Governments uniquely have the power to punish people who break the law, by prosecuting them for alleged crimes and by sentencing them if they are convicted. How does the government use this power? How should it? And what constitutional rights do people suspected or accused of crimes enjoy? In courses examining the penal system from police investigations on through trials, convictions, sentencing, and post-conviction processes, Harvard Law students have opportunities to study the laws and institutions of the penal system, learning from leading scholars in the field and from experienced practitioners, including retired federal and state judges, current and former prosecutors, and defense attorneys.
From Harvard Law Today
Faculty
HLS Professors
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Andrew M. Crespo
Morris Wasserstein Public Interest Professor of Law
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Jeannie Suk Gersen
John H. Watson, Jr. Professor of Law
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D. James Greiner
The Honorable S. William Green Professor of Public Law
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Elizabeth Papp Kamali
Austin Wakeman Scott Professor of Law
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Adriaan M. Lanni
Touroff-Glueck Professor of Law
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Christopher Lewis
Assistant Professor of Law
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Anna Lvovsky
Professor of Law
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Alexandra Natapoff
Lee S. Kreindler Professor of Law
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Intisar A. Rabb
Professor of Law
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Hannah Shaffer
Assistant Professor of Law
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Steven M. Shavell
Samuel R. Rosenthal Professor of Law and Economics
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Carol S. Steiker
Henry J. Friendly Professor of Law
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Ronald S. Sullivan
Jesse Climenko Clinical Professor of Law
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Philip Torrey
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law
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Laurence H. Tribe
Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Emeritus
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Crystal S. Yang
Bennett Boskey Professor of Law
Visiting Professors & Lecturers
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Aziza Ahmed
Daniel P.S. Paul Visiting Professor of Constitutional Law
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Yutian An
Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law
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Jay Blitzman
Lecturer on Law
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Jacob Chin
Lecturer on Law
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Rebecca Richman Cohen
Lecturer on Law
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John C. Cratsley
Lecturer on Law
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Premal Dharia
Lecturer on Law
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Avlana Eisenberg
Visiting Professor of Law
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Nancy Gertner
Senior Lecturer on Law
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Brandi Harden
Lecturer on Law
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Aleena Ijaz
Lecturer on Law
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Daniel Kahn
Lecturer on Law
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Ioannis Kalpouzos
Visiting Professor of Law
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Erin Kelly
Visiting Professor of Law
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Lorinda Laryea
Lecturer on Law
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Tiffany Lieu
Lecturer on Law
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Deborah Lolai
Lecturer on Law
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Catharine A. MacKinnon
James Barr Ames Visiting Professor of Law
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Mina Malik
Lecturer on Law
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Daniel Medwed
Visiting Professor of Law
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Dana Mulhauser
Lecturer on Law
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Shaun Ossei-Owusu
George Francis Brownell Visiting Professor of Law
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Devi Rao
Lecturer on Law
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Jonathan A. Rapping
Visiting Professor of Law
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Richard M. Re
Ropes & Gray Visiting Professor of Law
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Richard Salgado
Lecturer on Law
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Adam Sandel
Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law
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Patti Saris
Lecturer on Law
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Justine Sheehan
Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law
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Daniel L. Smail
Harvard University Affiliated Professor
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Leo Tsao
Lecturer on Law
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Jonathan J. Wroblewski
Lecturer on Law
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Cindy Zapata
Lecturer on Law
Clinics
Research Programs and Centers
Related Courses
Course | Term | Instructor(s) |
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Access to Justice Lab | Spring 2025 Seminar | D. James Greiner |
Anti-carceral Organizing and Lawyering | Spring 2025 Seminar | Andrew Crespo, Premal Dharia |
Capital Punishment Clinic | Winter 2025 - Spring 2025 Clinic | Carol Steiker |
Capital Punishment in America | Fall 2024 Course | Carol Steiker |
Comparative Abolitions (Slavery, Capital Punishment, Prison, Police) | Fall 2024 Seminar | Carol Steiker |
Conservative Thought in the United States | Fall 2024 Seminar | Jack Goldsmith |
Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law | Fall 2024 Course | Goodwin Liu |
Corporate Criminal Investigations | Fall 2024 Seminar | Daniel Kahn, Leo Tsao, Lorinda Laryea |
Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic | Winter 2025 - Spring 2025 Clinic | Devi Rao |
Criminal Justice Appellate Clinical Seminar | Winter 2025 - Spring 2025 Seminar | Devi Rao |