THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES

FACULTY OF ARTS

CRIM30011
Young People, Crime & Justice

Subject Guide

Semester One, 2023

The website for this subject is available through the Canvas Learning
Management System (LMS) at: https://lms.unimelb.edu.au/students

The Canvas LMS is an important source of information for this subject. Useful
resources such as lecture/seminar notes, lecture recordings and subject
announcements will be available through the Canvas LMS website. It is your
responsibility to regularly check in with the Canvas LMS for subject
announcements and updates.

You will require a university email account (username and password) to

access the Canvas Learning Management System. You can activate your
university email account at: https://accounts.unimelb.edu.au/manage

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Teaching Staff
Subject Coordinator & Lecturer: Dr Charlotte Mertens

Email: mertensc@unimelb.edu.au

Brief Profile: Dr Charlotte Mertens teaches in Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies. Her
research focuses on how and with what effects conflict-related sexual violence is understood
and addressed through socio-political, legal and humanitarian means in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, where she has conducted extensive fieldwork since 2012. Drawing on
archival research, she also works on histories of sexual violence in the Congo Free State, the
private domain of Belgian King Leopold II (1885-1908), and the Belgian Congo (1908-1960).
She holds a DPhil in Politics from the University of Melbourne and was previously a Policy
researcher at the Belgian Senate (2004-2007).

Tutors:

Dr Paul Carter

Email: carterpd@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Charlotte Mertens
Email: mertensc@unimelb.edu.au

Consultation hours: By appointment – please email your tutor to make a time.

Teaching Staff Availability

Teaching staff are available during their notified times, and emails will be responded to
within 48 hours (wherever possible) during normal business hours. Teaching staff cannot
be expected to respond to student queries during weekends. Note also that although
teaching staff will make every effort to assist students prepare for their assessment tasks,
this is limited to general advice and assistance with students developing their own
responses to the tasks as set. Assessment assistance doesn't generally include technical
advice (e.g. formatting and structure, referencing style, layout and presentation) which is
advised in the Subject Guide and/or is available from other university departments such
as the University's library service or the Academic Skills Unit.

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Subject Overview / Subject Description
In this subject we chart the experiences of young people as subjects and resisters of social
control, victims of crime and young ‘offenders’. These experiences are contextualised by
an appreciation of youth crime and justice as products of historical, theoretical and
political junctures which have variously sought to protect, treat or punish. The first part of
the subject critically explores young people and social control, considering the boundaries
between rights and responsibilities, anti-social behaviour and crime, and adolescence and
adulthood. The second part of the subject considers young people in relation to crime – as
victims and ‘offenders’. The third part of the subject analyses the systems and processes of
youth justice in Australia.

Student evaluation of this subject:

Students who took this subject in previous years have rated it highly. 90-100% of
respondents to recent Student Experience Surveys agreed that:
• ‘this subject has been well coordinated’ and ‘this subject has been well taught’
• ‘this subject has been intellectually stimulating’
• ‘this subject has been supported by useful learning resources’
• ‘I found the assessment tasks useful in guiding my study’
• ‘I have been required to work at a high standard’
• ‘I learnt to apply knowledge to practice’

Comments made by past students about Young People, Crime & Justice include:
• “This subject has been by far one of my favourites that I have taken over the course
of my BA.”
• “I really enjoyed this subject. It was a great mix of theory with application to case
studies … I enjoyed the two assessment pieces and thought they required reflection
upon the course content really well.”
• “I really liked the style of assessment, this last one [the policy brief] being so
applicable to real life and potential future opportunities.”

• “I loved the policy brief as an assessment!”

Response to students’ feedback:

Past student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Each year, to keep up to date
with current literature, some of the readings are updated and, because so many students
said how much they enjoyed hearing from guest speakers, we will continue to hear from
people with lived and/or practice experience of youth justice in 2023.

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Learning Objectives
On completion of this subject students are expected to:
• Have a sophisticated understanding of youth as a site of risk, resilience and
control.
• Understand political and theoretical shifts in constructing and responding to
young people, crime and justice.
• Have an ability to identify and critically engage with contemporary debates about
young people, crime and justice.
• Be able to communicate effectively in a range of written formats.

Subject Structure
Students are expected to attend a 1½ hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week.

The timetable for this subject in 2023 is as follows:

Day: Time: Location:

Monday 10.30am—12.00pm On campus – Prest Theatre (FBE, G06)
(e.g. guest lectures – please check the LMS for
weekly announcements)

Lecture: Lectures commence on Monday 27 Feb 2022, i.e. Week One

Tutorials: Tutorials will be on Mondays (on campus) and Tuesday (on campus) –
commencing in Week One. Please refer to the student timetable for a full list of
available tutorials in this subject.

