Criminal justice, one of three programs offered through the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, is an academic field which examines the actions of the formal social control mechanisms we call the criminal justice system. This system is composed of three subsystems: law enforcement agencies, criminal courts, and correctional facilities. The study of criminal justice requires an examination of the structure and functioning of each of these subsystems, as well as knowledge about the role behavior of the participants. It also involves a critical evaluation of how the administration of justice actually operates in American society. This raises fundamental questions and provides perspectives from which solutions to problems might be drawn.
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