Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC3123: Punishment, Imprisonment and Detention

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

  • Philosophies and rationales for punishment, detention and imprisonment
  • Alternatives to imprisonment
  • Disparities in punishment and imprisonment
  • Researching places of detention and the role of the researcher.
  • Prisons
  • Probation
  • Immigration Detention
  • Other places of detention (mental health, police custody, transit, care homes)
  • Pains of Imprisonment
  • Adaptation – Importation debate
  • Use of force
  • Segregation and solitary confinement
  • Long term imprisonment
  • Prisoners and gender
  • Black and Ethnic Minority Prisoners
  • The role of the prison officer
  • Breadth of detention: Impact on families, prisoners and rehabilitation
  • Monitoring, oversight and accountability
  • The monitoring of places of detention in international context
  • The politics of imprisonment: A Punitive Turn
  • Alternatives to places of detention

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
442560

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled learning and teaching activity2211 x 2 hrs lectures
Scheduled learning and teaching activity2211 x 2 hrs seminars
Guided independent study56Reading for seminars
Guided independent study100Preparation for essay
Guided independent study100Preparation for exam

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).