CM2S031 - Penology: Prisons, Punishment and Offender Management 01 Sep 2021 - 31 Aug 2027 | Version 4

Associated Module Information

Module Code: CM2S031
Module Title: Penology: Prisons, Punishment and Offender Management
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Policing and Criminology
Faculty Sub Group: Post Compulsory Education
Module Leader: Robert Jones
Module Team: Stuart Webb, Sophie Chambers
First Intended Intake: SEP 2015 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100662 - probation/after-care
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 4
Valid From 01 Sep 2021
Valid To 31 Aug 2027

Module Aims

• To introduce students to some of the general themes surrounding the historical development and use of imprisonment.

• To document the use of imprisonment within a socio-political context.

• To contextualise some of the key issues and problems surrounding the use of imprisonment.

• To introduce students to the current climate of change surrounding sentencing, imprisonment, and the management and throughcare of offenders.

Content Summary

This module provides a theoretical understanding of the use of imprisonment in England and Wales. From ‘the birth of the modern prison’ to its contemporary use, the module will reflect upon some of the key issues and debates surrounding the use of imprisonment. This will include a discussion of some of the key ideas underpinning the various ‘aims’ of imprisonment which have been used to explain imprisonment and justify its continuing use. Thus, the module examines theories of punishment and the rise of the prison system in the political, sociological, and historic contexts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries before moving on to critique the realities of the prison system in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Alongside existing theories on the use of imprisonment, the module will also consider some of the practical issues surrounding imprisonment in England and Wales. This will include exploring some of the key issues surrounding ‘prisoner resettlement’. To help support the module’s discussion of imprisonment in England and Wales, attention will also be drawn to debates and developments taking place within other jurisdictions. This will include reflecting upon penal developments taking place within other European countries as well as the United States. Finally, the module will also place into context recent changes made to offender management in England and Wales. This will include the development of ‘super’ prisons and role of the probation service and its various transformations in the context of the current climate of change surrounding the management and throughcare of offenders.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 22
Seminar 22
Independent Study 24
Directed Study 132
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the philosophical and sociological theories of punishments and their different approaches to crime and punishment. 
LO2 Develop a clear understanding of the issues surrounding prisoner resettlement and the question of whether prison ‘works’ 
LO3 Illustrate a sound awareness of current and/or proposed changes to the CJS and their implications for the penal system and the management of offenders.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Oral Assessment (CW) Presentation (CW) 1 Short group presentation on key issues and themes covered throughout the module. 30 N/A 40 No 40
Written Assignment (CW) Essay (CW) 1 Demonstrating a sound understanding of one of the key themes raised in the module 0 2500 60 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3
Presentation (CW) 1
Essay (CW) 1

Reading List

1 Reading Lists will be updated annually.
2 Textbooks
3 Carlen, P. and Worrall, A. (2004), Analysing Women's Imprisonment, Cullompton, Devon: Willan.
4 Cavadino, M. and Dignan, J. (2007), The Penal System: An Introduction (4th Edition), London: Sage.
5 Corlett, JA. (2004), Responsibility and Punishment, Massachusetts: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
6 Coyle, A. (2005), Understanding Prisons: Key Issues in Policy and Practice, London: Open University Press.
7 Duff, RA. (1993), Punishment, London: Dartmouth.
8 Easton, S and Piper, C. (2005), Sentencing and Punishment: The Quest for Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
9 Garland, D. (1990), Punishment and Modern Society: A Study in Social Theory, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
10 Hudson, B.A. (2003), Understanding Justice: An Introduction to Ideas, Perspectives and Controversies in Modern Penal Theory. Buckingham: Open University Press.
11 Jewkes, Y. and Johnston, H. (eds), (2006), Prison Readings: A Critical introduction to Prisons and Imprisonment, Devon: Willan.
12 Maguire, M. et al. (2007), The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
13 Maruna, S. and Liebling, A. (eds), (2005), The Effects of Imprisonment, Cullompton, Devon: Willan.
14 Matthews, R. (1999) Doing Time: The Sociology of the Prison. London: Sage.
15 Morris, N., and Rothman, D.J. (1998), The Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
16 Muncie, J. (1996), Controlling Crime. London: Sage.
17 Norrie, AW. (2000), Punishment, Responsibility and Justice: A Relational Critique, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
18 Pratt, J., Brown, D., Brown, M., Hallsworth, S. and Morrison, W. (eds.), (2005), The New Punitiveness: Trends, Theories, Perspectives, Cullompton, Devon: Willan.
19 Primoratz, I. (1999), Justifying Legal Punishment (2nd Ed), New York: Prometheus Books.
20 Journals
21 • British Journal of Criminology
22 • Criminology
23 • Crime Prevention and Community Safety
24 • European Journal of Criminology
25 • Howard Journal of Criminal Justice
26 • International Criminal Justice Review
27 • International Journal of the Sociology of Law
28 • Journal of Criminal Justice
29 • Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
30 • Journal of International Criminal Justice
31 • Punishment: The International Journal of Penology
32 • Punishment and Society
33 • Surveillance and Society
34 • Theoretical Criminology
35 • Western Criminology Review
36 Websites
37 Australian Institute of Criminology: www.aic.gov.au/publications
38 BBC On-line: www.bbc.co.uk
39 Crime Concern: www.crimeconcern.org.uk
40 Crime Reduction: www.crimereduction.gov.uk
41 Criminal Justice Online: www.cjsonline.org
42 Drugs.Gov.Uk: www.drugs.gov.uk
43 Drugscope: www.drugscope.org.uk
44 Guardian Unlimited: www.guardian.co.uk
45 Home Office: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/drugs1.htm
46 Home Office: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prisons1.htm
47 Howard League for Penal Reform: www.howardleague.org
48 INQUEST: www.inquest.org.uk
49 Liberty: www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk
50 NACRO: www.nacro.org.uk
51 NOMS (National Offender Management Service): www.noms.homeoffice.gov.uk
52 Office of Public Sector Information: www.opsi.gov.uk
53 Prison Reform Trust: www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk
54 Prison Service: www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk
55 Privacy International: www.privacyinternational.org
56 Probation Service: www.probation-london.org.uk
57 Surveillance and Society: www.surveillance-and-society.org
58 Restorative Justice Consortium: www.restorativejustice.org.uk
59 Rethinking Crime and Punishment: www.rethinking.org.uk
60 Electronic Databases
61 Applied Social Science Index and Abstract (ASSIA)
62 Census Data Archive
63 Criminal Justice Abstracts
64 Ingenta
65 Social Sciences Abstracts
66 Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
67 Other Sources
68 The Guardian
69 The Independent
70 The Times
71 The Telegraph
72 Blackboard