Class Registration – Tutorials / Seminars

Students, you are required to Register into your lectures and tutorials before the
commencement of the subject, by using MyTimetable.

Further information about Class Registration is available at:

https://students.unimelb.edu.au/your-course/manage-your-course/class-timetable

For any issues with the Timetable, or Class Registration, please use the
Timetable Assistance Form.

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Readings
All required readings for this subject are listed in this Subject Guide. Online links to all
required readings and most recommended readings are available from the ‘Readings’
section of the subject Canvas LMS site. Required readings represent the minimum
expected for you to participate effectively in class.

Further recommended readings are listed in this guide and on the Canvas LMS. You are
encouraged to augment your understanding of the topics discussed by drawing on this list.
In addition, it is expected that you will develop your own learning and knowledge through
wider reading and research, particularly in relation to your assessment tasks.

Weekly Topics
Note: Lectures and tutorials take place in the same week – this means that tutorials
start in week 1 (tutes commence Mon 27 Feb & Tue 28 Feb).

Week: Lecture Topic:

date:
Week 1 27 Feb ‘Youth’ and ‘crime’
Week 2 6 March Young people and social control
Week 3 13 March Explaining youth crime
Week 4 20 March Crime and the life course
Week 5 27 March Prolific, persistent and serious youth offending
Week 6 3 April Young people and the media
Mid-semester break – NO CLASSES
Week 7 17 April Youth ‘gangs’
Week 8 24 April Policing young people
Week 9 1 May Youth justice principles
Week 10 8 May Youth justice practice
Week 11 15 May Young people in detention
Week 12 22 May Emerging issues in youth justice

***Look out for announcements re guest speakers!

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Semester 1, 2023 – Weekly Program and Readings

Week One – 27 Feb: ‘Youth’ and ‘crime’

Required Reading:
Asquith, S (1996) ‘When Children Kill Children: The Search for Justice’, Childhood, 3 (1)
pp. 99-116.
Richards, K. (2011) ‘What makes Juvenile Offenders Different from Adult Offenders?’
Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 409. Australian Institute of
Criminology: Canberra.
Recommended Reading:
Haydon, D & Scraton, P (2000) 'Condemn a Little More, Understand a Little Less': The
Political Context and Rights Implications of the Domestic and European Rulings in the
Venables-Thompson Case. Journal of Law and Society, 27(3): 416-448
James, A & Jenks, C (1996) ‘Public Perceptions of Childhood Criminality’, British
Journal of Sociology, 47 (2) pp. 315-332.
Loader, I, Girling, E & Sparks, R (1998) ‘Narratives of Decline: Youth, Dis/order and
Community in an English “Middletown”’, British Journal of Criminology, 38(3): 388-
403.
Stevenson, K, Tufts, J, Hendrick, D & Kowalski, M (1999) ‘Youth and Crime’, Canadian
Social Trends, Statistics Canada – Catalogue No. 11-008, pp.17-21. (This is interesting
from an historical and cross-jurisdictional perspective.)

Week Two – 6 March: Young people and social control

Required Reading:
Armstrong, D (2004) ‘A Risky Business? Research, Policy, Governmentality and Youth
Offending’, Youth Justice, 4(2):100-116.
Hughes, N (2011) Young people 'as risk' or young people 'at risk': Comparing discourses
of anti-social behaviour in England and Victoria’, Critical Social Policy, 31 (3) pp.388-
409
Recommended Reading:
Kemshall, H (2008) ‘Risks, Rights and Justice: Understanding and Responding to Youth
Risk’, Youth Justice, 8(1): 21-37.
Malone, K (2002) Street life: youth, culture and competing uses of public space’,
Environment and Urbanization, 14 (2) pp. 157-168.
Muncie, J (2006) ‘Governing Young People: coherence and contradiction in
contemporary youth justice. Critical Social Policy, 26(4) pp. 770–793.
Valentine, G (2003) ‘Boundary Crossings: Transitions from Childhood to Adulthood’,
Children’s Geographies, 1:1, 37-52
Wilson, D, Rose, J & Colvin, E (2010) Marginalised Young People, Surveillance and
Public Space. A Research Report. Youth Affairs Council of Victoria & Monash University:
Victoria.
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Week Three – 13 March: Explaining youth crime
Required Reading:
Bengtsson, T (2013) ‘‘It’s what you have to do!’ Exploring the role of high-risk edgework
and advanced marginality in a young man’s motivation for crime’, Criminology and
Criminal Justice, 13(1): 99-115.
Sergeant, H ‘Feral youths: How a generation of violent, illiterate young men are living
outside the boundaries of civilised society’ The Daily Mail UK, 20 Sept 2009 [online].
Recommended Reading:
Banks, C. (2013) Youth Crime and Justice. Abingdon: Routledge. Chapter 2.
Burke, R H (2016) ‘Part II: Explaining offending behaviour by children and young
people’, in Young People, Crime and Justice, 2nd Edn. Routledge: Abingdon/New York,
Ch.7-10. Available via Google books. (Or Part II in the earlier edition, published by
Willan, 2008)
McAra, L & McVie, S (2012) ‘Negotiated Order: The groundwork for a theory of
offending pathways’, Criminology & Criminal Justice, 12(4): 347–375.
Messerschmidt, J W (1993) Masculinities and Crime. Critique and Reconceptualization
of Theory. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Lanham: Maryland.
Muncie, J. (2004) Youth and Crime, 2nd Ed. London: Sage.

