Rehabilitation of Offenders
Artefact 1- Critical Analysis Exercise 1,000 words (+/- 10%). This assignment is
worth 50% of your overall module grade.
Your task is to choose ONE of the sources listed below and make a critical analysis
addressing the following headings (see template for further guidance):
• Identify and critically evaluate the line of reasoning
• Identify and Evaluate the evidence in the text
• Identify the writer’s conclusions
• Evaluate whether the evidence supports the conclusions
Article Options:
1. Carlen, P. (2013). Against rehabilitation; for reparative justice. In Crime, justice and social democracy (pp. 89-104). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/against-rehabilitation-reparativejustice
2. Lewis, S. (2014). Learning from success and failure: Deconstructing the working
relationship within probation practice and exploring its impact on probationers,
using a collaborative approach. Probation Journal, 61(2), 161-175.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0264550514523816
3. Maruna, S., & Mann, R. (2019). Reconciling ‘desistance and ‘what works’. Academic
Insights, 1, 3-10. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wpcontent/uploads/sites/5/2019/02/Academic-Insights-Maruna-and-Mann-Feb-19-
final.pdf
Further Guidance
• See Template for specific guidance on each heading.
• You MUST reference a minimum of 3 other academic sources within your analysis.
Avoid simply using sources cited within the article you have chosen- where possible
consider links to wider theory.
• Remember a Critical Analysis does not mean the same as Criticism. I.e. the authors’ arguments and evidence may have both strengths and weaknesses.
• For the final question of whether the evidence supports the conclusions there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer, as long as you can justify this with your evaluation. Approach this objectively and analytically- the question is not asking
whether you personally ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with the conclusion.
– This model of critical analysis is taken from The Study Skills Handbook by Stella
Cottrell- see below for full reference. This book is available electronically from the
University Library: Cottrell, S. (2019). The study skills handbook. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
– You must provide a full reference list with this assignment and use in-text citations
according to APA 7th Edition.
Assignment 1 Template with Guidance
Identify and critically evaluate the line of reasoning. In academic writing the argument is; a line of reasoning, an angle or point of view, a position that is being defended or a case that is being made.
To identify this when reading you need to keep asking yourself ‘What are the main things the writer(s) want me to accept? What reasons do they present to encourage me to accept this?’ This argument can be critically evaluated in terms of whether it contains: i)relevant, contributing and sufficient reasons, ii) logical progression, iii) false premises or iv) flawed reasoning.
Identify and Evaluate the evidence in the text Identifying evidence should be fairly straightforward. Look for statistics, examples, case histories, findings from experiments, surveys, questionnaires or case studies. To evaluate this, consider whether there may be other authors/sources that could present a different view. How balanced is the author in terms of acknowledging these and objectively exploring them? Consider techniques you could use to decide which evidence appears ‘better’. E.g; check the date of the research, check the source of your information, check for bias in your sources, be critical of any use of numbers and statistics etc.
Identify the writer’s conclusions These will usually be at the end of a piece of writing, but may also be at the beginning or in the middle. Sometimes the conclusion may not be stated at all 17 – it may only be implied by the arguments and evidence. There may also be more than one conclusion to draw from a text, some implicit and some explicit.
Evaluate to what extent the evidence supports the conclusions A writer may present evidence which could be considered reliable , being based on good research but then draw conclusions which are not warranted by the evidence.
