Short Essays

ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW
For this assessment, students are required to compose five original short essay responses that critically and constructively examine issues relevant to punishment, justice and reform. Responses to the provided questions are expected to rely on both empirical evidence and creative logic. Exceptional essays will incorporate course materials and supplemental research support where appropriate, developing a cohesive and compelling narrative in order to address each prompt. Students are expected to present their opinion in a formal and scholarly fashion, guided by reason and research.

SHORT ESSAY QUESTIONS
Students must craft an independent short essay response to each of the following questions:

1) Which one penological principle do you believe most heavily influences contemporary punishment in Australia? In what ways is this politically motivated? Culturally motivated? How do you envision Australias preferences for certain penological principles shifting in the future?

2) In what ways is selective incapacitation relied upon in contemporary criminal justice practice? What are the prospects and pitfalls of expanding its use in the future?

3) How does assessment influence the sanctions that offenders receive? How have these assessments progressed? How do these assessments need to improve?

4) In what ways do contemporary correctional sanctions achieve general deterrence? How should punishment be changed or facilitated in the future with the goal of preventing offending more widely?

5) The term double jeopardy is sometimes used to express the notion that a person should not be punished twice for the same offence. Discuss one criminal justice sanction that carries an additional punishment after the formal punishment. Should we keep things that way? If so, how come? If not, why and how should things change?