Week Four – 20 March: Crime and the life course

Required Reading:
DeLisi M. (2015). Age–Crime Curve and Criminal Career Patterns. In: Morizot J.,
Kazemian L. (eds) The Development of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior. Springer,
Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08720-7_4
McCarthy, M. (2021). How universal is the youth crime drop? Disentangling recent
trends in youth offending through a socio-economic lens. Victims & Offenders, 16(6),
769-818. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2020.1855281
Recommended Reading:
Fagan, A & Western, J (2005) ‘Escalation and Deceleration of Offending Behaviours
from Adolescence to early Adulthood’, Australian & New Zealand Journal of
Criminology, 38(1): 59-76
Hirschi, T. & Gottfriedson, M. (1983) ‘Age and the Explanation of Crime’ American
Journal of Sociology, 89: 552-584
Males, M (2010) ‘Is Jumping off the Roof Always a Bad Idea? A Rejoinder on Risk
Taking and the Adolescent Brain’, Journal of Adolescent Research, 25(1): 48–63.
McAra, L & McVie, S (2012) ‘Critical debates in developmental and life-course
criminology’, In R. Morgan, M. Maguire & R. Reiner The Oxford Handbook of
Criminology, Oxford University Press: Oxford, pp.531-560.

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Week Five – 27 March: Prolific, persistent and serious offending
Required Reading:
Billingham, L & Irwin-Rogers, K (2021) The terrifying abyss of insignificance:
Marginalisation, mattering and violence between young people. Oñati Socio-Legal
Series, 11(5): 1222–1249.
Johns, D, Williams, K & Haines, K (2017) ‘Ecological Youth Justice: Understanding the
social ecology of young people’s prolific offending’, Youth Justice, 17(1) 3–21.
Recommended Reading:
Bottrell, D, Armstrong, D, & France, A (2010) ‘Young People’s Relations to Crime:
Pathways across Ecologies’, Youth Justice, 10 (1) pp. 56-72
Finkelhor, D, Turner, H, Hamby, S & Ormrod, R (2011) ‘Polyvictimization: Children’s
Exposure to Multiple Types of Violence, Crime, and Abuse’, Juvenile Justice Bulletin,
Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice.
Kenny, D (2013) ‘Violent Young Offenders in the Criminal Justice System’, Judicial
Officers’ Bulletin, 25(3): 19-24.
Liddell, M, Blake, M & Singh, S (2017) ‘Over-represented and misunderstood: Pacific
young people and juvenile justice in NSW’, Australia & New Zealand Journal of
Criminology, 50(4): 529-547.
Like, TZ & Cobbina, JE (2019) ‘Emotional Girls and Rational Boys: The Gendering of Violence
Among Urban, African American Youth’, Crime & Delinquency, 65(3): 295–321
McNeill, F. & Batchelor, S. (2002) ‘Chaos, Containment and Change: Responding to
Persistent Offending by Young People’, Youth Justice, 2 (1) pp. 27-43.
Moore, T & McArthur, M (2014) ‘If only I, they, we had done things differently: Young
people talk about school difficulties and crime’, Children and Youth Services Review, 44:
249-255.
Murray, C. (2012) ‘Young People’s Perspectives: The trials and tribulations of going
straight’, Criminology and Criminal Justice 12 (1) pp. 25-40

