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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Charles J. Ogletree
Jesse Climenko Professor of Law, Emeritus
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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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Amna Akbar
Sullivan & Cromwell Visiting Professor of Law
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Amir Ali
Lecturer on 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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Rebecca Richman Cohen
Lecturer on Law
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Beth A. Colgan
Phillip E. Areeda Visiting Professor of Law
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John C. Cratsley
Lecturer on Law
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Premal Dharia
Lecturer on Law
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Michael Dreeben
Lecturer on Law
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Nancy Gertner
Senior Lecturer on Law
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Lisa Kern Griffin
Daniel P.S. Paul Visiting Professor of Constitutional Law
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Brandi Harden
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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Elizabeth Katz
Howard J. and Katherine W. Aibel Visiting Professor of Law
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Lorinda Laryea
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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Oren Nimni
Lecturer on Law
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Saul Ramirez
Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on 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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Margaret Ryan
Lecturer on 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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Francis X. Shen
Harvard University Affiliated Professor
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Daniel L. Smail
Harvard University Affiliated Professor
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Leo Tsao
Lecturer on Law
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Alex Walker
Lecturer on Law
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Jonathan J. Wroblewski
Lecturer on Law
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Cindy Zapata
Lecturer on Law
Clinics
Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic
Criminal Justice Institute
Crimmigration Clinic
Federal Courts Clinic
Government Lawyer: Semester in Washington Clinic
Government Lawyer: United States Attorney Clinic
Institute to End Mass Incarceration Clinic
Judicial Process in Trial Courts Clinic
Research Programs and Centers
Related Courses
Course | Term | Instructor(s) |
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Anti-carceral Organizing and Lawyering | Spring 2024 Seminar | Andrew Crespo |
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 - Spring 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 |