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Penal System: Questions And Answers

Decent Essays

1. Did you hold assumptions about any of the topics addressed in this unit? Have any of your assumptions been overturned?

Yes, the assumptions I held were around the use of prison as a form of punishment and a deterrence to reoffending. The role of penal system has two broad functions, instrumental and symbolic. Punishing offenders appropriately and dividing dangerous from the non-dangerous. The assumptions I had held, have been overturned. The penal system had shifted. Handing down tougher sentences due to penal populism and moral panic. Resulting in the failure to punish appropriately, fuelling the rise of prison rates and re-offending.

2. Which of the topics or themes addressed in this unit have stood out for you, and why?
The

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