Criminal Justice
Students prepare for impactful careers in criminal justice through a rigorous curriculum that blends substantive coursework with practical experiences in the field.
At UCLA Law, training in criminal justice extends well beyond a rigorous curriculum that is taught by top scholars and encompasses the procedural, doctrinal and theoretical roots of criminal law and the U.S. criminal justice system.
Experiential opportunities include courses in trial advocacy, where students hone their skills in fact analysis, client counseling and motion drafting, and the Criminal Defense Clinic, which collaborates with pro bono attorneys, nonprofit groups and public defender offices to make a positive difference in the community. Externships with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and other high-profile organizations offer invaluable work experience and an uncommon view into the role of lawyers in and around criminal courthouses.
Students also engage with UCLA Law's impactful centers of scholarship and advocacy. The Criminal Justice Program regularly partners with the Bail Project to effect meaningful change in communities burdened by unaffordable bail. And the Prison Law and Policy Program and Transnational Program on Criminal Justice host symposia and other events featuring luminaries in the field.
Our Faculty
Norman Abrams
Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus
Acting Chancellor Emeritus
Shirin Bakhshay
Assistant Professor of Law
Stuart Banner
Norman Abrams Distinguished Professor of Law
Devon W. Carbado
The Honorable Harry Pregerson Professor of Law
Beth A. Colgan
Professor of Law
Sharon Dolovich
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, UCLA Prison Law & Policy Program
Director, UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project
Faculty Co-Director, Criminal Justice Program
Ingrid Eagly
Professor of Law
Faculty Co-Director, Criminal Justice Program
Máximo Langer
David G. Price and Dallas P. Price Professor of Law
Director of the UCLA Transnational Program on Criminal Justice
Joanna C. Schwartz
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy
Sherod Thaxton
Professor of Law
Professor of African American Studies (by courtesy)
Professor of Public Policy (by courtesy)
Professor of Sociology (by courtesy)
Eugene Volokh
Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law