Week Six – 3 April: Young people and the media

Required Reading:
Benier, K, Blaustein, J, Johns, D & Maher, S (2018) ‘Don’t drag me into this’: Growing
up South Sudanese in Victoria after the Moomba 2016 ‘riot’. CMY: Melbourne.
https://www.cmy.net.au/publications/dont-drag-me-into-this (Please read pp.7-18).
Welch, M, Price, E & Yankey, N (2002) ‘Moral Panic over Youth Violence: Wilding and
the Manufacture of Menace in the Media’, Youth & Society, 34(1): 3-30.
Recommended Reading:
Andersson, G & Lundström, T (2007) ‘Teenagers as Victims in the Press’, Children &
Society, 21: 175-188.
Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) (2014) Fair and accurate? Migrant and Refugee
Young People, Crime and the Media. CMY: Melbourne.

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Clark, C Ghosh, A, Green, E & Shariff, N (2008) Media Portrayal of Young People –
impact and influences, The Young Researcher Network and National Children’s Bureau:
London.
Cohen, S. (2004) Folk Devils and Moral Panics. 3rd Edn. London: Routledge.
Goode, E. & Ben-Yehuda, N. (2009) Moral Panics. The Social Construction of Deviance.
2nd Edn. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Nunn, C (2010) Spaces to Speak: Challenging Representations of Sudanese-Australians,
Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(2): 183-198.
Weber, L, Blaustein, J, Benier, K, Wickes, R & Johns, D (2021) “The Racialisation of
Crime: ‘African Gangs’ and the Media, with Chloe Keel, Greg Koumouris and Claire
Moran”, Place, Race and Politics, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, UK, pp. 41-57.

*** Easter Break & Non-teaching period ***

Friday 7 – Friday 14 April 2023

Week Seven – 17 April: Youth ‘gangs’

Required Reading:
Hallsworth, S & Young, T (2008) ‘Gang talk and gang talkers: A critique’, Crime, Media,
Culture, Vol 4(2): 175–195.
White, R (2013) ‘Groups and Networks’, Chapter 3 in Youth Gangs, Violence and Social
Respect: Exploring the Nature of Provocations and Punch-Ups. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Recommended Reading:
Bright, D, Whelan, C & Morselli, C (2020) ‘Understanding the structure and composition
of co‑offending networks in Australia’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice
No 597. AIC: Canberra
Cunningham, T, Ivory, B, Chenhall, R, McMahon, R & Senior, K (2013) ‘Youth gangs in a
remote Indigenous community: Importance of cultural authority and family support’,
Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 457. AIC: Canberra.
Nayak, A (2003) ‘Through Children’s Eyes’: Childhood, place and the fear of crime’,
Geoforum, 34: 3, pp 303-315.
Ralphs, R, Medina, J & Aldridge, J (2009) ‘Who needs enemies with friends like these?
The importance of place for young people living in known gang areas.’ Journal of Youth
Studies, 12: 5. pp 483-500.
Thrasher, F (1927) The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago. US: University of
Chicago Press.
Vigil, JD (2003) ‘Urban Violence and Street Gangs’, Annual Review of Anthropology,
32: 225-42

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White, R. & Mason, R. (2006) Youth Gangs and Youth Violence: Charting the Key
Dimensions. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 39(1): 54-70.

Week Eight – 24 April: Policing young people

Required Reading:
McAra, L. & McVie, S. (2005) ‘The usual suspects? Street-life, young people and the
police’, Criminal Justice, 5 (1) pp. 5-36
Wang, JJ & Weatherburn D (2019) Are police cautions a soft option? Reoffending among
juveniles cautioned or referred to court. Australian & New Zealand Journal of
Criminology, 52(3): 334–347
Recommended Reading:
Allard, T, Stewart, A, Chrzanowski, A, Ogilvie, J, Birks, D & Little, S (2010) ‘Police
diversion of young offenders and Indigenous over-representation’, Trends and Issues in
Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 390: 1-6.
Cunneen, C (2020) ‘Youth justice and racialization: Comparative reflections’, Theoretical
Criminology, 24(3): 521-539
Dwyer, A, Ball, M & Barker, E (2015) ‘Policing LGBTIQ people in rural spaces: emerging
issues and future concerns’, Rural Society, 24:3, 227-243
Haile-Michael, D & Issa, M (2015) The More Things Change, The More They Stay the
Same: Report of the FKCLC Peer Advocacy Outreach Project on racial profiling across
Melbourne. Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre: Kensington.
Reside, S. & Smith. B. (2010) ‘“Boys, You Wanna Give Me Some Action?” Interventions
into Policing of Racialised Communities in Melbourne.’ Melbourne: Fitzroy Legal
Service; Western Suburbs Legal Service Inc; Springvale Monash Legal Service Inc.
Tabbaa, M (2013) The Banality of Police Racism. Right Now: Human Rights in Australia.
Available: http://rightnow.org.au/writing-cat/article/the-banality-of-police-racism/

