LAW 3520 - Sentencing and Criminal Justice

Course Details

Course Code	LAW 3520
Course	Sentencing and Criminal Justice
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Law School
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate Law (LLB)
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	LAW 2503 or LAW 2599
Restrictions	Available to LLB and B.Criminology with B.Laws and BArts Advanced with B.Laws students only
Assessment	Typically to include, one critical analysis task, oral advocacy and a research essay

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Kellie Toole

Sentencing is the process by which criminal penalties are imposed on an individual found guilty of a criminal offence. The type and severity of penalties available for imposition involve significant value judgments. The course will cover topics such as sentencing theory; the history of Australian corrections law and policy; distinguishing between the factors relevant to determining guilt and those relevant to sentencing; current South Australian sentencing legislation, and the law and order policy informing it.

A selection of additional topics will be drawn from areas such as mandatory vs discretionary sentencing; plea 'bargaining'; the role of the victim in the criminal justice system and sentencing; therapeutic and restorative justice; principles for sentencing Aboriginal offenders; principles for sentencing juvenile offenders; international comparisons including the death penalty; media representations and reporting; sentencing and criminology theories; control orders and preventative detention.

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Analyse sentencing principles, undertake self-directed legal research using primary and secondary materials, and analyse and evaluate legal information relating to the theory and practice of sentencing and criminal justice.
2. Apply sentencing principles to complex legal problems, and critique their operation from both a policy and theoretical perspective.
3. Prepare persuasive written and oral arguments for a legal and lay audience on issues relating to the application of sentencing principles to the type of cases and scenarios that arise in criminal practice.
4. Demonstrate awareness of principles of ethical professional judgment in the conduct of sentencing submissions, from both a prosecution and defence perspective.
5. Analyse the impact of sentencing law from a policy perspective, with a focus on the impact of the law on those people who are vulnerable or outside mainstream culture, and advocating evidence-based law reform.
6. Reflect on individual capacity to complete self-directed tasks. Extend their skills by utilising feedback and reflection to drive personal improvement.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1, 2, 3
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1, 2, 3, 5
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	6
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	3, 4
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	5
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	5

Required Resources

Students will require a copy of the Sentencing Act 2017 (SA).

There is no set text but a range of course readings are available on MyUni.

Recommended Resources

A range of readings are available on MyUni.

The following website provide useful information on sentencing in South Australia and Australia:

Legal Services Commission, Law Handbook Online,
Court's Administation Authority, Sentencing Remarks, Australian Institute of Criminology, Sentencing,

Online Learning

Online Communication

The MyUni Discussion Board will be activated by the start of teaching and will be available throughout the semester. All questions relating to substantive course content and assessment should be posted on the Discussion Board, rather than emailed to staff. Guidelines on communication, including the use of the Discussion Board, will be posted on MyUni.

Students are expected to check MyUni regularly to keep up to date with announcements during the semester.

Online Learning

Lectures will be delivered in person and recorded and available on MyUni - although some guests may choose not to be recorded. Powerpoint lecture slides will be posted on MyUni before or after the lecture, as appropriate.

Written assignments must be submitted online through the Turnitin text-matching software program designed to assist with the detection of plagiarism and other forms of cheating.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course is taught through a three-hour session each week (starting in week 1) that will include aspects of a lecture and a seminar. It will be, nominally, one hour of lecture and two hours of seminar - but without a clear distinction between the components.

The lecture component will provide an introduction to core issues but student interaction will be expected in that section of the class and so completion of pre-reading (including lecture slides) will be required.

There will be various guest lecturers throughout the semester who may choose to conduct classes differently.

Lecture slides (and in some cases lecture recordings) will be available prior to the lecture and live lectures will be recorded (technology permitting).

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
In taking this course students are expected to attend 36 hours of contact time. To get the most from this course and be able to produce written work and oral contributions of a high quality, it is essential that students spend 6-7 hours per week doing the readings, taking notes, thinking about the issues, and preparing questions, answers and discussion points for classes.

