Criminal Justice BSc (Hons)

30 credits

This module provides you with a critical insight into key issues and controversies in the delivery of justice by our principal criminal justice institutions: the police, prison and probation services.

You will learn about the historical context of these key institutions of justice, as well as the main issues confronting the criminal justice system in the 21st century.

You will explore the range of different penalties available, from fines and community sentences to restorative justice, and the changing ways in which ‘justice' is conceptualised and delivered, or not delivered, in the present day, particularly with respect to the changing place of the victim. You will connect theory to practice through projects in partnership with external organisations.

30 credits

In this module you will work in small groups to research and address a social problem that affects your local community or society at large. You will choose a topic from a set list and individual members of the group will explore different aspects of the problem. Examples of potential topics include:

• Loneliness and social isolation
• Knife crime and gang violence
• Social media and online harms
• Cost-of-living crisis
• Health inequalities
• Access to justice
• Resettlement after prison

As a team you will bring together your research to construct an informative display which details the problem and recommends solutions or policies to address it.

During the module you will learn about the substantive topic you choose and practice research methods so that you will grow in confidence of your ability to identify, investigate and detail social problems with a view to offering solutions or policy responses.

You will also take part in an Assessment Centre Experience which helps you to develop your skills for graduate job applications and interviews. There will be an opportunity to reflect on your own personal development as part of the process.

30 credits

This module will enable students to contextualise criminology's past and present engagement with diversity and discrimination. The relationship between crime and discriminatory processes will be explored within different contexts such as within the law, prisons and cultural practices (e.g. FGM). The responses of the criminal justice process to diversity will also be discussed and evaluated with regard to institutional racism and domestic abuse. In addition, students will critique the gendered social construction of the categories of 'offender' and 'victim'. This will be further challenged by the exploration of female membership and affiliation with criminal gangs and their perpetration of crimes, and male victims of sexual violation.

30 credits

This module introduces the contested and evolving relationships between the theory and practice of securing human rights. It starts with an overview of key frameworks and mechanisms designed to secure rights at the international, regional and domestic levels. A central feature of the module is to introduce current critical themes, from which issues can be dissected and analysed through a range of contemporary and international case-studies. Key themes of the module may include (but are not limited to): human rights and populism, people on the move, free speech in a changing word, truth, justice and reconciliation', etc.

The module concludes by asking: what is the future for human rights? 

15 credits

Legal rules, norms, systems, institutions, and processes are central to the construction and governance of human societies. At the same time, social conventions, relationships, and values are fundamental in the practice of defining acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in society and for regulating social and economic relations.

Understanding the relationship between law and society is therefore central to our understanding of current and emerging challenges and problems, such as the normalisation of artificial intelligence and responses to the climate emergency.

In this module, you will study a range of theoretical approaches and perspectives in the subject of law and society. You will evaluate current social problems in which law is implicated and design appropriate policy interventions.

15 credits

This module explores fears and concerns about crime and the impact that experience of offending can have on victims. We will look at the different emotions associated with crime, how we measure and understand reactions to crime scientifically, and how this relates to public policy towards crime.

We will also explore critiques of the concept of ‘fear of crime' and its role in the legitimisation of the criminal justice system. Building on this we will look at the impact that crime and anxieties about crime have on victims, the structures and practices associated with victim support, and the changing place of victims within the criminal justice system.

Thinking more critically we will explore the construction of the idea of the ‘victim', how it is differentially applied, and its implications for the people to whom it is, or is not applied.

15 credits

Crime prevention is a fundamental part of modern policing and is the subject of a range of specialist research and theorising and an associated body of legislation and practice. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires local authorities to enter into partnerships with the police and a range of other ‘responsible authorities' in order to reduce crime and disorder in communities. These ‘community safety partnerships' have a duty to assess risk and potential harms to the community and to engage with the public in the process of setting the priorities for local action plans to reduce those risks and harms. This module will guide students through the history, theory and practice of crime prevention, exploring its intellectual and political roots and critically analysing its effectiveness and impact.

30 credits

This module studies the general principles of criminal liability, definitions of what constitutes particular crimes and offences, and how that law affects particular circumstances. This involves not only a critical examination of the law, but also, using hypothetical factual situations, an understanding its detailed application. 

30 credits

This module provides you with an opportunity to develop your criminal justice specialism and graduate employability skills. You will conduct an in-depth study on a live brief provided by an organisation, or a problem identified by an NGO or policy institute relevant to criminal justice, and present the research at a conference.

You will be tutored in the skills necessary to successfully complete the research project and you will work with a supervisor to develop a critical understanding of your research topic. You will also work in a peer-group to help organise the conference at which you will present your work.

You will develop key skills such as project management, the ability to work independently, presentation and teamworking. You will be encouraged to reflect on your skills and experiences to develop a CV and a career plan.

