Course Title: Support the management of adult offenders within the Victorian correctional framework
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2015
Course Code: JUST5727
Course Title: Support the management of adult offenders within the Victorian correctional framework
School: 365T Global, Urban and Social Studies
Campus: City Campus
Program: C4323 - Certificate IV in Justice
Course Contact: Irene Pagliarella, Program Manager
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4581
Course Contact Email: irene.pagliarella@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Karen Linstrom
Building 37 level 4 room13
Telephone: 9925-4597
Email: Karen.linstrom@rmit.edu.au
Office hours: Tuesday-Thursday by appointment outside class times
Nominal Hours: 60
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
N/A
Course Description
In this course you will develop the skills and knowledge required to support the application of legislative and systemic processes in the management of adult offenders in the Victorian correctional framework.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
VU20871 Support the management of adult offenders within the Victorian correctional framework |
Element: |
1. Review the key features of the Victorian correctional system
|
Performance Criteria: |
1.1 the evolution of punishment in western society and the correctional system in Victoria are researched 1.2 Current management practices of Victorian Prisons including the impact of the Unit Management method of daily management of adult custodial offenders are investigated and reviewed. 1.3 Legislative requirements and accountability measures for the Victorian Correctional System are reviewed. |
Element: |
2. Investigate key components of the Victoria correctional system
|
Performance Criteria: |
2.1 The role of Sentence Management is explained. 2.2 The processes of Bail, Fines and Community Integration programs are examined. 2.3 The function and processes of Community Corrections are evaluated. 2.4 The role and function of the Adult Parole Board are examined. |
Element: |
3. Develop professional practice strategies to support management of adult offenders
|
Performance Criteria: |
3.1 The body and theory and debate about current practices related to the management and supervision of adult offenders are identified and evaluated. 3.2 Models and processes of other Australian and overseas jurisdictions are compared with those of Victoria to inform one's one professional approach. 3.3 Potential benefits and pitfalls of common approaches to offender management are analysed to inform one's own professional practice. 3.4 Communication and assertiveness strategies are identified and evaluated for efficacy and practice. 3.5 Feedback on one's one performance is sought from others and used to inform one's future practice |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate competency in the above elements and the following;
- Develop and practice strategies, including application of legal and compliance requirements, problem‐solving, and communication processes, to support the management of adult offenders across a range of key components of the Victorian correctional system
- Provide evidence of the knowledge of the evolution of theories and practices in correctional systems that inform contemporary practice and process
- Provide evidence of knowledge of relevant legislation and regulatory requirements
- Provide evidence of knowledge of the functions and purpose of the main components of the Victorian correctional framework
Details of Learning Activities
You will will participate in a variety of learning activities (in class and out of class). These may include the following;
• class exercises to review discussions/lectures
• practical demonstrations
• seminars/workshops
• group activities/projects
• group discussion
• research
• independent project based work
• ‘Workshopping’ of student projects including peer/lecture feedback
Teaching Schedule
Week One: Overview of the Course Guide and Assessment tasks. Lecture: Origins of Social Control. Reading: From Customs to Codes.
Week Two: Examination of the "Modern Era" of Punishment and Prisons.
Week Three: The Theories of Punishment.
Week Four: Sentencing principles for custodial and community placement.
Week Five: Sentence Management and Prisoner classification. Formative Assessment (non-graded)
Week Six: Individual Management Planning and the Local Assessment panel in prisoner case-management.
Week Seven: Internal Disciplinary Processes. Summative assessment ( graded): On line mid-term exam.
Week Eight: Community Corrections:
Week Nine: The Role and function of the Adult Parole Board
Week Ten: Bails and Fines. formative assessment
Week Eleven: Specialist skills: the Management of Sex Offenders Summative Assessment: Prisoner Security and Placement Report Due.
Week Twelve: The Impact of Institutionalization.
Week Thirteen: Comparison with other jurisdictions .Summative Assessment-On line end of term exam.
NOTE: While your teacher will cover all the material in this schedule, the order is subject to change depending on class needs and availability of speakers and resources.
Attendance
It is strongly advised that you attend all sessions in order to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring the maximum opportunity to gain the competency.
While your teacher will cover all the material in this schedule, the order is subject to change depending on class needs and availability of speakers and resources.
We expect that students engage in learning through a combination of lectures, individual reading and study, meaningful feedback on written work and structured activities that encourage critical thinking and the development of discipline specific knowledge and practical skills.
Students are active participants and this course prioritises learning by doing. It is essential that students take ownership of their studies and work on developing skills as independent learners in time allocated away from lectures and class time.
