintended and poorly understood societal problems arising from that system.

We will have a number of guest speakers, some of whom may be proposed by the students.

This seminar will be challenging and is intended to result in papers that could be submitted for publication.

Class attendance (no more than two missed classes) and active class participation are required and will constitute 20% of the grade.  The final paper will constitute the other 80%.