Module Details |
The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module. |
Title | PUNISHMENT, PENALITY AND PRISONS: CRITICAL DEBATES | ||
Code | SOCI254 | ||
Coordinator |
Prof BC Goldson Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology B.Goldson@liverpool.ac.uk |
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Year | CATS Level | Semester | CATS Value |
Session 2019-20 | Level 5 FHEQ | Second Semester | 15 |
Aims |
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- To provide a broad overview of the historical, theoretical and comparative foundations of punishment and imprisonment nationally and internationally. - To examine the experiences and outcomes of imprisonment for identifiable groups of prisoners including: children and young people; women; black and minoritised people; older people. - To introduce a range of key debates and controversies surrounding the questions of punishment, penality and prisons in ‘modern’ societies and to subject them to social scientific interrogation. |
Learning Outcomes |
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(LO1) An understanding of the trajectory of state policy responses in respect of punishment, penality and prisons (particularly in the UK) from the early nineteenth century to the present. |
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(LO2) An ability to critically analyse the competing theoretical rationales for the practices of modern punishment, penality and imprisonment including: constructions of moral responsibility; deterrence; retribution; rehabilitation; reform; deserts; proportionality; incapacitation. |
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(LO3) A familiarity with the contemporary politics of imprisonment and comparative penal regimes. |
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(LO4) A grasp of the impact of imprisonment on prisoners in general and specific groups of prisoners in particular. |
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(LO5) A capacity to critically assess the legitimacy of prisons together with alternative, penal reductionist and abolitionist perspectives. |
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(S1) Critical thinking and problem solving - Critical analysis |
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(S2) Critical thinking and problem solving - Synthesis |
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(S3) Information skills - Critical reading |
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(S4) Information skills - Information accessing:[Locating relevant information] [Identifying and evaluating information sources] |
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(S5) Skills in using technology - Information accessing |
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(S6) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Academic writing (inc. referencing skills) |
Syllabus |
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Part One: Contextualising Punishment, Penality and Prisons 1. Introduction: The punitive obsession. 2. ‘Perfecting’ the ‘modern’ prison: Historicising penal reform and institutional punishment. 3. The power to punish: Theorising penality and imprisonment. 4. Global imprisonment: Comparative analyses of punishment and penality. Part Two: ‘In the Belly of the Beast’: The Experiences and ‘Outcomes’ of Imprisonment 5. In the ‘care’ of the state: Child and youth imprisonment. 6. Gendered (in)justice: Women, punishment and prisons. 7. ‘Loosen the shackles’: ‘Race’, the racialisation of punishment and racism in prisons. 8. ‘Senior citizens’: Growing old in prisons. Part Three: Penal Politics, Controversies and Contestation 9. Punishment for profit: Private prisons and public concerns. 10. The crisis of legiti macy: ‘Alternatives’, reductionism and abolitionism. 11. A just measure of pain? 12. Conclusion: Module overview, revision and assignment preparation guidance |
Teaching and Learning Strategies |
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Teaching Method 1 - Lecture Teaching Method 2 - Seminar |
Teaching Schedule |
Lectures | Seminars | Tutorials | Lab Practicals | Fieldwork Placement | Other | TOTAL | |
Study Hours |
12 |
12 |
24 | ||||
Timetable (if known) | |||||||
Private Study | 126 | ||||||
TOTAL HOURS | 150 |
Assessment |
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EXAM | Duration | Timing (Semester) |
% of final mark |
Resit/resubmission opportunity |
Penalty for late submission |
Notes |
CONTINUOUS | Duration | Timing (Semester) |
% of final mark |
Resit/resubmission opportunity |
Penalty for late submission |
Notes |
Assessment 1 There is a resit opportunity. Non-standard penalty applies for late submission - Assessment Schedule (When) :Second Semester | 3500-4000 words | 100 |
Recommended Texts |
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Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module. |