Working with Offenders
UndergraduateTAS-HGA3322025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
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- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 25 May 2025
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Price from
- $2,440
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Working with Offenders
About this subject
Upon successful completion of this subject, the student should be able to:
- Explain the socio-economic and individual factors that contribute to criminal offending, and analyse the potential costs and harms associated with offending.
- Apply major criminological offender rehabilitation models, approaches and concepts to practical examples.
- Critically evaluate the work contexts and institutional dynamics of the courts, community corrections, prisons and community sector organisations, and how these may shape offender-worker relationships.
- Communicate your ideas clearly in written and verbal form.
- Module 1:
- International perspectives on crime and prison
- Penal populism
- Human rights of prisoners
- Module 2:
- Prisoner voices
- Ageing offenders
- Female offenders
- Indigenous offenders
- Module 3:
- Complex needs
- Desistance in theory and practice
- Staff needs: Prison and community corrections
- Module 4:
- Professional conduct/professional boundaries
- Resilience and vicarious trauma
- Offender management: RNR and GLM
- Module 5: Case Notes
- Management of clients
- Motivational interviewing
- Module 6:
- Panel discussion
This subject is designed to introduce students to the issues and processes associated with working with offenders, particularly those in prisons or under the supervision of community corrections. The subject explores issues pertaining directly to how best to work with a wide variety of people with offending histories. Topics to be covered include duty of care, 'special populations' of prisoners, risk management and difficult situations, safety and security, working with involuntary clients, inter-agency collaboration, prison culture, assessment tools, mental illness and drug use, restorative justice, victim interests, children and families of prisoners, worker self-care and professional report writing. The subject also examines how and why people stop offending and change (desistance from crime). International examples of innovation are showcased from key jurisdictions such as England and Wales, Scotland, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
The subject is intended to be relevant and familiar for those already working in the field, in prison and in the community, as well as to introduce contemporary principles and practices to those wishing to do so in the future. Engaging presentations from experienced guest speakers who are senior practitioners in the field are one of the popular features of this subject.
- Group Presentation and Reflection (35%)
- Critical Reflection (20%)
- Case Study Analysis (25%)
- Class Participation (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Teaching arrangements: Recorded lectures. Online tutorials OR online discussion board posts. Online participation tasks
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
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