Minority Groups as Offenders and Victims - Assignment Example

To complete this assessment you will be required to work through the unit workbook materials which consist of several activities related to the semester (lecture and tutorial) content. The workbook includes 6 activities related to 5 broad topic areas:

• Gender and Crime;
• Age and Crime;
• Ethnicity and Crime;
• Sexuality and Crime; and
• Health and Crime.

The workbook activities are highly prescriptive, ask specific questions and provide clear instructions related to each activity. Most activities require you to refer to the readings listed in the Unit Plan and provided on eReserve (via Blackboard). The idea is that you use some of the references provided, as well as your research to find additional literature and statistical data, to formulate a clear and coherent answer to each question, problem, or dilemma. To complete this assignment you will need to;

• Download the unit workbook. You need to provide your responses to each activity in the workbook document provided;
• Identity what is required for each topic; the tasks that need to be completed and the resources required.
• Arrange regular times to progressively work on the tasks (research and writing). This is not an assignment you can leave until the last week or the last minute;
• Set personal deadlines for progress. It may be useful to prepare responses to the workbook activities in line with the relevant lecture content;
• Submit the completed workbook via the Turnitin link on Blackboard on or before the due date.

As an academic piece of work, it is expected that your workbook will include in-text and end-text references where appropriate, using APA 6th Edition/ECU Referencing guide format. A space has been provided for you to include an end-text reference list at the end of each activity. The number of references you provide is up to you. It will be dependent on what the activities require you to do, and how much time and effort you dedicate to each task.

Important Note

This assessment (and the unit more generally) is designed to expand your thinking and in some cases, may challenge your thoughts and feelings regarding particular minority groups. As you complete this assessment please be mindful that you need to provide opinions that are supported by relevant literature. The idea of this type of assessment is that your views and beliefs become more informed by the academic literature, which will, in turn, shape the way you practice in your chosen Justice System profession.

Gender is an important consideration when discussing minority groups in a criminal justice system context. Although males are more commonly both offenders and victims for most offenses, females have a longstanding history of being disproportionately victimized for some offenses. According to the latest facts and figures provided by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), females are more likely than males to be victims of sexual assault. When assaulted physically or sexually, they are more likely than males to be victimized at home and by a family member or intimate partner (AIC, 2013). The victimization of females through domestic and family violence remains a significant and complex issue in Australia.