1012CCJ Week 11 Corrections PPT

Welcome to 1012CCJ

Course Title: Police, Courts and Corrections

Lecturer/Convenor: Thalia EdmondsContact: tedmonds@griffith.edu.auPronouns: she/herPreferred name: ThaliaInstitution: Griffith University

Acknowledgement of Country

Griffith University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which it stands and pays respect to Elders past and present, recognizing the vital role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have in our communities. This acknowledgment extends respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as we work towards reconciliation and promote understanding of their histories and cultures.

Location: Queensland, Australia

Week 11 Overview

Focus: Preparing for Assessment and ExamCollaborative Peer Assessment due: 9 OctoberExam Preparation: Students should begin studying early. The exam contributes significantly to overall learning outcomes, accounting for 30% of your total grade and covering essential content from Weeks 1-12.Format: Open book exam conducted online, enabling students to utilize resources effectively.Study Recommendations: To enhance retention and understanding, students should incorporate study time into their daily routines. Review all assigned readings, lectures, and materials explicitly labeled as assessable to maximize performance in assessments.

Correction Services

Role of Corrective Services

Corrective services are an integral part of the criminal justice system, recognized as its third arm, along with police and courts.Main Responsibility: The primary function is to carry out sentences imposed by courts, ensuring that justice is served according to the legal system's determinations.Guided by Penological Principles: These foundational principles include:

• Retribution: Ensuring punishment is proportionate to the crime committed.

• Deterrence: Aiming to dissuade future criminal behavior both in the individual and the broader community.

• Rehabilitation: Focusing on reforming offenders to prevent recidivism through various programs and support systems.

• Incapacitation: Removing dangerous individuals from society to protect public safety, applicable to both custodial and non-custodial settings.Correctional Officers: Their powers and responsibilities are intricately governed by legislation, specifically the Corrective Services Act 2006 and Regulation 2017. They are responsible for upholding the rights of prisoners and maintaining safety and order within correctional facilities.

Queensland Corrective Services (QCS)

Queensland Corrective Services are committed to contributing to a fair, safe, and just Queensland, with initiatives focused on both punishment and rehabilitation of offenders.Tasks: They manage custodial facilities while also supporting the rehabilitation of offenders, crucial for reducing recidivism rates and facilitating successful reintegration into society.Involvement: QCS is a key component of the Queensland Government’s criminal justice strategy, working closely with both the courts and police to enhance public safety and justice outcomes.Facilities: QCS operates 11 high-security and 6 low-security correctional centers, in addition to 35 probation and parole offices, demonstrating a broad spectrum of correctional management within the state.

Imprisonment Concepts

Definitions

Imprisonment: It refers to the physical confinement of an offender in a penal institution as a lawful punishment for a crime.Custody: This involves legally depriving an individual of their liberty, particularly relevant for remand prisoners who await legal proceedings and for whom due process must be ensured.

Prisons and Prison Populations

Understanding different types of custody arrangements (maximum security, secure custody, and low custody) is critical for effective correctional management and prison policy development. It is vital to consider the separation of remand prisoners from sentenced prisoners to maintain order and reduce conflict within facilities.

Imprisonment Statistics

Overview of Prisoner Population

A graphical representation spanning from 2002-2021 illustrates trends in prisoner populations across Australia, vital for understanding shifts in crime and correctional needs.Cost of imprisonment: Research indicates that the average cost of imprisoning a prisoner amounts to approximately $100,000 per annum, highlighting the economic strain on the correctional system.

Imprisonment Rate

Data showing the rate of imprisonment per 100,000 adults over the years (2002-2021) is crucial for analyzing incarceration trends and their socio-political implications.

Demographics of Prison Population

Key Characteristics

Given the socio-economic challenges of the prison population, key characteristics include:

• Gender: Predominantly male prisoners.

• Employment Status: Many individuals are underemployed or unemployed at the time of arrest.

• Socioeconomic Background: Most come from low-income households with a history of incarceration.

• Common Issues: Many face significant challenges such as homelessness, intellectual disabilities, and substance dependence.

• Indigenous Representation: There is a significant overrepresentation of First Nations peoples in custody, which reflects broader systemic issues in society.

Socioeconomic Factors

Discussions surrounding the factors leading to disproportionate Indigenous representation address critical challenges such as poverty, poor health, educational disparities, and family violence that contribute to ongoing cycles of incarceration.

Experience of Imprisonment

Pains of Imprisonment

Prisoners encounter various forms of deprivation that profoundly impact their well-being, including a loss of liberty, access to goods and services, relationships, autonomy, security, and power—each leading to adverse psychological outcomes.

Influencing Factors

The prison environment significantly affects inmates, with factors such as overcrowding, social isolation, and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships between inmates influencing mental health and behavior.

Community Corrections

Definition and Role

Community corrections offer alternatives to incarceration, promoting rehabilitation while allowing offenders to remain in the community. This system includes probation, community service, and parole programs designed to supervise and support offenders in maintaining law-abiding lives.

Justification for Community Corrections

These programs address critical concerns regarding prison overcrowding and the associated costs, while focusing on rehabilitation and the objective of decreasing recidivism rates.

Differences Between Probation and Parole

It is essential to distinguish between probation, which is a court-ordered sanction imposed prior to sentencing, and parole, which represents a conditional release allowing offenders to reintegrate back into society after serving a portion of their sentence under monitoring conditions.

Resources and References

Suggested Readings

White, R., Santina, P., & Loene, H. (2019). Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice (3rd Edition).

Important Legislation

• Corrective Services Act 2006 (Qld)

• Parole Board Queensland guidelines.