Week Nine – 1 May: Youth justice principles

Required Reading:
McAra, L & McVie, S (2010) ‘Youth crime and justice: Key messages from the Edinburgh
Study of Youth Transitions and Crime’, Criminology and Criminal Justice, 10(2): 179-
209
Goddard, T & Myers, R (2017) ‘Against evidence-based oppression: Marginalized youth
and the politics of risk-based assessment and intervention’, Theoretical Criminology,
21(2): 151–167.
Recommended Reading
Cunneen, C. & White, R. (2011) Juvenile Justice: Youth and Crime in Australia 4th
Edition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Fergusson, R, (2007) ‘Making sense of the melting pot: Multiple discourses in youth
justice policy’, Youth Justice, 7 (3): 179-194.
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Flacks, S. (2014) ‘Risk, Welfare and the Treatment of Adolescent Cannabis users in
England’, British Journal of Criminology, 54 (2): 281-297.
Goldson, B. (1997) ‘Children, Crime, Policy and Practice: Neither Welfare nor Justice’,
Children & Society, 11 (2): 77–88.
Luebbers, S. & Ogloff, J.R.P. (2011) ‘Boys will be boys’ or Budding criminal:
Differentiating Young Offenders’, Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 18 (4): 557-572
Phoenix, J & Kelly, L (2013) ‘“You have to do it for yourself”: Responsibilization in Youth
Justice and Young People’s Situated Knowledge of Youth Justice Practice’, British
Journal of Criminology, 53: 419-437.

Week Ten – 8 May: Youth justice practice

Required Reading:
Kelly, L & Armitage, V (2015) ‘Diverse Diversions: Youth Justice Reform, Localized
Practices, and a ‘New Interventionist Diversion’?’ Youth Justice, 15(2): 117 -133.
Smith, R & Gray, P (2019) ‘The changing shape of youth justice: Models of practice’,
Criminology & Criminal Justice, 19(5): 554 -571.
Recommended Reading:
Borowski, A (2010) ‘Indigenous Participation in Sentencing Young Offenders: Findings
from an Evaluation of the Children's Koori Court of Victoria’ Australian and New
Zealand Journal of Criminology, 43 (3): 465-484.
Borowski, A & Sheehan, R. (2013) ‘Magistrates’ Perspectives on the Criminal Division of
the Children’s Court of Victoria’, Australian Social Work, 66 (3): 375-390
Jordan, L &, Farrell, J (2013) ‘Juvenile Justice Diversion in Victoria: A Blank Canvas?’,
Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 24 (3): 419-437.
Pritchard, J. (2010) ‘Net-Widening and the Diversion of Young People from Court: A
Longitudinal Analysis with Implications for Restorative Justice’, Australian and New
Zealand Journal of Criminology, 43 (1):112-129
Smith, R (2021) ‘Diversion, Rights and Social Justice’, Youth Justice, 21(1):18 -32.
Travers, M. (2010) ‘Welfare, Punishment or Something Else? Sentencing Minor Offences
committed by young people in Tasmania and Victoria’, Current Issues in Criminal
Justice, 22 (1): 99-116.
Wong, JS, Bouchard, J, Gravel, J, Bouchard, M & Morselli, C (2016) ‘Can At-Risk Youth
Be Diverted from crime? A Meta-analysis of Restorative Diversion Programs’, Criminal
Justice & Behaviour, 43(10): 1310-1329.

