Advising
Criminal Law and Administration
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE-CRIMINAL PRACTICE-CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICYNYU has a very large and diverse criminal law program. There are at least a dozen full-time faculty members whose primary interest is criminal law and perhaps another dozen whose primary interest closely intersects with criminal law. In addition, about half the 1L lawyering faculty have had criminal practice experience before coming to NYU.
This group of criminal law specialists offers an array of courses and seminars that will be valuable to law student generalists as well as to those whose ambition is to practice or make policy in the criminal justice system. There is no separate track for defense lawyers and prosecutors.
Criminal Law
The first year required Criminal Law course focuses on the substantive criminal law jurisprudence. It is a basic building block for all the other criminal law courses.Criminal Procedure
While not a required course, the majority of students take criminal procedure. It too is a basic building block for all other criminal law courses. Criminal Procedure is a crucial course for everyone who thinks they might some day work as a prosecutor, defense lawyer or judge.Every year, we offer at least one 4-credit criminal procedure survey course (Professor Schaffer) that covers both police practices and the stages of the criminal process from first appearance in court to post conviction. However, the 4-credit survey mostly focuses on Police Practices.
Students with a strong interest in criminal law can take 7 or 8 credits of criminal procedure by taking a Police Practices course (Friedman’s 3 credit Police Investigations or Schulhofer’s 4 credit Fourth and Fifth Amendments) and Jacobs’ 4-credit course on Bail to Habeas Corpus. The former can also be taken without the latter and vice versa.
Because the 4-credit survey course mostly focuses on Police Practices, students who take that course may also take Bail to Habeas Corpus.
Criminal Practice
The law school offers (at least) eight clinics in the criminal law area. These clinics are highly recommended for anyone who might some day practice as a prosecutor or defense lawyer (See the separate memorandum on clinical courses.)While Evidence is, strictly speaking, not a criminal law course, anyone contemplating practice as a prosecutor or defense lawyer should take that course.
Specialized Courses
We offer a number of specialized criminal law courses that will be valuable for students with focused interests in particular criminal law areas whether or not they plan to practice in the criminal law area.Business Crime (First), taught annually, is a course on white collar crime. It covers both substantive and procedural law. An interest in white collar crime could be further addressed in Professor First’s course on Anti-Trust Law and Professor Goldstock’s seminar on Corruption and Corruption Control.
Juvenile Justice (Jacobs), taught every other year, focuses on the juvenile justice system. See also Professor Hertz’s Juvenile Defender Clinic.
Capital Punishment Law is taught every year (Stevenson). See also Professor Stevenson’s Capital Defender Clinic. For a law and society perspective on the death penalty, see Professor Garland’s seminar: The Death Penalty: Historical and Social Perspectives.
Professional Responsibility. Criminal practice is laced with important and thorny ethical issues. Judge Jamie Orenstein’s seminar on Professional Responsibility – Criminal Practice is a criminal-law-specific option for fulfilling the professional responsibility requirement.
Specialized Seminars
We offer an array of seminars for students with a special interest in criminal practice, criminal justice policy, and criminal law jurisprudence. These will also appeal to students with a general but non-career interest in criminal law.Interested in Police and Policing in a Democratic Society, take Professor Skolnick’s policy-oriented seminar on Police, Law & Society. See also Professor Schulhoffer’s seminar on Policing and Intelligence Gathering Post-9-11.
Interested in law and policy on drugs, sex, gambling, take Professor Skolnick’s policy-oriented Regulation of Vice seminar.
Interested in Federal Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure & Criminal Practice, take Judge John Gleeson’s and Judge James Orenstein’s Complex Federal Investigations seminar. Useful for students who plan on federal court clerkships.
Interested in the Mafia, take Professor Goldstock’s simulated-investigation seminar, Organized Crime Control. Useful for students who aspire to work as federal prosecutors or in big city racket bureaus.
Interested in racism and criminal justice, take Professor Stevenson’s Race, Poverty and Criminal Justice seminar.
Interested in sentencing law, especially federal sentencing law, take Judge John Gleeson’s Sentencing seminar. Useful for students who aspire to federal court clerkships and /or to work as federal prosecutors or defenders.
Interested in prisoner re-entry and in criminal justice jurisprudence/policy generally, take Professor Jacobs’ seminar on Criminal Records: the Negative Curriculum Vitae. See also the Re-entry. Clinic
The War on Terror
In Winter/Spring 2009, Professor Schulhofer will offer a seminar on Intelligence Gathering and Law Enforcement Post 9-11NYU’s vibrant program in national security law sponsors a number of courses and seminars that include criminal law and procedure issues related to anti-terrorism investigations and strategies.
International and Comparative Criminal Justice
Professor Cohen frequently offers a course on criminal law and procedure in China.Professor Maguigan teaches a clinic dealing with domestic violence issues in India and other countries.
Professor Van Zyl teaches a seminar on Transitional Justice.
Opportunities for Research
There are many research opportunities in the criminal law area, including the Brennan Center’s criminal Justice Program, The Center for Research in Crime and Justice (Professors Jacobs & Skolnick) and the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law (Professor Barkow).