Criminal Policy, 5 cr

Learning Outcomes

The course on Comparative Criminal Justice provides Tampere University students with the opportunity to study comparative crime and punishment issues with visiting students from American universities and British universities. The students will be instructed as a collective with instructional responsibilities shared by lecturers from participating universities.

This course will look at the criminal justice system within a global context. The course will look at theories of criminality, deviance and punishment within socio-political context of the different countries studied as well as the comparison between the countries. Within this framework, students will examine theories of crime including but not limited to: the learning theory, corporate crime, and restorative justice.

The course will utilize a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, videos, guest speakers and tours of prisons in Finland and in some Baltic countries. The USA penal system will also be analysed.

This joint course with the USA and UK visiting group focuses on:

1. Analysing how crime and deviance are shaped by individual and social factors

2. Examining and analysing how culture and general ideology influence criminal justice policy and practice.

3. What myths are created regarding crime and criminals, and the role of government and media in constructing crime myths?

4. Examining and analysing how society perpetuates deviant and criminal behaviour.

5. Understanding the criminal justice policy and practice in Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and USA.

6. Exploring the response to crime, with specific focus on corrections and policing in Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, and the United States.

*Students obtain 5 ECTS by attending the whole course or 3 ECTS without taking part in the excursions.*

General Description

This course will look at the criminal justice system within a global context. The course will look at theories of criminality, deviance and punishment within socio-political context of the different countries studied as well as the comparison between the countries. Within this framework, students will examine theories of crime including but not limited to: the learning theory, corporate crime, and restorative justice.

The course is directed primarily at upper division undergraduate students, but would also be beneficial to master’s level students. It is appropriate for students majoring in sociology, criminology, social welfare and justice, and political science, or any students with a career interest in criminal justice.

The course will utilize a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, videos, guest speakers and tours of prisons in Finland and Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia. These countries were chosen because of the contrasting style of responding to crime between/ among the Latvia (harsh punishment), Finland [Gentle Justice] (a penal system of two countries with two different extremes). We will also analyse the USA penal system, another Western country with a very harsh punishment policy.

Methodology

The course is designed as both lecture and discussion. Evaluation will be based on:

A) A class journal (notes from lecture/discussion).

B) A reaction paper that builds off course materials or reflects upon those materials.

Classroom activities will be designed to encourage students to play an active role in the construction of their own knowledge and in the design of their own learning strategies.

We will combine short lectures with other active teaching methodologies, such as group discussions, cooperative group solving problems, analysis of video segments depicting scenes relevant to criminology topics and debates. Class participation is a fundamental aspect of this course. Students will be encouraged to actively take part in all group activities and to give short oral group presentations throughout the course.

The lectures/seminars will provide a practical component, with guest speakers including criminal justice practitioners, former inmates, and other experts, videos, Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services, and tours of prisons in Finland, Estonia and Lithuania, and a possible visit to Soviet bunker in Vilnius Lithuania and Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia.

Teaching Methods

Class meetings

Compensations:

Course is available for all the students at the University of Tampere.

Compensations in certain studies:

Degree Programme in Social Sciences: Optional studies or compensations on certain courses agreed with teacher responsible

Degree Programme in Social Work: Optional studies

Teaching methods

Lectures at Tampere University

Excursions: trips to Finnish Open Prison and road-trip to Vilnius Lithuania, through Estonia and Latvia.

• Lukiškių prison visit in Vilnius Lithuania.
• The excursion to Estonian Academy of Security Sciences and Tallinn Prison (Tallinna Vangla).
• The visit to KGB museum and Riga shooting range in Latvia.
• A day stay as prisoners at Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia. A Survival Drama Back to the USSR (great opportunity to live and observe a truly unique convict’s experience).

Travel Agent responsible for both excursions is Timetravels Ltd

To book and pay for the excursion, please visit Timetravels Ltd below:

***TBA***