To earn this Concentration, students must:
- complete 3 courses, 3 credits of experiential learning, and 12 additional credits, as outlined in the requirements listed below
- earn a 3.0 grade point average in the required courses
- earn a 3.5 grade point average in the required courses to receive Honors in the Concentration
I. Core courses:
These 3 courses are required.
- Criminal Law and Procedure (726)
- Introduction to Criminal Procedure (725)
- Evidence (801)
II. Complete at least 3 credits of experiential learning:
Clinics
Students must apply for clinics during the spring semester prior to the academic year in which they hope to enroll.
All sections are listed under Law 854.
- Legal Assistance to Incarcerated People Project (LAIP)
- Criminal Appeals Project
- Wisconsin Innocence Project
- Restorative Justice Project
- Oxford Federal Project
- Federal Appeals Project
- Prosecution Project
- Defender Project
- Constitutional Litigation, Appeals & Sentencing Project (CLASP)
- Immigrant Justice Clinic
Externships
All sections are listed under Law 855.
- DOJ Externship Project (with prior approval from the faculty advisor)
- Law Externship Course (with prior approval from the faculty advisor)
- Government & Legislative Law Clinic (with prior approval from the faculty advisor)
III. Complete 12 credits from the following:
- No more than 3 additional credits of internship/externship without prior approval from faculty advisor
- Sentencing & Corrections (916)
- Legislation & Regulation (750)
- Mental Health Law (913)
- Race, Racism, and the Law (940)
- Immigration Law (873)
- Domestic Violence Law (938)
- Law & Forensic Science (915)
- Advanced Criminal Procedure: Representing the Criminal Appellant (860; course component of Criminal Appeals Project)
- Special Problems in Criminal Justice Administration: Federal Criminal Appeals (915; course component of Federal Appeals Project)
- Professional Responsibility & Criminal Practice (798; course component of Prosecution & Defender Projects)
- Criminal Defense Practice (796; course component of Defender Project)
- Prosecution Function (797; course component of Prosecution Project)
Elective Courses in Other Departments
With Dean permission, students may apply 6 credits of non-law coursework to their JD; these two courses meet that requirement:
- Soc Work 627: Sex Trafficking and Sex Trading
- Soc Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
No more than 6 credits of the following options may be used to meet the Criminal Law Concentration requirements.
NOTE: these courses will NOT meet JD requirements.
- Psych 526: The Criminal Mind: Forensic and Psychobiological Perspectives
- Soc 441: Criminology
- Soc 421: Processes of Deviant Behavior
- Soc 425: Crime, Gender & Justice
- Soc/Chicla/Legal Studies 440: Ethnicity, Race, and Justice
- Soc 443: Immigration, Crime, and Enforcement
- Soc 446: Juvenile Delinquency
- Soc Work 523: Family Violence
- Soc Work 643: Social Work & Delinquency
III. Community Engagement and Service Learning:
Although not required to earn the Concentration, students are encouraged to enrich their educational experience through community service and policy engagement. Listed below are community organizations that serve those involved in the criminal justice system as victims or offenders, or returning to the community after serving a criminal sentence.
- JustDane (offers a number of re-entry programs)
- Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA)
- Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
- Rape Crisis Center
- Rainbow Project
- Voices Beyond Bars
- Parental Stress Center Dane County (hosts parenting classes and offers therapy groups for perpetrators and survivors of family violence and familial sexual abuse)
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Dane County
- The Beacon (day shelter for the homeless)
Additional Information
Please note: there is no formal Concentration declaration process. Graduating students will be asked to complete a survey confirming they have met the requirements, and their coursework will be reviewed by the Concentration advisor. It is highly recommended that students meet with the advisor before graduation.
For more information or questions about the Criminal Law Concentration, contact Professor Cecelia Klingele: cecelia.klingele@wisc.edu.