As a student you need to demonstrate both knowledge and practical skills relevant to the course content within the classroom environment. Engagement with educators and other students is critical to you maximising learning opportunities and achieving satisfactory results. Participation in classroom discussion and activities will allow educators to apply observational assessment during role-plays, exercises and assignments and provide you with feedback.
You will be required to sign an attendance sheet and if you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to advise your educator and complete any written tasks that may have been allocated.
Students are required to carefully plan and use their time productively and submit assessments as required. All assessments tasks should be researched and drafted well in advance of the set submission dates.
The course will use blended learning techniques, including; lectures, discussions, activities in class and learner directed activities supported by a range of resources available in class and on Blackboard system
Feedback - You will receive verbal and written feedback on your work. This feedback also includes suggestions on how you can proceed to the next stage of developing your projects. Student feedback at RMIT
Student Progress - Monitoring academic progress is an important enabling and proactive strategy to assist you to achieve your learning potential. Student progress policy
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
None |
References
There is no prescribed text for this course. |
Other Resources
PowerPoint’s for the lectures will generally be made available AFTER the class workshop; however these are not a replacement for attending workshops. Workshops may have additional information, activities or visual material, which will not be available through blackboard.
It is essential that you access the Blackboard site at least once a week, as announcements and emails are considered an effective means of communication between educators and students.
Overview of Assessment
Assessments may incorporate a variety of methods including case studies, observations, lectures, class discussion, essays and an exam. This will include:
If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Disability Liaison Unit if you would like to find out more.
A student charter http://www.rmit.edu.au/about/studentcharter summarises your responsibilities as an RMIT student as well as those of your teachers.
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions which are available for review online: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=c15i3ciaq8ca
Assessment Tasks
Mid-term on-line Exam covering materials from weeks1-6 and linking to performance criteria 1.1., 1.2, 1.3, 2.1 and 2.2. There are 50 true or false questions each worth .5% for a total assessable value of 25% of the total grade.
End of Term on-line Exam covering materials from weeks-7-13 and linking to performance criteria 2.3, 2.4 , 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 3.4 and 2.5. There are 25 true /false each worth 1% for a total of 25% of the total grade.
A 1,500 word Sentence Management Security Rating and prison placement report to industry standard based on a social history of a newly convicted and sentenced prisoner, worth 50% of the total grade.
Formative assessment(non-graded) will occur in weekly case studies attached to the lecture or reading materials.
Formative assessment-practice Sentence Management report to provide information for the major assessable task.
**Students are reminded that to provide competency in this subject, they must satisfactorily prove competence in all assessment tasks.
Assessment Matrix
This is available via MyRMIT/Studies
The assessments have been designed to cover all Learning Outcomes and will be graded in accordance with RMIT’s Mark Table which is as follows:
CHD Competent with High Distinction
CDI Competent with Distinction
CC Competent with Credit
CAG Competency Achieved - Graded
NYC Not Yet Competent
DNS Did not Submit for Assessment
Grades which apply to course delivered in accordance with competency-based assessment (not-graded)
CA Competency Achieved
NYC Not Yet Competent
DNS Did Not Submit For Assessment
Assessment Deadlines
Any due date for any assignment is to be considered a deadline. You can submit work at any time prior to the submission date, but it must be into the Administration office by close of business (5pm) of the day the submission is due.
Assessment Format
As a student of the Justice VE program, it is expected that you adhere to the following criteria regarding essays/research/reports;
1. For a Certificate IV written assessment task/s – no less than 1500 words, 2 academic references and ONE in-text citation per paragraph.
2. A paragraph is usually between 200 – 250 words.
3. A sentence is usually between 20 - 25 words.
4. American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing Style is the EXPECTED referencing style for the school of Criminal Justice (VE).
5. We highly recommend that all students download a copy of the APA Referencing Guide which is available on the Blackboard or purchase a Pocket Guide to APA style from the campus bookshop.
6. APA Referencing system is to be used and all in-text citations must be recorded according to APA standards.
7. An academic reference is a scholarly source (journal articles that are peer reviewed, a published book, an approved government or organisation website etc.).
8. Written reports, research projects or essays are to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and familiarity with the prescribed or negotiated topics
9. It is expected that all submitted work will be well written, with clear and consistent grammar, expression and punctuation. It must be well structured and address the issues raised in the chosen topic in a logical ordered and organised manner.