Week Eleven – 15 May: Young people in detention

Required Reading:
Goldson, B. (2005) ‘Child Imprisonment: A Case for Abolition’, Youth Justice, 5(2): 77-90
Holligan, C (2015) ‘“The Cake and Custard is Good!” A Qualitative Study of Teenage
Children’s Experience of Being in Prison’, Children & Society, 29: 366-376.
Recommended Reading:
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Cope, N (2003) “It’s No Time or High Time”: Young Offenders’ Experience of Time and
Drug Use in Prison’, The Howard Journal, 42(2): 158-175.
Goldson, B. & Kilkelly, U. (2013) ‘International Human Rights Standards and Child
Imprisonment: Potentialities and Limitations’, International Journal of Children’s
Rights, 21 (2): 345-71.
McCarthy, P, Schiraldi, V & Shark, M (2016) ‘The Future of Youth Justice: A Community-
Based Alternative to the Youth Prison Model. New Thinking in Community Corrections
Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
Moore, T, McArthur, M & Saunders, V (2013) ‘Young People Talk about Transitioning
from Youth Detention to the Community: Making Good’, Australian Social Work, 66 (3):
328-343
Myers, R, Goddard, T & Davidtz, J (2021) ‘Reconnecting Youth: Beyond Individualized
Programs and Risks’, Youth Justice, 21(1): 55 -70.
Pitts, J. & Kuula, T. (2005) ‘Incarcerating young people: an Anglo-Finnish comparison’
Youth Justice, 5 (3) pp. 147-164.

Week Twelve – 22 May: Review and emerging issues in youth justice

Required Reading:
Hamilton, S, Maslen, S, Bets, D, Freeman, J O’Donnell, M, Reibel, T, Mutch, R & Watkins R
(2020) Putting ‘Justice’ in Recovery Capital: Yarning About Hopes and Futures with Young
People in Detention, International Journal for Crime, Justice & Social Democracy, 9(2): 20-
36. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v9i2.1256
Recommended Reading:
Butts, JA, Bazemore, G & Saa Meroe, A (2010) Positive Youth Justice - Framing Justice
Interventions Using the Concepts of Positive Youth Development. Washington, DC: Coalition
for Juvenile Justice.
Muhammad, D (2019) A Positive Youth Justice System. National Institute for Criminal Justice
Reform (NICJR), US. https://nicjr.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PYJS-Report-NICJR-
Feb-2019.pdf

*************************************************************
SWOT VAC: Mon 29 May – Fri 2 June 2023
EXAMINATION PERIOD: Mon 5 June – Fri 23 June 2023
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Attendance / Participation Requirements
Tutorials / Seminars
Students should be aware of what is expected of them in tutorials / seminars - this
should be discussed in the first class. As a minimum, students are expected to
attend, undertake weekly readings and contribute to discussion.

Undergraduate Tutorial Attendance Hurdle Requirement

Attendance at all lectures and tutorials is expected. Apologies for absence,
especially from tutorials, are also expected. All Undergraduate subjects in the
School of Social and Political Sciences have a minimum Hurdle
Requirement of 75% tutorial attendance of all tutorials for the subject in
order to qualify to have their written work assessed.
If a student does not meet the tutorial attendance hurdle requirement they will
fail that subject with a 49(NH) grade.

Honours/Graduate Seminar Attendance Hurdle Requirement

Standard Semester-Long Subjects:
Standard semester long subjects, and those taught over a 6 or 8 week period during
semester, expect attendance at all Lectures (where applicable) and Seminars.
Apologies for absence, especially from seminars, are also expected. Honours and
Graduate students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of all seminars
for the subject in order to qualify to have their written work assessed.
If a student does not meet the seminar attendance hurdle requirement they will fail
that subject with a 49(NH) grade.
Intensively-Taught Subjects:
Intensively taught subjects that are delivered in a full day format, usually over 4 or
6 days, require attendance at all Lectures, Seminars and Workshops throughout
the subject’s intensive teaching period as attendance is compulsory.
If a student does not meet the seminar attendance hurdle requirement for the
subject in order to qualify to have their written work assessed, they will fail that
subject with a 49(NH) grade.

Application for Tutorial/Seminar Attendance Waiver

Students seeking a class attendance waiver for tutorials or seminars (beyond the
number of classes students are able to miss without penalty) should submit an
application for Special Consideration.

(See below for more information about Special Consideration)

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Assessment
Assessment for this subject comprises of two tasks, as follows (and detailed below):

Assessment type Weight Due Date

1500-word essay + 250-word reflection 40% 11.59pm Wed 5 April 2023
2000-word report + 250-word reflection 60% 11.59pm Wed 7 June 2023 (during
examination period)

Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to

pass this subject – i.e. minimum 9 out of 12 tutorials. Regular participation in tutorials is
required. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Students must be available for the entirety of

the University’s Semester 1, 2023 examination period
Monday 5 June – Friday 23 June 2023.

Assessment one: 1500-word essay + 250-word reflection (40%)

The first part of this assessment is a standard academic research essay of 1500 words
(+/- 10%), which requires you to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of
interdisciplinary approaches to questions of youth crime and social control. Essay
questions will be posted on the subject LMS site early in the semester.

