Crime and Public Policy (CRIM30001)

Many criminology graduates find themselves researching, developing, and applying crime policy in government, political, and other contexts. This subject helps prepare students for such work through exploration of the interplay between criminology and public policy. As well as providing an overview of factors shaping policy in Australia and other countries, it reviews challenges associated with making theory relevant in practical contexts. Emphasis is placed on exploring contemporary issues of public policy such as climate change, abolition, immigration, technology-facilitated violence, decolonisation, policing, and the interlinking themes of these public issues. The subject draws on criminological, sociological, philosophical, and social theory to help understand opportunities for, and obstacles to, the introduction or reform of public policy. The specific theorists covered include Habermas, Massumi, and Moreton-Robinson. Through these theorists the subject considers the philosophies that underpin rationales for deciding what is deserving of state intervention and comment as either public policy or criminalization.