The Politics of Prison (980M3)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

On this module, you’ll explore the issue and impact of prison overcrowding.

You’ll study theory and practice within historical and comparative frameworks. Through this, you’ll examine socio-political forces, how this contributes to the expansion of imprisonment and the use of this as a punishment tool. These forces include:

• neoliberal policies
• punitive justice paradigms
• border control measures
• law-and-order legislation
• systemic inequalities.

By the end of the module, you’ll be able to:

• engage with and apply key theory related to punishment
• evaluate the socio-political forces contributing to prison congestion
• analyse how theories of neoliberalism, punitive justice and social inequality interact with practice 
• assess state strategies to addressing overcrowding, including short-term, legislative and policy changes
• use empirical research to engage in ongoing ethical and political debates
• explore the impact of overcrowding on the legitimacy of prisons as a form of punishment
• analyse broader impacts on inmates, their families and communities
• use an interdisciplinary approach to examine the impact of overcrowding on public health, social justice and community well-being
• highlight the intersectionality of race, class and gender in shaping experiences
• use theory with empirical research to assess the ethics of overcrowding
• develop informed arguments on criminal justice reform and alternatives to prison.

You’ll discuss whether overcrowding represents a policy failure or an intentional strategy. You’ll then consider alternative justice models as long-term solutions to these issues.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 30 hours of contact time and about 270 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.