JST509 Prison: Institution and Experience (8)
CSU Discipline Area: Justice Studies (JUSTU)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
In this subject the development of the State's use of punishment and correction and the place of the prison in this process is examined; prisons and the incarceration process are analysed to understand some of the effects of institutional life on inmates and staff, and the way inmates and staff construct a 'life' for themselves within the institution. This subject also focuses on specific problems of women and minority groups, especially the over-representation of aboriginals in prisons. Concepts of social control and social inequality are used to critique the rise of incarceration and its alternatives.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 1 | |
|---|---|
| Distance | Bathurst |
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: JST509
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
* understand the historical origins of asylums and prisons, and the functions of these institutions within the state apparatus of social control. The changing nature of the spectacle of punishment
* understand Australia's legacy as a penal colony, and the profound impact of this upon our understanding of landscape, and space
* understand the architecture of imprisonment in Australia, and the flourishing of the prison in New South Wales, especially in rural areas. Contemporary challenge to state-based penalty the private prison
* understand the composition of the Australian prison population background characteristics and the offences for which convicted
* the experience of imprisonment (as documented by research), and the current risks posed to inmates through being imprisoned
* the prisoner sub-culture - its meanings and functions
* the compromises in integrity demanded by a harsh system - the prisoner informer industry
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
.Australia's origins as a penal colony .expansion of the prison-building industry .private prisons .risks of imprisonment .prison as community
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.