All Areas of Interest

Area of Interest Criminal Law and Procedure

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.

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Faculty

HLS Professors

Visiting Professors & Lecturers

Clinics

Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic

Students will participate in an externship with the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center (“MJC”) in Washington, D.C., working on appeals before federal circuit courts…

Criminal Justice Institute

The Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) offers a unique union of classroom instruction and hands-on experience for students who represent indigent adults and juvenile clients facing…

Crimmigration Clinic

In the Crimmigration Clinic, students work on cutting-edge issues regarding the intersection of criminal law and immigration law. The content of the clinical projects will depend on…

Federal Courts Clinic

The Federal Courts Clinic allows students to work with federal judges throughout the country and at different levels of the judicial system to gain a…

Government Lawyer: Semester in Washington Clinic

Students spend the entire Spring Term in Washington, D.C. working as legal interns in a variety of federal offices while taking an evening course on…

Government Lawyer: United States Attorney Clinic

The Government Lawyer: U.S. Attorney clinic allows students to examine firsthand the roles and responsibilities of a federal prosecutor. Students are placed at the United…

Institute to End Mass Incarceration Clinic

The Institute to End Mass Incarceration is a research and advocacy program that works toward the dramatic decarceration of the United States, the eradication of…

Judicial Process in Trial Courts Clinic

Clinical placements are available with individual judges of the District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Juvenile Court, and Housing Court Departments of the Massachusetts Trial Court,…

Research Programs and Centers

Access to Justice Lab

Animal Law & Policy Program

Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice

Institute for Global Law and Policy

Institute to End Mass Incarceration

John M. Olin Center: Law, Economics and Business

Program in Islamic Law

Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World

Program on International Law and Armed Conflict

Related Courses

Course Term Instructor(s)
Anti-carceral Organizing and Lawyering Spring 2024 Seminar Andrew Crespo, Premal Dharia
Capital Punishment Clinic Winter 2024 - Spring 2024 Clinic Carol Steiker
Capital Punishment in America Fall 2023 Course Carol Steiker
Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law Fall 2023 Course Goodwin Liu
Corporate Criminal Investigations Fall 2023 Seminar Daniel Kahn, Leo Tsao, Lorinda Laryea
Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic Winter 2024 - Spring 2024 Clinic Amir Ali, Devi Rao
Criminal Justice Appellate Clinical Seminar Winter 2024 Seminar Amir Ali, Devi Rao
Criminal Justice Institute: Criminal Defense Clinic Winter 2024 - Spring 2024 Clinic Dehlia Umunna
Criminal Justice Institute: Criminal Defense Clinic Fall 2023 - Winter 2024 Clinic Dehlia Umunna
Criminal Justice Institute: Defense Theory and Practice Fall 2023 - Winter 2024 Course Dehlia Umunna
All Related Courses

Additional Programs