Diploma in Penology & Prison Studies

Course details

Who should apply:

Those working in the Prison Service in Ireland. Those working in the criminal justice system in Ireland who have a special interest in penology matters. Those in other careers, with an interest in prison studies and how it can affect society as a whole.

Course Summary:

Delivered by leading academics and prison experts, the purpose of the Diploma in Penology & Prison studies is to equip learners (from a variety of professional or interested backgrounds) with an understanding of the origins of punishment and sentencing in Ireland. Students will consider, sentencing, criminology and “What Works” when it comes to best prison practice. All lectures will be related to various theories of crime and offending. At the end of the course, learners will have a detailed understanding of how a modern prison system operates and indeed survives from both a theoretical and practical perspective.

During this course the student will learn how to identify certain types of criminals and their likely behaviours within the prison environment. In particular they will look at how both prisoner and prison officer exist both together and separately in a modern prison environment. They will also learn about the context in which the prison system currently sits in Ireland including sentencing policies and the likely direction of the Irish Prison Service into the future.

Outline

• Week 1 – Prisons and Imprisonment in Ireland
• Week 2 – The Legal Context: The Criminal Justice System in Ireland
• Week 3 – Punishment: historical and modern perspectives
• Week 4 – Nature or nurture? The perennial debate
• Week 5 – Bad men in good jails – the psychopaths amongst you
• Week 6 – Sex Offenders: a special category?
• Week 7 – Life on the Inside – The Inmate Code
• Week 8 – Justice for the Forgotten – The Modern Prison Officer
• Week 9 – Sentencing and Sentencing Policy
• Week 10- Non-custodial options – the future?