10. Written submissions must demonstrate appropriate preparation, reading and research.
11. Double or 1.5 spacing and a font size of 10-12 must be used in either Arial or Times Roman. Do not submit double paged assessments. 12. All assignments to be submitted via the Drop Box (Building 37, level 2) and submitted via email to the Advanced Diploma email address to verify submission (advdipjusticeassignments@rmit.edu.au). Assessments must be submitted by 5pm (close of business).
13.Alternatively, your assessments can be uploaded into the assignment section of Blackboard as outlined in the assessment guideline provided to you by your Educator.
14. Written assessments will also be submitted with a Turnitin Report attached (as instructed by your Educator).
Other Information
Students need to be aware that on week eleven there will be an in-depth lecture on the offending patterns and treatment of sex offenders. This can be very confronting for person who have been the victim of sexual assault. If you have been a victim, you are encouraged to speak with the Educator well in advance for support and access to other services.
Please refer to RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters:
Extensions
All assessment tasks are required to be completed to a satisfactory level. If you are unable to complete any piece of assessment by a due date, you will need to apply for an extension.
In accordance with RMIT policy, you may apply for an extension where there have been unexpected or extenuating circumstances, e.g.
• Hospital admission, serious injury, severe asthma, severe anxiety or depression. This does not include minor illness such as a cold, period pain or hay fever.
• Loss or bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member, family/relationship breakdown.
• Hardship/trauma – e.g. victim of crime, sudden loss of income or employment, severe disruption to domestic arrangements.
You must keep a copy of your assessment until the graded submission has been returned or marks have been posted.
All email communications will be sent to your RMIT student email address.
An extension up to seven calendar days may be granted if good reason can be demonstrated. Include supporting evidence (such as medical certificates) with your application.
Extensions beyond seven calendar days cannot be granted by Course coordinators or individual educators.
Longer extensions
Extension of time longer than 7 days can only be granted through special consideration.
Applying for Special Consideration
If you are seeking an extension of more than seven calendar days (from the original due date) you must lodge an Application for Special Consideration form, preferably prior to, but no later than two working days after the official due date. Late applications will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
For information about Special Consideration and how to apply, see: http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/specialconsideration
Penalties for Late Submission
If you have not been granted an extension or special consideration, late submission of assignments will be penalised as follows:
Assessment tasks submitted after the due date of submission shall receive a penalty of five per cent of the grades available for that assessment per day for each working day late.
No assessment task shall be accepted more than three weeks after the due date.
Cover Sheet for Submissions
You must complete a submission cover sheet for every piece of submitted work, including online submissions. This signed sheet acknowledges that you are aware of the plagiarism implications.
Assessment Appeals
If you believe your assessment result or final result is wrong please contact the course coordinator and provide the reason why you think your result is incorrect. Valid reasons for seeking a review of results include:
• You believe an error has occurred in the calculation of the grade; or,
• You believe the assessment did not comply with criteria published in the Course Guide; or,
• You believe the assessment did not comply with University Policies on Assessment (i.e. an error in process has occurred).
• Full details of the procedure (including appeals procedure) can be located at this RMIT site: http://www.rmit.edu.au/policies/academic#assessment
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism - RMIT University has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. Please refer to the website for more information on this policy go to Academic Integrity.
Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship through respecting the work of others whilst having the freedom to build new insights, new knowledge and ideas. RMIT University upholds the values of academic integrity as fundamental to the scholarship undertaken by all members of its community. Whenever you refer to another person’s research or ideas (either by directly quoting or paraphrasing them) you must acknowledge your source.
If you are even in doubt about how to properly cite a reference, consult your lecturer or the academic integrity website: http://www.rmit.edu.au/academicintegrity
The RMIT library provides tools to assist with your referencing
Plagiarism and Collusion
Plagiarism and collusion constitute extremely serious academic misconduct, and are forms of cheating. You are reminded that cheating, whether by fabrication, falsification of data, or plagiarism, is an offence subject to University disciplinary procedures. Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to expulsion from the University. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data, and oral presentations. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited. Plagiarism is not acceptable.
Examples of plagiarism include:
• Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources, whether published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books, journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without proper citation;
• Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper citation;
• Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences;
• Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging their source;
• Copying designs or works of art and submitting them as your original work;
• Copying a whole or any part of another student’s work; and
• Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you.
• Enabling Plagiarism: the act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own work is also an offence.
For further information, please see the RMIT Plagiarism Policy – http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=sg4yfqzod48g1– and the RMIT Student Discipline Statute and Regulations -
Plagiarism Software
The originality verification software Turnitin may be used in this course. For details, see: http://www.turnitin.com
Course Overview: Access Course Overview