30 credits

This module makes extensive use of role-play in order to develop a deeper understanding of the dynamics that underlie conflicts, and of the process of dispute resolution. Comparisons are made with litigation and with other adversarial and quasi-judicial mechanisms to place mediation and negotiation in context. Themes are identified and discussed, often using role-plays, and the social and psychological aspects considered. The module also covers theories of conflict and conflict management, and the general landscape of alternative dispute resolution.

15 credits

This module brings criminological theories and perspectives to bear on the uses of criminal law in contemporary societies. Students will have the opportunity to think critically about selected current and emerging topics in criminal law and explore how the relationship between the elements of crimes and the processes of criminalisation change over time.

As new technological developments present challenges to existing frameworks in criminal law, offending behaviour in cyberspace and the uses of artificial intelligence in the delivery of criminal justice raise important criminological issues in law reform. Similarly, popular and media narratives about social disorder often expose the limits of the criminal law and how such limits may be justified – should the criminal law have a place in the construction of the self and identities in public and private spheres?

The module examines a range of current and emerging problems that raise questions about law and power in crime control, individual autonomy and consent, security and liberty in criminalisation and decriminalisation, surveillance technology in law enforcement, and the protection of vulnerable groups.

15 credits

This module considers the rules, processes and institutions involved in responding to young offenders. Together, these elements shape what is deemed the youth justice system as separate from the standard criminal justice system designed for adults.

From the point of arrest through to sentencing, you will be equipped to analyse the relevant legal framework and wider criminological research.

This module also has an international dimension, covering the basis, evaluation and enforcement of international human rights standards.

15 credits

This module explores miscarriages of justice: the issues, circumstances, and responses to problems in criminal justice processes that result in wrongful convictions.

You will consider theoretical, empirical, and practical explanations of miscarriages of justice with particular focus on the nature and construction of evidence. Therefore you will also be introduced to the law of criminal evidence, with insights from forensic science, psychology, and sociology.

This module also examines significant case studies – some historical and some contemporary – with opportunities to consider developments in comparable jurisdictions. You will be exposed to current and challenging debates about justice, rights, innocence, remedies and compensation that surround these cases.

30 credits

This is a Level 6 optional module that draws upon social science debates and knowledges. Students will learn by observing and undertaking work-based practice. The principle underlying this module is that worksites are important contexts for students to test, validate, expand upon, supplement and enrich their academic learning.

The module requires students to undertake a minimum of 40 hours of fieldwork in an organisational setting. The form that the fieldwork will take will depend upon the type of placement secured, but, typically it may involve interning, shadowing or volunteering in subject relevant placements (for example across social justice, criminal justice/crime prevention, welfare and support fields).

Whilst in their placements students are encouraged to think about the social aspects of organisations and working life, including their structural forms, interpersonal relationships and their practices. Students will be supported in securing their placement at Level 5 in preparation for the commencement of the module at Level 6.

15 credits

This module introduces you to philosophical underpinnings of justice, including ethics and morality. You will explore a range of case studies and the exercise of justice in different national and international contexts, including in response to war crimes and breaches of human rights, such as the work of the international criminal court and the role of truth and reconciliation commissions.

The module recreates real-world tasks you may encounter upon graduation in practitioner and policy focused environments. You will have flexibility in your assessments to grapple with justice in UK or international contexts.

15 credits

This module considers the place of drugs in society, ways of policing of drugs, and justice issues concerned with the possession, use, and supply of drugs.

You will analyse the wider societal harms linked to drug use, including drug-related crime, as well as the politics of drugs control itself. You will learn about the effects of drug consumption and dependency on the individuals who use drugs, with a spotlight on the UK's most popular drugs of choice, both illegal (e.g. cannabis) and legal (e.g. alcohol), as well as the misuse of medicines.

You will engage in topical debates around the efficacy of drug prohibition in reducing supply/demand, the potential costs (monetary and social) of drug law enforcement, and the adoption of a criminal justice approach, as opposed to a health-based approach, to drugs.

15 credits

Global migration has intensified rapidly since 1960, with the UNPD estimating an increase from 80 to 210 million by 2009. It has become a contentious political topic with far-reaching consequences for contemporary societies, and arguably for established sociological paradigms (e.g. methodological nationalism).

The module will equip students to understand and investigate in depth the social dynamics of migration and its consequences, and enable them to offer informed and critical comment on contemporary debates (e.g. media coverage of migration, on the economics of migration, and on migration's consequences for social solidarity). It is organised to reflect on social issues such as social mobility, poverty, gender and education, inequality and citizenship as they relate to different types of international mobility, and to explore fundamental consequences of migration for shaping social relations at local and global levels.

This module will introduce students to current trends in migration flows, to the different types of human mobility and the dynamics behind them, and to governments' responses to the social, political and legal challenges raised by international migration. In addition, students will have the opportunity to develop their own professional thinking in this field.