School of Sociology and Criminology  
 
 
CRI-30044 Prisons and Imprisonment  
Co-ordinator: Dr Mary Corcoran    Room: CBB1.035, Tel:33104  
Teaching Team:  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 3 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office:
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
Criminology Dual Honours (Level 3)
Criminology Major (Level 3)
Criminology Minor (Level 3)
Law Single Honours (Level 3)
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Yes
Barred Combinations
None.

Prerequisites
None

Description

This module explores the central role which prisons play in society, both as institutions which dominate the contemporary punitive network, and as places which absorb our social and cultural imagination. We will do this by examining contemporary representations and conceptions of the role of prisons in policy and popular culture. Secondly, we reflect on the contested nature of power in prisons through an examination of everyday lived experience of prison from the perspectives of prisoners, staff, prisoners' families and prison activists. The third section explores the links between race, gender (masculinity and femininity) political consciousness and power and resistance in prison. Finally, we conclude by examining contemporary controversies about the future of imprisonment.

Assessment is by formative in-class presentation work followed by individual short commentary, and two essays.

Lecture outline:

Revisiting the prison crisis
1. The current state of our prisons
2. Popular and political representations of prisons

Prison community
3. Doing prison work
4. Surviving imprisonment
5. Legitimacy and coercion in prisons
6. Righteous outsiders: charities, prisoner support groups and activists

Prisons and inequality
7. The gendered pains of imprisonment
8. Race, ethnicity and imprisonment
9. Radicalisation and resistance

Penal futures
10. The penal-industrial complex
11. Imprisonment and globalisation?
Aims
The aims of the module are to

Provide an overview of the central debates and controversies relating to the purpose of imprisonment and the role of the modern prison.

Develop an understanding of the political, cultural and social importance of imprisonment as a centrepiece of contemporary punishment.

Understand the effects of imprisonment on key actors in the prison system, such as prisoners, staff and the voluntary sector.

Explore the relationship between imprisonment and inequality.

Critically engage with the major criminological and sociological contributions in the area of imprisonment.
Intended Learning Outcomes
- Locate and interpret relevant academic, policy and activist resources about the England and Wales and other prison systems. will be achieved by assessments: 1,3
Collaborate with others in researching, interpreting and solving problems in relation to imprisonment and communicating ideas and arguments in written and oral forms will be achieved by assessments: 1
- Appreciate the significance of the social, policy, policy-making and cultural context of imprisonment and the experiences of key prison actors. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2,3
become familiar with, evaluate and comment on the values and practices of employers/agencies involved in imprisonment including the prison service, central and local government departments, third sector organisations working with prisoners/offenders will be achieved by assessments: 2
- work individually and collective on assigned projects, learning to use skills in team building, structured an dproductive feedback, reflection and use of feedback. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2,3
Study hours
11 x 2 hour weekly sessions comprising formal lectures, tutorial exercises, presentations, screenings, group/debates and discussions.
11 x 2 hours of session specific preparation in advance of each session. 106 Hours of Personal study (including work for summative assessments).
Description of Module Assessment
01: Portfolio weighted 30%
Portfolio of formative assessed activities contributing to the development of summative essays
The portfolio has three elements; (1) Students will be required to participate in group research and presentation on an agreed topic. (2) students will be asked to submit a 500 word commentary on the subject of their presentation; (3) students will be asked to submit a 500 word commentary to accompany their second esay (below) reflecting on how their learning on the module and how feedback from colleagues and tutor contributed to the development of their perspectives and ideas for their second essay. The proposed sequence of assessment is: 1: group presentation 2: written commentary (feedback from tutor) 3: submission of first essay Feedback from tutor 4: submission of reflection piece (500 words) and second essay.
02: Essay weighted 30%
2,000 essay on selected topic provided by/agreed with tutor
03: Essay weighted 40%
essay of 2,000 words
Students to submit written report/essay of 2,000 words on a topic selected from a list provided by the tutor which results from the student's reflection piece on learning/feedback (part of portfolio above).
Version: (1.05A) Created: 01/Oct/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.