Advanced Criminal Law and Sentencing
36 hours face to face + blended + swinburne online
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn, Online
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
The aim of this unit is to provide students with an understanding of sentencing law principles and practices across Australia. It provides students with a deeper knowledge of criminal law, especially the rules and principles relating to criminal appeals and the criminal principles in each Australian jurisdiction. The unit focuses on the evolving nature of sentencing law, with an emphasis on appropriate and necessary innovations in this area.
Requisites
Prerequisites
LAW10015
Criminal Law and ProcedureRule
LAW10015 Criminal Law and Procedure
AND
62.5 credit points in Law units
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
04-November-2024
09-February-2025
09-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-November-2024
Census date
29-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
27-December-2024
Results released date
04-March-2025
Summer
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
06-January-2025
16-February-2025
16-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
06-January-2025
Census date
17-January-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
31-January-2025
Results released date
04-March-2025
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
07-July-2025
05-October-2025
05-October-2025
Last self-enrolment date
20-July-2025
Census date
01-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
22-August-2025
Results released date
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Conduct effective legal research of both primary and secondary materials
- Explain contemporary debates about the appropriate manner in which to deal with criminal offenders
- Explain the political, social and economic influences that shape criminal and sentencing law
- Analyse the efficacy of the law to attain the key sentencing objectives in the form of deterrence, rehabilitation and community protection
- Develop recommendations about innovative and technological changes that should be made to sentencing law
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
On-campus Class | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
Online Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
Unspecified Activities Various | 8.50 | 12 weeks | 102 |
TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 11.50 | 12 weeks | 138 |
Live Online Class | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
---|---|---|---|
Assessment | Individual | 50 - 60% | 2,3,4,5 |
Assignment 1 | Individual | 10 - 20% | 2,3 |
Research Essay | Individual | 30 - 50% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
- The aims and role of the criminal law
- Key legislative criminal law provisions in each Australian jurisdiction
- The objectives of sentencing law and practice
- The principal of proportionality
- Aggravating sentencing factors Privacy and institutional/social media
- Mitigating sentencing considerations
- Imprisonment
- Intermediate sanctions
- Mandatory sentencing
- Indigenous offenders
- Innovations to sentencing law
- Sentencing and technology
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.