SCY2181

Sociology of prisons

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

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