School Of Social SciencesFirst Peoples and Criminal JusticeWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 102712.2
Discipline: CRIMINOLOGY
Student Contribution Band: 4
Level: 2
Credit Points: 10
Incompatible Units
400195 - Human Rights, Human Services and the Law
Unit Enrolment Restrictions
Successful completion of 40 credit points.
About this Unit
In 2022 this unit replaced by 102916 First Peoples and Criminal Justice. How does colonialism underscore the foundational narratives, knowledges and operation of the legal and criminal justice institutions of colonised nations? Focusing primarily on the Australian context of colonial invasion and settlement, this unit explores the plight of Indigenous peoples and their severe over-representation in the Australian criminal justice system. Studying the impact of colonisation and exploring Indigenous narratives, students will critically examine issues faced by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and their experience of criminal justice in Australia. Overall, the unit will equip students with an understanding of the relationship between dominant colonial narratives of race and institutional racism, while considering how Indigenous knowledge can inform better social and criminal justice outcomes for Indigenous populations. Comparative examples of criminal (in)justice for Indigenous populations in other colonised nations will also be considered.