Essay plans will be workshopped in small groups of students during tutorials. You will be
required to keep notes about the peer feedback that you receive and then to reflect upon
how you have incorporated this feedback in your final essay response. This reflective
exercise makes up the 250-word reflective narrative to be submitted in addition to the
1500-word essay. This process encourages you to consult with your peers, to plan time
effectively and to reflect on the value of a variety of peer contributions.

Assessment two: 2000-word report + 250-word reflection (60%)

The first part of this assessment requires you to produce a report in the form of a policy
brief on a youth crime/justice related issue. You must first identify a contemporary issue
relating to youth crime/youth justice, locate it in the context of current academic and/or
practice knowledge, and develop policy/practice recommendations to respond to the issue
that you have identified. Examples and detailed instructions will be provided.

This assessment also includes a reflective component. Here you are asked to comment on
how your report reflects your overall subject learning (as opposed to individual lecture
topic-centred learning). This reflective exercise makes up the 250-word reflection to be
submitted in addition to the 2000-word report. You will thus demonstrate that you have
developed a breadth of knowledge about young people, crime and justice.

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Grading system
A standard grading system applies across all Faculties of the University, as follows:

N 0%-49% Fail - not satisfactory

• Work that fails to meet the basic assessment criteria;
• Work that contravenes the policies and regulations set out for the assessment
exercise;
• Where a student fails a subject, all failed components of assessment are double
marked.

P 50%-64% Pass - satisfactory

• Completion of key tasks at an adequate level of performance in argumentation,
documentation and expression;
• Work that meets a limited number of the key assessment criteria;
• Work that shows substantial room for improvement in many areas.

H3 65%-69% Third-class honours - competent

• Completion of key tasks at a satisfactory level, with demonstrated understanding
of key ideas and some analytical skills, and satisfactory presentation, research
and documentation;
• Work that meets most of the key assessment criteria;
• Work that shows room for improvement in several areas.

H2B 70%-74% Second-class honours level B - good

• Good work that is solidly researched, shows a good understanding of key ideas,
demonstrates some use of critical analysis along with good presentation and
documentation;
• Work that meets most of the key assessment criteria and performs well in some;
• Work that shows some room for improvement.

H2A 75%-79% Second-class honours level A - very good

• Very good work that is very well researched, shows critical analytical skills, is well
argued, with scholarly presentation and documentation;
• Work that meets all the key assessment criteria and exceeds in some;
• Work that shows limited room for improvement.

H1 80%-100% First-class honours - excellent

• Excellent analysis, comprehensive research, sophisticated theoretical or
methodological understanding, impeccable presentation;
• Work that meets all the key assessment criteria and excels in most;
• Work that meets these criteria and is also in some way original, exciting or
challenging could be awarded marks in the high 80s or above.
• Marks of 90% and above may be awarded to the best student work in the H1
range.

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Assessment Submission
Students must submit all assessment electronically through the Turnitin function,
via the online submission portal on the Canvas LMS site of the subject. This will
act as an electronic receipt of the time and date of assessment submission. All
assessment should be typed in double-spacing in 12 point font.

It is the student’s responsibility to check the submission requirements for each

subject, and ensure that they have received confirmation of the electronic
submission of all assessment.

Assessment will not be accepted via fax or email to staff.

Students are expected to retain a copy of all work submitted for assessment.
All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass any subject.

Extensions to Assessment
Requests for extensions to subject assessment (other than exams) will be
submitted to subject coordinators in accordance with the University’s
Assessment & Results Policy (MPF1326 Section 33) with the procedure
outlined below:
Students can request a short-term extension of up to 5 working days with tutors.
Longer extensions of up to 10 working days can only be approved by the subject
coordinator. Extensions are not granted after due dates have passed. An
extension of time after a deadline has passed will require a Special
Consideration application.
To apply for an extension, students must complete an SSPS Assignment Extension
Request form available from relevant subject Canvas LMS sites and email it to
their tutor/subject coordinator with supporting documentation, prior to the
submission date. Students will then be notified of the outcome of the application
by their Tutor or Subject Coordinator via the student’s university e-mail account,
within 3 working days. Extensions for the final piece of assessment due during the
examination period may be granted by the subject coordinator on the provision of
documentation for a maximum of TEN working days (two weeks). Special
Consideration applications should be submitted for issues which impact on the
whole of semester assessment and for issues affecting assessment where more than
a two week extension is requested.

Penalty for Submission of Late Assessment

Undergraduate Subjects
Assessments submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at
10 marks per working day. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass
any subject.

