How society: deters, investigates, prosecutes, and punishes crime is one of the most important sets of policies a government will enact. At its core, the decisions a government makes regarding criminal justice are meant to protect its citizens. 

For too long society was marred by an arbitrary administration of justice. In fact, society grapples with these issues to this day. Mass incarceration and racial inequity spark protest movements, and prosecutorial decisions to seek (or not seek) the death penalty haunt politicians.

Cesare Beccaria's seminal work On Crimes and Punishments remains staggeringly relevant over 250 years later. If I were to assign one book for this course, Beccaria's masterpiece would be the one.