Sociology and Criminology
(Im)mobilities and the Criminal Justice System
Module code: L3130A
Level 6
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Portfolio
Every day, complex systems enable the movement of people, things, knowledge and data from one another.
On this module, you’ll explore the mobilities approach to unpack the justice system.
You’ll examine:
- how mobility applies in the administration of criminal justice system
- how complex, dynamic and intersecting movements are central to the justice system and to understanding its dysfunctions – including:
- how arrest warrants and criminal background checks travel wirelessly between networks
- how thousands of prisoners (and their records) travel between different prisons and court
- how hundreds of prisoners leave prison and begin serving probation sentences.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the mobilities approach in the social sciences.
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the role mobilities and immobilities play in the administration of the criminal justice system.
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the internal coordination between different facets (policing, courts, prisons, probation) of the justice system.
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the role structural inequalities and uneven mobilities play in the reproduction of the justice system.