Through a combination of class presentations by leading activists in the alternative justice movement and direct field monitoring of police on duty, students will experience first hand the complex issues faced by residents caught between high crime in their neighborhoods and the dangers that racial profiling, civil and human rights abuses bring to the community.

Students will be trained in their constitutional rights and how to exercise them, basic criminal procedure, power analysis, and techniques for observing police activity. In addition, students will examine the history and origins of police, resistance movements, and community based alternatives to the justice system as we know it.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this semester, students will:

Know and be able to assert their rights when stopped by police.
Be able to identify constitutional police practices and procedures.
Be able to document police misconduct and know how to evaluate a potential case for civil rights violations.
Be able to interact with civil authorities in pursuit of individual complaints and learn how to file Public Records Act requests.
Analyze the causes of police misconduct and recommend possible solutions.