| Semester 2, 2023 Online | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Law and Justice |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator: Rebecca Keane
Overview
Punishment for those who violated the law has both an instrumental and symbolic purpose. It serves to impose a sanction on the offender for his or her wrongdoing, while also reinforcing to society more broadly that crime will not be tolerated and there are repercussions for those who engage in offending behaviour. Punishment in modern day Australian society is vastly different from the days of trial by battle or ordeal, yet many of the aims and principles of punishment remain. This course will examine the history of punishment and how penal policy has changed over time. Students will be presented with theories of punishment, types of punishment and the role of punishment in society. The mandate upon community and custodial corrections to carry out sentences will be examined as well as some of the challenges encountered by these agencies such as the overrepresentation of disadvantaged populations, deaths in custody, and public perceptions of punishment. Other issues also considered are immigrant detention centres, public notification schemes, diversionary programs and prison privatisation.
Punishing offenders is one of the central operations of the criminal justice system and is expected by the public to be carried out dutifully. But why do we punish those who violate the law? Is punishment effective in what it aims to achieve? Are there other alternatives for dealing with offenders apart from the traditional punishment responses? Should the death penalty be re-introduced in Australia? These questions and others will be explored throughout the course to encourage students to think critically about punishment in the context of how current Australian penal policies set about achieving the aims and objectives of punishment. This course is suitable for students who are interested in a career in the criminal justice system, policy development, public service, social justice or social welfare.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- define penology and the key concepts within the study of punishment and sentencing;
- describe the practice of penology from a theoretical perspective;
- draw comparisons between historical and current day penological practices and explain the reasons for penological reforms;
- discuss the connection between anticipated risk and punishment;
- explain the purposes and intended outcomes of punishment;
- discuss the ethical challenges in the use of punishment in association with diverse and disadvantaged groups.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Introduction to penology and the history of punishment | 10.00 |
| 2. | Theoretical perspectives on punishment | 30.00 |
| 3. | Penological practice and risk | 20.00 |
| 4. | Penological practice and rehabilitation | 20.00 |
| 5. | Penological practice and restitution | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning document | No | 25 | 1,2,4,5,6 |
| Poster Presentation | No | 40 | 3,4,5,6 |
| Report | No | 35 | 1,2,4,5,6 |