Young People: Risk to Corrections

Unit Outline (Higher Education)

Level of Unit in Course

AQF Level(s) of Course

Level of Unit in Course

Introductory

Intermediate

Effective Term:

2025/05

Institute / School :

Institute of Education, Arts & Community

Unit Title:

Young People: Risk to Corrections

Unit ID:

CRJUS3202

Credit Points:

15.00

Prerequisite(s):

(CRJUS1283 and CRJUS1284) OR (CRJUS1285 and CRJUS1287) OR (ATSGC1283 and ATSGC1284) (At least 60 credit points from CRJUS subject-area at 2000-2999 level)

Co-requisite(s):

Nil

Exclusion(s):

(CRJUS2201)

ASCED:

099903

Other Change:

Brief description of the Unit

The focus of this unit is on young people interacting with the criminal justice system. The unit will also focus on how the criminal justice system responds to young people from the point of interaction with police, courts and corrections and are informed by criminological theories. Students will develop an understanding of the factors which may increase a young person's risk of interacting with the justice system; the over-representation of Indigenous young people; how the justice system and society responds to criminal behaviour perpetrated by young people, and the options available to courts in sentencing young people. Students will engage in debates around punishment and rehabilitation. The unit will look at innovative state, national and international government and non-government organisational (NGO) approaches to responding to young people involved in criminal behaviour including, but not limited to, justice reinvestment and the Aboriginal Justice Agreement.

Grade Scheme:

Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF)

Work Experience Indicator:

Placement Component: No

Supplementary Assessment:Yes

Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment

Course Level:

Learning Outcomes:

Knowledge:

Skills:

Application of knowledge and skills:

Unit Content:

Topics may include:
1. Who are young people?
2. Human rights of young people
3. Exploring social control and social expectations of young people
4. Prevalence of crimes perpetrated by young people
5. Criminological explanations about crime as it applies to young people
6. Historical approaches to criminal behaviour by young people
7. Court responses to young people: Children's Court and other state courts
8. Police response to young people
9. National and international criminal justice responses to young people
10. Justice reinvestment and other innovative programs
11. Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement
12. Sentencing options
13. Community based justice programs
14. Policy and legislative frameworks
15. Youth Justice Centres
16. Therapeutic Jurisprudence
17. Programmatic and policy responses to young people engaged in or at risk of engaging in criminal behaviour
18. Recidivism
19. Representation of young people and crime in media/film/cultural messages
20. Crime prevention / reduction / minimisation processes targeting young people
21. Current debates (national and international) about youth offending
22. Alternative approaches to responding to youth crime.

Graduate Attributes:

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Type

Weighting

Professional Standards

Adopted Reference Style:

Professional Standards / Competencies:

Standard / Competency