Learning Activities Summary

The following program is subject to change:

Week 1 - History, Theory, Principles
Week 2 - Sentencing Criminal Defendants
Week 3 - Sentencing Options
Week 4 - Introducing the Sentencing Act 2017 (SA) and Instinctive Sentencing v Two Tiered approach
Week 5 - Youth Offenders
Week 6 - Guilty pleas and sentencing discounts
Week 7 - Aboriginal Defendants
Week 8 - High Risk Offenders and Serious Repeat Offenders
Week 9 - Victims of Crime Commissioner
Week 10 - Managing Prison Populations
Week 11 - Prosecutor and Defence Lawyer Perspectives on Sentencing Issues and Practice
Week 12 - Media and General Roundup

Specific Course Requirements

There are no additional requirements for completion of this course other than described elsewhere in this document.

None of the assessment tasks are threshold tests i.e. students are able to pass the course overall even if they fail one or more assessment tasks as long as their overall grade is 50% or greater.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Students choose assessment task A OR B - that is students can undertake an advocacy exercise OR a critical analysis exercise. They cannot undertake both.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Redeemable	Length	Learning Outcome
A - Critical analysis exercise	Individual (option 1)	Friday week 6 - 2pm	20%	No	1,500 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
B - Sentencing advocacy exercise	Individual (option 2)	Seminar week 6	20%	No	5 minutes + written outline of argument	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
C - Research assignment plan	Individual	Friday week 10 - 2pm	20%	No	1,500 words	1, 2, 3
D - Research assignment	Individual	Friday week 12 - 2pm	0%	No	4,000 words + statement addressing feedback on research plan (no word limit)	1, 2, 3

Assessment Related Requirements

There are no assessment related requirements except what is listed elsewhere in this document.

Assessment Detail

A Critical analysis assignment 20% Option 1, Not redeemable (1,500 words)

Each student will have the option to complete an exercise in critical analysis of a sentencing submission, or decision and to analyse and critique the reasoning of the judge(s) in the light of sentencing principles.

A pass in the critical analysis assignment is not a prerequisite for passing Sentencing and Criminal Justice.

B Sentencing advocacy exercise 20% Option 2, Not redeemable (5 minutes per person)

Each student will have the option to complete a sentencing advocacy exercise in class that requires understanding of penalty options, and sentencing criteria, and the ability to apply them to a particular fact scenario. Participation will involve some combination of research, preparation of submissions and oral submissions.

A pass in the advocacy exercise is not a prerequisite for passing Sentencing and Criminal Justice.

C Research assignment plan 20% Not redeemable (1,500 words)

Each student will be required to formally submit a research plan for their research assignment. The research plan must include a draft introduction, conclusion and bibliography and main points of argument. A template will be provided.

A pass in the research assignment plan is not a prerequisite for passing Sentencing and Criminal Justice.

D Research assignment 60% Not redeemable (4,000 words)

Each student will be required to complete a research assignment in the form of a law reform submission, essay or similar, accompanied by a statement explaining how they addressed the feedback on the research plan. The supporting statement is not included in the word limit and will not be formally assessed or affect the mark. A template will be provided.

A pass in the research assignment is not a prerequisite for passing Sentencing and Criminal Justice.

Submission

Students will be provided with submission instructions as part of the assessment instructions for each item of assessment which will be made available on MyUni.

Late Submission of Assignments: 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc. Hard copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised accordingly.

Word Length: Assignments which exceed the allocated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks possible per 100 words or part thereof (ie with a word limit of 3,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3001 words long, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 3101 words long, etc). Words are calculated including all footnotes and headings within the text but excluding cover page information. Quotations and all referencing information are included in the word count.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Grade	Mark	Description
FNS	Fail	No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Students will be provided with submission instructions as part of the assessment instructions for each item of assessment which will be made available on MyUni.

Late Submission of Assignments: 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc. Hard copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised accordingly.

Word Length: Assignments which exceed the allocated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks possible per 100 words or part thereof (ie with a word limit of 3,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3001 words long, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 3101 words long, etc). Words are calculated including all footnotes and headings within the text but excluding cover page information. Quotations and all referencing information are included in the word count.

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

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The centre offers practical advice and strategies for students to master reading, writing, note-taking, time management, oral presentation skills, referencing techniques and exam preparation for success at university through seminars, workshops and individual consultations.

Student Life Counselling Support

The University’s service provides free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Student Life Counselling Support service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life.

This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.

Academic Integrity

All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. Academic Misconduct is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic Misconduct (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to admit a person to practice as a legal practitioner in South Australia. Academic Integrity is an essential aspect of ethical and honest behaviour, which is central to the practice of the law and an understanding of what it is to be a lawyer.

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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