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Word Limits
Assessment at all year levels must not exceed the word limit set for the subject.
Details of references cited, whether listed at end of the assignment or in a footnote,
are not included in the word count. Please note, however, that quotes, whether
from published or unpublished sources or from informants, are included in the
word count. So are in-text citations and explanatory footnotes. (Referencing
footnotes and explanatory footnotes are not the same.) Unless explicitly excluded
by the subject coordinator in the assessment guide, all other content – e.g.
summary, abstract, appendices – will be included in the wordcount.
When submitting assessment, students must state the word count on first or last
page. Students whose coursework assessment falls under or exceeds the specified
word limit by more than 10% are liable to be penalised, with marks for that piece
of work reduced by 2% per additional 100 words, or part thereof, under / over the
10% leeway, the exception is the Honours/Minor Thesis, for which different
penalties apply. Honours/Minor thesis cannot exceed the stated word limit of the
relevant degree. The under/over 10% leeway does not apply to Honours Minor
Thesis submission.

Moderation
All marks are provisional until the Board of Examiners approves final results at the
end of semester. Results may be altered when an error has been made in the
application of marking guidelines, where the results for a cohort appear to be
disproportionate, or where an irregular distribution of grades is observed. Any
changes to results will be made in accordance with the University’s Assessment
and Results Policy (MPF1326 Section 27)

Special Consideration
Students can apply for Special Consideration via myunimelb. Special
Consideration applications should be submitted no later than 5pm on the third
working day after the submission/sitting date for the relevant assessment
component. Students are only eligible for Special Consideration if circumstances
beyond their control have severely hindered completion of assessed work.
Appropriate response to Special Consideration depends upon the degree of
disadvantage experienced by the student. This may vary from an extension in the
case of slight disadvantage to additional assessment in the cases of moderate or
severe disadvantage. Final decisions in line with University policy will be made by
the Committee. Students should be advised not to apply for special consideration
unless the relevant circumstances have delayed their study by at least 2 weeks.
Applications for special consideration detailing delays to study for a shorter period
will be refused and the student will be referred to their subject coordinator for an
extension. If students are experiencing difficulties and are not sure whether to
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apply for special consideration, it is important that they discuss the matter with
the lecturer / subject coordinator or a Student Advisor at Stop 1.
For further information on Special Consideration, please refer to the following
link:

https://students.unimelb.edu.au/your-course/manage-your-
course/exams-assessments-and-results/special-consideration

https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1326/#section-35

Ongoing or Long-Term Circumstances:

Students may be eligible for an Academic Adjustment Plan (AAP) if your studies
are significantly impacted by ongoing or episodic circumstances. For students with
recognised long-term circumstances, study adjustments will usually be applied for
a longer duration. This means that you will not have to reapply for Special
Consideration every study period.

Elite Athletes and Performers, Army Reservists,

Emergency Volunteers
Equitable adjustments such as for elite athletes, elite performers, defence reservists,
emergency volunteers can be found at: https://students.unimelb.edu.au/your-
course/manage-your-course/exams-assessments-and-results/special-
consideration

https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1326#section-4.32

Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is a copyright offence, which the University regards as cheating and it is
punished accordingly.

Students are warned to be careful to guard against it occurring consciously or

unconsciously in essay writing.

It is therefore important that students spend time ascertaining how their own work differs
in its assumptions and methodology from that of the critics they have read or engaged with
(including lecturers and tutors!).

Students should not repeat material used for another piece of work in the same subject or
in any other subject that they have studied, as this also constitutes plagiarism in the terms
of the University’s guidelines.

Students should refer to the Schools’ Essay Writing Guide which provides clear guidelines
for referencing.

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Plagiarism is academic misconduct, and is taken very seriously by the School,
Faculty and University. Any acts of suspected academic misconduct detected by assessors
will be followed up, and any students involved will be required to respond via the School
and/or University procedures for handling academic integrity.

For more information and advice about how to avoid plagiarism, see the
University's Academic Integrity page: http://academicintegrity.unimelb.edu.au/

Student Academic Integrity Policy (MPF1310):

https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1310

Students should be aware of how to appropriately acknowledge sources in their

assignments and what referencing style is expected in each subject. Students should
ask their tutor or subject coordinator if unsure.

The Academic Skills Unit (ASU) has a number of free online resources on referencing at:
https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/explore-our-
resources#research-referencing

For further information, please refer to the School’s 2022 SSPS Academic Programs
Policy and Procedure Guidelines document, provided on all SSPS subject Canvas
LMS sites and the Melbourne Policy Library website:
http://policy.unimelb.edu.au/

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