Courses in the summer semester 2025

Lectures

Seminars

Dialogues on Criminal Justice – Stanford & Göttingen (Prof. Baur)
The course is part of the internationalization of criminal law teaching. The aim of the seminar is to work out the differences and similarities in the enforcement of criminal law in the USA and Germany. The focus will be on police, court and prison systems. After an on-campus phase for Göttingen students only, with visits to a court hearing, prison and the police, two Zoom sessions together with students from Stanford Law School will provide a theoretical introduction to the comparative law aspects of the topic. This will be followed in September by practical phases in Stanford and Göttingen: after a visit by the Stanford Law School students in Göttingen, the Göttingen students will spend around a week at Stanford Law School to gain an insight into the practical work of the police, courts and prisons. Plans include “police-ride-a-longs”, visits to jury trials and tours of penal institutions. . The practical parts will be flanked by joint reading and reflection sessions in Stanford and Göttingen.
Prof. Dr. David Sklansky, Prof. Dr. Robert Weisberg and Prof. Dr. Debbie Mukamal from Stanford Law School will also participate in the seminar as instructors.
Legal protection in the enforcement of criminal sanctions (Prof. Baur & Dr. Lederer)
Even before the incidents at the Gablingen prison in Bavaria, it was well known that prisoners are in a particularly vulnerable situation when it comes to the protection of their rights. What special problems are there? What legal instruments are available and are they legally viable? What non-legal solution strategies are there? How can assaults on prisoners be explained criminologically and how can prevention strategies be developed from this? In the seminar, these questions will be examined for the execution of different criminal sanctions (penal system, juvenile penal system, forensic correctional system, preventive detention). After an introduction to the topic, excursions to prisons and, where possible, discussions with prisoners and prison officers are planned. The seminar will be held together with the nationally renowned criminal defence lawyer Dr. Jenny Lederer.

Current issues in criminology (Prof. Dessecker)
Like all social sciences, criminology works with - more or less sophisticated - theoretical assumptions and diverse empirical research. Criminal law and related fields of law sometimes incorporate criminological findings, and the activities of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary have consequences that can be described using criminological methods. The seminar offers the opportunity to take up some current developments and examine them more closely.