Postgraduate coursework

LAWS6938 - The Currency of Justice

Objectives

Examines money as the primary sanction both of civil and criminal law.
Explore the historical emergence and development of fines and damages, and an understanding of how these relate to changes in the nature and governance primarily of common law countries.
Focus on the implications of damages as a form of compensation as well as their changing use as a technique of punishing wrongdoers.

Content

The use of fines in criminal justice and in regulation, together with their use in the private sector; fines’ effectiveness in producing compliance and the impact of the money form of the fine on criminal and regulatory procedure; issues of the ‘justice’ of money sanctions such as fining the poor, and the gendered nature of money’s impact; the nexus between money sanctions and other moneyed institutions, such as between tort law and state and private insurance; the host of ‘fees’, ‘costs’ and ‘surcharges’ levied in the justice system, and their nature and role as sanctions.

Assumed Knowledge:

Knowledge of some socio-legal or criminological theory

Session

Semester 2 Intensive
1-2 & 8-9 October 2010

The timetable is subject to frequent changes. Please refer to the latest version of the Postgraduate Timetable.

Assessment

1 x Take Home Exam (50%)
1 x 5,000 Word Essay (50%)

Courses this unit is available in

Sydney Law School