Barry Ellem
8 points - 3 hours per week - First semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites: First-year SCY sequence or equivalent
Objectives Students in this subject can expect to develop an understanding of the historical development of the prison system; the role of the authorities in the prison system; the remand situation, and the resocialisation process of a sentenced prisoner; the issues of institutionalisation, deterrence and rehabilitation; therapeutic communities in prison; and penal reform, alternatives and the privatisation of prisons.
Synopsis The following topics will be examined in this subject: historical development of punishment and penal institutions; remand, trial and imprisonment; the effects of isolation and deprivation; prison populations and social class; resocialisation and techniques of coping in a total institution; deterrence and rehabilitation; parole; release; recidivism; reform; alternatives; privatisation; unit management and specific therapeutic communities.
Assessment Essay (2500 words): 40% - Minor essay (1500 words): 20% - Examination (2 hours): 40%
Recommended texts
Foucault M Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison
Penguin, 1979
Johnson R Hard time: Understanding and reforming the prison 2nd edn,
Wadsworth, 1996