Course Coordinator:Emily Moir (emoir@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
You will be introduced to key issues and developments in official responses to offenders. This includes the history and theories of punishment, including the evolution of prisons and punishment in Australia. You will also examine modern correctional systems, the social costs and benefits of imprisonment, and the personal impacts of incarceration. In addition, you will examine processes of rehabilitation, probation, parole and partial release. Issues such as indigenous incarceration, deaths in custody and the treatment of offenders with mental illnesses will be analysed.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Blended learning | |||
Learning materials – Weekly online learning materials | 1hr | Week 1 | 13 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – 2 hour tutorials in Weeks 1-13 | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Online | |||
Learning materials – Weekly online learning materials | 1hr | Week 1 | 13 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Tutorial | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Theories of punishment, History of corrections in Australia, Custodial corrections, Community corrections, Offender rehabilitation and reintegration, Understanding and addressing Indigenous over-representation, Youth justice, Special populations (mature content applies to every course topic)
100 Level (Introductory)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
1 | Identify key historical changes in social views and practices regarding punishment. | Knowledgeable |
2 | Outline and explain the main contemporary processes involved in addressing offending behaviour. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
3 | Critically analyse the arguments in contemporary debates in corrections. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
4 | Identify the specific needs of different correctional population groups. |
Knowledgeable Ethical |
5 | Apply scholarly writing, research, and reference practice | Empowered |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Formative activities will be undertaken in preparation for Assessment Task 1. This will include experiential learning activities, peer review and feedback.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece | Individual | 30% | Approximately 300-500 words. |
Week 4 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 2 | Essay | Individual | 40% | 2000 words |
Week 11 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 30% | 2 hours |
Exam Period | Online Submission |
All - Assessment Task 1:Pamphlet | |
Goal: | This assessment task requires you to design a pamphlet on the history and practices of a historical Australian prison. The task is also intended to provide you with early feedback. |
Product: | Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece |
Format: | This is an individual assessment item where you will create a pamphlet with a standard referencing requirement. You are encouraged to be creative in the design of your pamphlet and include photos and figures. Further details are given on the course site, including a list of prisons for you to choose from. |
Criteria: |
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All - Assessment Task 2:Major Essay | |
Goal: | The purpose of this essay is to assess your knowledge of contemporary correctional processes in addressing offending behaviour, and to critically analyse associated contemporary debates and issues in corrections. |
Product: | Essay |
Format: | This is an individual assessment item, in a standard essay format, with standard referencing required. Further details will be given in class and on the course site, including the essay topic. |
Criteria: |
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All - Assessment Task 3:Exam | |
Goal: | Demonstrate understanding of core course concepts. |
Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled |
Format: | This task will take the form of an online exam in individual mode. You will be required to respond to a set of questions in a paragraph format. Open-book. |
Criteria: |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Period and Topic | Activities |
Topic 1 |
Introduction to course Theories of punishment History of corrections in Australia |
Topic 2 |
Custodial corrections |
Topic 3 |
Community corrections |
Topic 4 |
Offender rehabilitation and reintegration |
Topic 5 |
Understanding and addressing Indigenous over-representation |
Topic 6 |
Youth justice and special populations |
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
Recommended | Michael Cavadino,James Dignan,George Mair,Jamie Bennett | 2020 | The Penal System | 6th edn | SAGE Publications Limited |
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
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