CM2S045 - Prisons and Imprisonment 07 Jul 2022 - 13 Aug 2028 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: CM2S045
Module Title: Prisons and Imprisonment
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Policing and Criminology
Faculty Sub Group: Post Compulsory Education
Module Leader: Janine Jackson, Helen Martin
Module Team: Daniel Welch, Joanne Bates, Kirsty Richards
First Intended Intake: SEP 2022 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:
HECOS Code Weighting:

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 07 Jul 2022
Valid To 13 Aug 2028

Module Aims

To critically consider the historical development and use of imprisonment within different socio-political contexts.

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

Content Summary

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 historical 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 the practical issues surrounding imprisonment in England and Wales. This will include exploring some of the key issues surrounding ‘prisoner resettlement’. 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.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 12
Practical classes and workshops 32
External visits 16
Independent Study 80
Directed Study 20
Problem / challenge based learning 40
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the philosophical and sociological theories of punishments and be able to apply these in contemporary contexts
LO2 Demonstrate critical reflection on the question of whether prison ‘works’

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Report 1 A written report that draws on knowledge and material from the module. 0 3500 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Report 1 ✔ ✔

Reading List

Books:

Carlen, P. and Worrall, A. (2004), Analysing Women's Imprisonment, Cullompton, Devon: Willan.
Cavadino, M. and Dignan, J. (2007), The Penal System: An Introduction (4th Edition), London: Sage.
Corlett, JA. (2004), Responsibility and Punishment, Massachusetts: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Coyle, A. (2005), Understanding Prisons: Key Issues in Policy and Practice, London: Open University Press.
Duff, RA. (1993), Punishment, London: Dartmouth.
Easton, S and Piper, C. (2005), Sentencing and Punishment: The Quest for Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Garland, D. (1990), Punishment and Modern Society: A Study in Social Theory, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hudson, B.A. (2003), Understanding Justice: An Introduction to Ideas, Perspectives and Controversies in Modern Penal Theory. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Jewkes, Y. and Johnston, H. (eds), (2006), Prison Readings: A Critical introduction to Prisons and Imprisonment, Devon: Willan.

Johnson, R., et al (2016) Hard Time: A fresh look at understanding and reforming the Prison. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated

Levan, K. (2012) Prison Violence: causes, consequences and solutions (solving social problems). London: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Maguire, M. et al. (2007), The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Maruna, S. and Liebling, A. (eds), (2005), The Effects of Imprisonment, Cullompton, Devon: Willan.
Matthews, R. (1999) Doing Time: The Sociology of the Prison. London: Sage.
Morris, N., and Rothman, D.J. (1998), The Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Muncie, J. (1996), Controlling Crime. London: Sage. Norrie, AW. (2000), Punishment, Responsibility and Justice: A Relational Critique, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pratt, J., Brown, D., Brown, M., Hallsworth, S. and Morrison, W. (eds.), (2005), The New Punitiveness: Trends, Theories, Perspectives, Cullompton, Devon: Willan.
Primoratz, I. (1999), Justifying Legal Punishment (2nd Ed), New York: Prometheus Books.

Scott, D., and Bell, E., (2018) Against Imprisonment: An anthology of abolitionist essays. Hook: Waterside Press

Scott, D., (2013) Why Prison? New York: Cambridge University Press

Journals
British Journal of Criminology
Criminology
Crime Prevention and Community Safety
European Journal of Criminology
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice
International Criminal Justice Review
International Journal of the Sociology of Law
Journal of Criminal Justice
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Journal of International Criminal Justice
Punishment: The International Journal of Penology
Punishment and Society
Surveillance and Society
Theoretical Criminology
Western Criminology Review