Hsc legal 2018 (1 Viewer)

[undertale]

Hey everyone,

As a legal studies student i can say it is definitely one of my favourite subjects, however it is being a little bit difficult at the moment.
As a write up my notes for the crime topic i am stuck with one of the syllabus dot points under Sentencing and Punishment.

"Evaluate the effectiveness of different types of penalties including diversionary programs"

Just in case this one oddly enough the 15 marker crime question i want to be prepared with evidence - cases, legislation, stats and media reports. However at the moment it is a little bit of a challenge!

Any advice or suggestions as to how to approach this, or any good cases to prove this would be so AWESOME!

Thanks

 

[tklawl]

Under the syllabus (which you're currently looking at), we see numerous penalties.

This is a bare-bones effectiveness question, which is as standard as it gets. You simply have to weigh positives and/or negatives of a few penalties and make an informed judgement based on criteria (which I know that you know ). Anyways, a few penalties that are incredibly easy to speak about are:

Imprisonment - resource inefficient, recidivism rates are high, etc - load this paragraph up with statistics and lots of media articles - you may also wish to talk about situations in which people were wrongly imprisoned (this can be done as the scope of the question allows it, but I would not suggest this over statistics and media articles as they are largely suited). - also speak about the laws that encompass incarceration. - emphasise the ineffectiveness and/or otherwise effectiveness throughout.

No conviction recorded/diversionary programs - this is a perfect tie-in to young offenders - you'll have numerous cases here which I cannot recall off the top of my head.

Fines - again, statistics and media articles + the overarching law - emphasise the effectiveness/ineffectiveness - fines are largely effective as general/specific deterrents as they reduce recidivism - you may wish to twist this fact to support your argument.

Periodic detention - allows offenders to work/take care of their families - balances the rights/privileges/interests of victims and offenders - you should be able to find multiple cases - get statistics from BOCSAR on recidivism rates/crimes committed whilst on periodic detention.

Personally, these would comprise the bulk of my essay. I do not have my notes with me at this point, so I can't supply you with my LCMS at the moment (but I may if I get the chance).

The key to legal studies is to be clear and emphasise your argument in relation to the question. Also, try to find tie-ins between the crime topics. e.g. Young offenders + sentencing and punishment - this allows you to cover more of the syllabus focuses with less LCMS.