Criminal Justice (CRJS) 480

Overview

Criminal Justice 480: Corrections and Penology provides an overview of the correctional system in Canada. Grounded in empirical evidence, the course explores Canada’s correctional system from the perspectives of researchers, policy makers, the public, offenders, and correctional staff through an examination of both the historical and current policies and practices that shape Canadian corrections.

Criminal Justice 480

• examines the current structure, organization, and operation of both the Canadian federal and provincial correctional systems through a historical overview of the context that has shaped prison policy and practice.
• explores the purposes of punishment and theories of punishment.
• investigates imprisonment, prison subcultures, prisoner and correctional staff health and safety, community-based corrections, and prisoner re-entry into society.

Outline

Criminal Justice 480 consists of twelve units divided into five parts that correspond to the five main themes of the course.

Part I: Current and Historical Corrections Policy and Practice

• Unit 1: Overview of the Criminal-Justice Process
• Unit 2: Correctional Structures, Policies, and Practices over Time

Part II: Justifications for Punishment and Theories of Punishment

• Unit 3: Why We Punish, Theories of Punishment, and Deterrence and Incapacitation
• Unit 4: Rehabilitation and Proportionality in Sentencing
• Unit 5: Retributive, Hybrid, and Other Theories of Justice

Part III: Sentencing and Imprisonment

• Unit 6: Types of Institutions, Inmate Case Classification and Management, Prison Treatment Programs, and Special-Category Offenders
• Unit 7: Mass Incarceration, Subcultures and the Inmate Code, and Gangs
• Unit 8: Correctional Officers, Illicit Drugs, and Communicable Diseases

Part IV: Community-Based Corrections and Re-Entry into Society

• Unit 9: Release and Re-Entry into Society
• Unit 10: Community-Based Corrections

Part V: Correctional Populations and Correctional Change

• Unit 11: Correctional Populations
• Unit 12: The Future of Corrections

Learning outcomes

When students have completed this course, they should be able to

1. describe the Canadian correctional system, including the structure and operations of federal and provincial corrections.
2. outline and critically evaluate policies guiding correctional practices in Canada.
3. outline theories of punishment and explain the purposes of punishment, including deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retribution.
4. critically evaluate and discuss the current challenges of our colonial system in corrections, including systemic racism and structural inequalities.
5. develop skills in reading, writing, and critically evaluating empirical research, with emphasis on the development of strong central arguments supported by evidence.

Evaluation

To receive credit for Criminal Justice 480, students must complete and submit all of the assignments and quizzes. To pass the course, students must achieve a cumulative course grade of D (50 percent) or higher.

Students will be evaluated on their understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on their ability to apply those concepts. Students' final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.

All course materials, including detailed course information, a study guide, assigned readings, a podcast, and video documentaries are available online.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive credit for the CRJS 480 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the Research Paper and on the Policy Presentation, and an overall grade of at least D (50 percent).

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
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