Crime in Societies: Transgression, Punishment and Restoration - JSB750

• Title: Crime in Societies: Transgression, Punishment and Restoration
• Guaranteed by: Department of Sociology (23-KS)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2024 to 2024
• Semester: both
• E-Credits: 6
• Hours per week, examination: 1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: winter:20 / 20 (20); summer:unknown / unknown (20)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Additional information: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=17180
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; you can enroll for the course in winter and in summer semester
• Guarantor: PhDr. Martina Novopacká, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): JUDr. Mgr. Kateřina Kudrlová, Ph.D.; PhDr. Martina Novopacká, Ph.D.
• Class: Courses for incoming students

Annotation

This course employs a critical lens to examine crime as a social construct and the ways in which criminality is defined, processed, and punished in Western societies. Moving beyond a purely descriptive approach, students engage with theoretical critiques to question how social power and structural inequalities shape both crime and its control. By exploring victimology, the interplay of formal and informal institutions, and the function of restorative justice, students learn to challenge conventional narratives of punishment and rehabilitation. The readings and class discussions facilitate deep inquiry into the cultural, political, and economic forces that produce and respond to criminal behavior.

Last update: Novopacká Martina, PhDr., Ph.D. (02.02.2025)

Aim of the course

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand pathways to crime across diverse social groups and subgroups, and the consequences for their victims.
• Explain how crime is defined, why certain behaviors are criminalized, and the range of crime types that emerge from social and political contexts.
• Discuss the functions of police, courts, and corrections in processing a crime, including the interplay of discretion and systemic factors.
• Recognize the complexities within individual branches of the criminal justice system, critically assessing their impacts on offenders, victims, and communities.
• Explore different routes to achieving justice—with a focus on restorative models—evaluating their potential to address harm and reinforce social equity.

Last update: Novopacká Martina, PhDr., Ph.D. (02.02.2025)

Teaching methods

This course employs a range of interactive learning methods—seminars, dialogue, academic reading, practical application, and role-play exercises—to foster a holistic understanding of key criminological concepts. Seminars and structured discussions enable students to exchange ideas and challenge assumptions, while selected readings anchor theoretical knowledge. These insights are then put into practice through real-world case analyses and role-play simulations (e.g., moot court), where students can experience the complexities of legal procedures and the nature of justice firsthand.

Last update: Novopacká Martina, PhDr., Ph.D. (02.02.2025)

Requirements to the exam

Students can earn up to 100 total points in this course, split evenly between two components:

1. Class Activities & Assignments (50 points)
   This includes attendance at specified sessions, active participation, and any written or practical exercises assigned during the semester.

2. Final Reading Assessment (50 points)

   Assessment will focus on application and interpretation rather than rote memorization. Students will be asked to draw upon the core concepts from the readings to analyze case studies, propose informed policy recommendations, or critique existing practices. This approach emphasizes comprehension of the scholarly material and encourages to apply criminological theories to real-world contexts (in-class)

Grading:

91 - 100 points = grade A

81 - 90 points = grade B

71 - 80 points = grade C

61 - 70 points = gradeD

51 - 60 points = grade E

0 - 50 points = not passed (F)

Last update: Novopacká Martina, PhDr., Ph.D. (27.03.2025)

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction and syllable review (Dr. Novopacká, Dr Kudrlová)

Week 2: When a Crime Occurs (Dr Kudrlová)

Week 3: Who is a Criminal? (Dr Kudrlová)

Week 4: Criminal Proceedings: The Path Through the System (Dr Kudrlová) 

Week 5: The Purpose of Prisons: Punishment and Rehabilitation (Dr Novopacká)

Reading: Ben Crewe (2011). Depth, Weight, Tightness: Revisiting the Pains of Imprisonment. Punishment & Society, 13(5), 509–529.

Week 6: Victims of crime and restorative justice (Dr Novopacká)

Reading: Heather Strang & Lawrence Sherman (2015). The Future of Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice: An International Journal, 3(1), 3-21.

Week 7: Guest Lecture: Ask the Expert (Dr Kudrlová)

Week 8: Who punishes? Crime, Media & Justice. (Dr Novopacká)

Reading: Jewkes, Y. (2021). Media and Crime (4th Edition), Chapters 1 & 2.

Week 9: Public Criminology: Making Criminology Research Matter (Dr Novopacká)

Reading: Shadd Maruna (2011). Why Public Criminology? Theoretical Criminology, 15(2), 119–130.

Week 10 & 11: Moot Court: Experiencing the Legal Process (Dr Kudrlová)

Week 12: Public Criminology II: A walking tour of crime in Prague (Dr. Novopacká)

Week 13: Readings Assessment (Dr. Novopacká)

 

Required readings:

Presser, L. (2009). The narratives of offenders. Theoretical Criminology, 13(2), 177–200.

Crewe B. (2011). Depth, Weight, Tightness: Revisiting the Pains of Imprisonment. Punishment & Society, 13(5), 509–529.

Rossner, M., & Taylor, H. (2024). The transformative potential of restorative justice: what the mainstream can learn from the margins. Annual Review of Criminology, 7(1), 357-381.

Braithwaite, J., Braithwaite, V., & Ahmed, E. (2018). Reintegrative shaming 1. In the essential criminology reader (pp. 286-296). Routledge.

Maruna, S., & Matravers, A. (2007). N= 1: Criminology and the person. Theoretical Criminology, 11(4), 427-442.

 

Recommended reading:

Jewkes, Y. (2021). Media and Crime (4th Edition), Chapters 1 & 2.

 

 

 

Last update: Novopacká Martina, PhDr., Ph.D. (09.04.2025)