191-531 Penal Policy and Practice

This subject is offered as a winter intensive subject.

Entry into fourth-year honours or postgraduate studies in criminology. Completion of 191-007 Correctional Theory and Practice or equivalent, or relevant practical experience.

The subject will examine the history and philosophy of imprisonment and contemporary debates in penal policy and practice. Through a combination of theoretical and practical case studies students will be introduced to and will examine four topical areas: the prison in history; penal doctrines; offender management; and the prison in contemporary society. The subject engages with arguments and debates over the nature and purposes of imprisonment, raises questions about the continuity of penal practices through time, examines current thinking - including the notion of 'best practice' benchmarks - about prison administration and offender management, and places contemporary developments in the penal sphere within a wider framework of transformations in modes of social control. By the end of the subject students should have a greater appreciation of how contemporary policy and practice reflects both new and recurrent themes in social and bureaucratic responses to the criminal offender.

• have an advanced understanding of the relevant knowledge base in the specialist area;

• have the ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the specialist area;

• have well-developed problem-solving skills in the specialist area;

• have significant capacity to articulate knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations;

• have a capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society.

An essay of 5000 words 100% (due at the end of semester).

A subject reader will be available from the University Bookshop