This unit is designed to introduce students to the issues and processes associated with working with offenders, particularly those under the authority of corrective services in prison and community corrections. The unit explores issues pertaining directly to how best to work with a wide variety of offender groups, why and how people stop offending (desistance) and how practitioners can support processes of positive change and community reintegration.

Topics to be covered include duty of care, 'special populations' of offenders and difficult work situations, safety and security, working with involuntary clients, multi-agency collaboration in justice and health, models of offender management, prison culture, assessment tools and risk management, offender narratives, mental illness and drug use, restorative justice, victim interests, and professional writing in criminal justice. International examples of innovation in offender rehabilitation are showcased from key jurisdictions such as England and Wales, Scotland, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.

The unit is intended to be relevant and familiar for those already working in the field, in prison and in the community, as well as to introduce contemporary principles and practices to those wishing to do so in the future.