SWK5070NS Crime and Criminality: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Is crime a “natural”, biological, psychological, sociological and legal phenomenon, or a combination of all? How do contemporary societies in general, and the criminal justice systemin particular, deal with the problem of crime and disorder? This course aims to answer these questions and more about our understanding on how criminals and crimes are being viewed in our society. The students will be acquainted with the criminal justice policy perspectives on crime and punishment and how best to respond to and reduce the problem of crime in contemporary societies.

SWK5071NS Criminal Justice in Context: A Critical Introduction

The module will introduce students to the sociological and psychological issues relating to incarceration and their impact on the processes of prisonization, prisoner identity construction and management, and subsequent reintegration into society. These issues will be examined against the backdrop of the philosophy and principles of punishment as well as the prison system.

SWK5074NS Pathways to Desistance - Offender Rehabilitation Theories

IIn-prison programming, counselling and case management services are integral parts of offender rehabilitation and re-entry into the community. Correctional literature influencing these services has grown over time to include other promising approaches beyond RNR. Research increasingly supports the phenomenon of enhanced correctional case management outcomes through the integration of strengths-based approaches with RNR principles. Alongside these findings, the inquiry into “why offenders stop committing crime” also began. This introduced a desistance paradigm that is increasingly gaining traction in other jurisdictions, tilling the fields of offender rehabilitation outside the fences of “why offenders commit crime”. Desistance principles are presented with RNR (and strengths-based approaches like the Good Lives Model [GLM]) to refine current services and practitioners can consider a wider perspective of offender reintegration. Narrative practice ideas are incorporated to inform the posture and craft of the practitioner in supporting desistance.

SWK5075NS Engaging Family Systems in Rehabilitation 

Families play a crucial role in the rehabilitation of the ex-offender. Some are involved in the transgenerational transmission of pathology, whilst others have rigid structure and patterns that present challenges to the ex-offender’s rehabilitation.

SWK5076NS Helping Clients Manage Their Difficult Emotions

Understanding Anger and Aggression in Reintegration Work - Anger is an emotion that many offenders have difficulty with. They experience it strongly, some all too frequently, express it in ways that are destructive and ultimately damaged by it as well. This two-day module will inform participants on how this emotion is experienced in the body and mind. It will identify the many ways to help clients better regulate this emotion.