Overview

Summary of course content: • Criminal law, the crime funnel, and the criminal justice process • The emergence of the police • Policing today, and the Crown Prosecution Service • Miscarriages of justice • Courts and sentencing policy • Sentencing provisions and theories of sentencing • Desistance • Restorative Justice • After sentencing – from probation to parole

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -Grade Range D Provide an account of the origins of the criminal justice system and the principles and practices of punishment; explain the basic structure of the criminal justice system; demonstrate an awareness of the main criminal justice models; provide a basic account of economic, social and philosophical factors and demonstrate an awareness of their significance in relation to criminal justice and penal policy; present spoken and written material clearly, focusing on major points relevant to the question or argument; locate basic sources of information and produce appropriately formatted and referenced work. Show an understanding of some of the main criminological explanations of why crime is committed, and explain some of the main similarities and differences between these theories; demonstrate a basic understanding of the ways in which crime is defined within society; show an awareness of the impact of crime on some members of society; examine media reports of crime; present spoken and written material in a clear manner, focusing on some of the major relevant issues; locate basic sources of information and produce appropriately formatted and referenced work.

-good -Grade Range B to C Provide a comprehensive account of the histories of crime, criminal law and the criminal justice and penal systems and to demonstrate some awareness of their underpinning rationales; describe the various agencies involved in the criminal justice process and explain with accuracy their primary roles and functions; explain and evaluate the main criminal justice models; explain and appreciate the ways in which historic factors in general and in particular have impacted upon criminal justice and punishment; speak and write in fluent prose, summarising material and arguments competently; search databases efficiently, contribute effectively within a group. Show a good understanding of some of the main criminological explanations of why crime is committed, and explain and evaluate some of the main similarities and differences between these theories; demonstrate a thorough understanding of the ways in which crime is defined within society; show a clear appreciation of the impact of crime on some members of society; examine media reports of crime and comment on the ways in which images of crime are constructed; present spoken and written material in a clear and competent manner, focusing on some of the major relevant issues; locate a wide range of sources of information and produce written work that is properly referenced and presented.

-excellent -Grade range A Provide a comprehensive account of the histories of crime, criminal law, criminal justice and penal processes, and demonstrate some awareness of their underpinning rationales, examine agencies involved in the criminal justice and penal processes; provide an evaluative account of theoretical concepts in relation to criminal justice and punishment and suggest examples of their application to contemporary issues; explain and appreciate the ways in which historic factors in general and in particular have impacted and continue to impact on the criminal justice process; to speak and write in fluent prose, summarising material and arguments competently; search databases efficiently; contribute effectively within a group. Provide a comprehensive account of some of the main criminological explanations of why crime is committed, and analysed some of the main similarities and differences between these theories; demonstrate a competent understanding of the ways in which crime is defined within society; show a clear appreciation of the impact of crime on society in general and groups such as victims in particular; examine media reports on crime and critically comment on the ways in which images of crime are constructed; make oral and written presentations of relatively complex material in a clear and competent manner, identifying and focusing on some of the major relevant issues; work independently to locate a wide range of sources of information, and produce properly referenced written work that is of a good standard.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of the foundations of criminological thought.

• Examine the impact of crime on society, including victims of crime.

• Identify key concepts relating to the criminal justice, legal and penal systems.

• Show an understanding of the ways in which crime has been defined and constructed in legal, social, political and historical contexts.

• Understand key criminal justice models.

• Understand the nature, roles, and obligations of contemporary agencies of the criminal justice, legal and penal systems.