With the recent news that the Labor Government of Victoria has introduced groundbreaking reforms to the youth justice system (marking a significant milestone as Victoria becomes the first state in Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old), an experiential education program run by the National Trust of Australia (VIC) with the aim of offering students a fresh perspective into life behind bars is incredibly timely.
By utilising Australia’s notorious Pentridge Prison – a historical landmark with a controversial past – the state’s secondary and tertiary students can explore the complexities of Australia’s criminal justice system. Given Australia’s contentious history with the treatment of criminals, this move has ignited debate on the future of criminal justice reform – putting education programs such as this one in a position to help the next generation of policy leaders to study and rethink the past, to work towards creating a better future.
The VCE Legal Studies and Sociology program tour at Pentridge is designed to engage both secondary and tertiary students by providing them with insights into the harsh realities of Australia’s punitive history, while encouraging critical thinking about the potential for genuine prison reform.
“We take some of the stories about the history of Pentridge and we support the students to consider Australia’s court system a ‘then and now’ approach,” Nicola Dziadkiewicz, Education & Public Programs Manager at The National Trust of Australia (VIC), told EducationDaily.
“Comparative analysis really helps them understand how our system works today, with evidence from warders’ records and prisoners’ accounts shows that we treat prisoners in a much more humane way these days.”
Hands-on history
The student participants and teachers on the tours are given the opportunity to access information in, Dziadkiewicz says, “a really objective way”.
“They get a strong sense of the history, including the living conditions of what it was like back in those days and compare that to the information the teachers share with them about what it’s like today.”
Dziadkiewicz told EducationDaily that all the National Trust education programs are curriculum-‘aligned “and we consult with educators in civics and citizenship, history, sociology and criminology to make sure we are interpreting the curriculum as it was intended”.
“We also liaise with the educators bringing the students about what students can cope with, in case any students have any personal connections to crimes that might be triggers for them, emotionally,” she says.
That screening process begins at the booking stage when schools first enquire about the program.
“Teachers are given some headline topics on subjects that will be covered, so they know what to expect, plus the facilitator on the day always pulls the teacher aside before the tour starts, just the check if any students might have any specific sensitivities to be aware of.”
For the students who hear the stories that make up the audio guides on the tour, Dziadkiewicz says “they are fascinated”.
“Once they start hearing the stories, they can’t get enough – they do want to know the details. They are especially fascinated by the way people were treated during late 1800s and early 1900s and they really come to appreciate the evolution and progression around the way the court interprets the laws and the Constitution.
Dziadkiewicz says the National Trust has a strong history of providing education programs, with 25 individual education programs currently running across nine National Trust properties.
This particular program is focused on civics and citizenships and legal studies for now, but Dziadkiewicz points to a not-too-distant future when she says a geography-focused version of the program will roll out and offer insights into the evolution of urban space, that explores the way some elements of the historic building have been retained in original condition, while other parts of the Pentridge Prison grounds have been transformed to incorporate housing and retail spaces.
“At the moment, we’re planning to trial it in term four, for a launch in term one 2025,” she told EducationDaily.
Doctor of Criminology and Lecturer, Vanessa Letico, PhD. recently took her tertiary students to the tour and says “programs like this make aspiring criminology and legal study students move beyond the theoretical approach”.
“These programs are vital because they are faced with history and first-hand experiences of real complex issues that they will have to address as they get into policy leadership roles.”
