Punishment And Penology
This module will enable students to critically analyse and evaluate theoretical and philosophical justifications of punishment together with political ideology that impact upon penal policy and practice. In addition, this module will locate this analysis in an appreciation of the consistencies, contradictions and conflicts that relate not only to theoretical discussion but to the less abstract level of policy formulation and actual penal practice. Considerations of class, gender and ethnicity constitute key aspects of the conceptual framework and the principles of security, control and justice are critically examined in the operational context. A critical assessment of the ethos of incarceration will be a major theme of this module. Integrated into this module is a critical analysis of the social situation and internal culture that offenders experience (both community and prison sentenced offenders). Particular attention is directed to the diversity of experience, response and adaptation of those subjected to the varied sanctions within the penal system. Power imbalance, human rights, civil liberties and the relationships of authority, discipline and coercion are central issues within the overall perspective of this module. The main themes of this module include: philosophical and theoretical contributions to an understanding of punishments, the politics of punishments, policy developments in penal practice, offender rights and responsibilities, the wider instrumental role of prison in the criminal justice process, determining contexts and punishments (for example, gender, race, age, class, disability, etc.), comparative penologies and penal abolitionism. This module aims to: Explore the development of punishment and its justifications in a wider societal context. Develop a students critical knowledge of penological research and debate. Critically analyse the links between crime and its control and to develop a critical understanding of the importance of the wider societal context in understanding penal policy formation, implementation and practice. This module reflects the subject knowledge and understanding as outlined in the QAA benchmarks (2014) concerning the philosophy and politics of criminalisation, victimisation, criminal justice and modes of punishment. Vocationally it is linked to a range of potential criminal justice professions in the statutory, voluntary and non-governmental sectors, building students knowledge and understanding of core functions and debates in the prison and punishment realms
Module code: SOCY60569