This module will examine various aspects of prisons and imprisonment. The power to punish is one of the primary manifestations of authority of the modern state and the use of this power differs across states and jurisdictions. This module considers the reasons for this difference, the history and development of this unique form of punishment, and why the prison has achieved such a central position in the matrix of punishment in modern penality. An important element of the module will be to encourage students to critically reflect on understanding the experience/s of imprisonment for those who live and work in the institution.
Part one will look at the theoretical dimensions of the prison, including the philosophies of punishment, as well as continuities and changes in the history of imprisonment. In part two, the focus will be on prisoners’ varied experiences of incarceration. Topics to be covered will include prisoner subcultures, political imprisonment, the architecture of incarceration and the representation of prison and prisoners in popular culture. The third part of the module will examine penal politics and political discourse in different jurisdictions. The module will conclude with an examination of ‘alternative’ approaches to imprisonment and penal abolitionism.
Part One: Punishment and Prison
Prison as punishmentThe prison as a social institutionWho are the prisoners?n/a
Part Two: The Experience of Incarceration: The Society of Captives
Life behind bars: Prisoner subcultures Convict criminology and prisoner narrativeWomen’s Imprisonment: A different experience?The incarceration of innocent prisoners Prisoners’ rightsGoverning prisons: Prison rules, minimum standards and conditionsConstructing confinement: The architecture of incarcerationPrisoners, politics and protestPrison in popular culture: Representation v. reality
Part Three: Politics and Penality
Comparative penal policy I: Republic of IrelandComparative penal policy II: The American penal experiment Comparative penal policy III: Scandinavian Exceptionalism Alternative approaches to prisons and imprisonmentPenal abolitionism: Challenging the punitive obsession.
The module will be taught by lectures incorporating discussion of relevant literature, case studies, critical thinking exercises, VLE engagement and activities, and review of the readings on prisons and imprisonment.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |