Criminal Justice

Awards

Target Award

Award Description:Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Fnd) - BAHF

Alternative Exit

Award Description:Bachelor of Arts (Fnd) - BAF

Award Learning Outcomes:Demonstrate a broad and comparative knowledge of the general scope of the subject, its different areas and applications, and its interactions with related subjects. A detailed knowledge of a defined subject or a more limited coverage of a specialist area balanced by a wider range of study. In each case, specialised study will be informed by current developments in the subject. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the essential theories, principles and concepts of the subject(s) and of the ways in which these are developed through the main methods of enquiry in the subject.

Alternative Exit

Award Description:Certificate of Higher Education (Fnd) - CHEF

Award Learning Outcomes:Understand the principles of substantive criminal law, and the links between criminal law and criminal justice practice. Identify and reflect upon the following aspects of self-awareness in respect of personal development and career planning in relation to studying criminal justice: strengths and weaknesses, motivations and values, ability to work with others. Demonstrate an awareness of the social, legal and economic factors which have influenced the nature and extent of crime, and the nature of policing and punishment, through history. Demonstrate an understanding of the social construction of crime, the nature of the criminal justice process, and the societal influences on criminal justice practice. Understand the theoretical and practical issues relating to media influence over criminal justice policy and practice, and the roles played by the public in influencing criminal justice policy and practice. Demonstrate a developed understanding of the nature of criminological theories which explain crime and punishment, and of the links between these theories and criminal justice policy and practice.

Alternative Exit

Award Description:Diploma of Higher Education (Fnd) - DHEF

Award Learning Outcomes:Demonstrate an appreciation of the major social divisions in society, and of the impact of these social divisions upon the nature and extent of crime, and on the occurrence of miscarriages of criminal justice Demonstrate the ability to recognise and understand decision-makers and decision-making processes in criminal justice. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate personal and academic performance, and to recognise personal strengths and weaknesses. Demonstrate an advanced ability to plan personal career development, to understand the career opportunities available in terms of working with offenders and/or victims in the criminal justice field, and to develop transferrable skills in preparation for working life. Demonstrate the ability to produce a review of research literature and a research proposal, to evaluate quantitative and qualitative criminal justice research methodologies, to assess the contribution of research to criminal justice policy and practice, and to understand and manage ethical considerations in relation to criminal justice research. Demonstrate the ability to understand theories underpinning penology, to understand the organisation and structure of custodial and community penal interventions, to understand the role of occupational culture in delivering interventions, and to assess the effectiveness of punishment in reintegrating offenders into society. Evaluate the role of risk in criminal justice decision-making. Analyse the effectiveness of decision-making in criminal justice generally.

Programme Offerings

Full-Time

F2F-SEP

Educational Aims of the Course

The programme has several closely-linked overall aims and objectives: To provide a rigorous interdisciplinary study of criminal justice drawing on disciplines including, criminology, law, socio-legal studies, sociology, social policy, history and related professional practice; To link theoretical analysis with empirical enquiry and the operation and impact of policies on practice; To identify and understand different value positions in the criminal justice system and processes; To investigate the legal context and principal legal features of the criminal justice system; To provide students with an understanding of policy and experience of practice in the criminal justice system and so improve their employability in criminal justice and allied areas; To encourage students to engage with the development of employability skills by completing a self-awareness statement.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate knowledge of the key concepts and theoretical approaches that have developed and are developing in relation to crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.

Design research appropriately in relation to a specific problem, how to gather, retrieve, and synthesise information, including comparative data; and understand how to evaluate research data, including both quantitative and qualitative data.

Assess the ethical issues arising in particular research situations.

Critically review and evaluate criminological evidence.

Develop critical and reasoned arguments in written and oral form.

Appreciate the nature of criminological questions and their investigation.

Analyse, assess methodologically, and communicate, information and empirical research findings about crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.

Identify a range of different strategies and methods and use appropriate research tools in relation to criminological problems, including quantitative, qualitative, and evaluative techniques.

Investigate criminological questions in relation to victimisation, crime, responses to crime and deviance, and representations of these.

10.

Identify the ethical issues and the range of ethical problems in research into criminological questions.

11.

Present scholarly work in a professional way.

12.

Appreciate the social construction of crime and victimisation.

13.

Examine the relevance of criminological work on crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance including representations of these in relation to issues of social, public and civic policy at a national, international and global level.

14.

Self-manage learning, utilising time management and effective planning strategies.

15.

Collaborate and work in co-operation with others to investigate a social question or issue.

16.

Prioritise time to work to strict deadlines.

17.

Communicate effectively and professionally in both verbal and written communication.

18.

Display an advanced ability to use IT to access topical sources and information.

19.

Evaluate personal and academic performance, and to recognise strengths and weaknesses in relation to these.

20.

Evaluate the relationship of class, gender, age, race, ethnicity and other social demographic factors to crime, victimisation, and responses to these phenomena.

21.

Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the social and historical development of criminal justice institutions; the changing values governing practice in these institutions, including human rights; the structure and culture of these institutions; and new and emergent issues facing criminal justice institutions in the 21st century.

22.

Appreciate the distinctive character of criminal justice as an academic discipline, and its relationship to other social science disciplines.

23.

Appreciate the relationship between criminological theory and empirical evidence in relation to the investigation of issues relating to crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.

24.

Investigate and understand complex problems relating to crime and criminal justice, using a range of primary and secondary methods of research to do so.

25.

Appreciate the complexity of crime and victimisation, and an ability to assess the relative merits of different explanations for crime and punishment.

26.

Critically evaluate the range of responses to crime and deviance and interpret the values and practices of the agencies which administer them.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas, gained through a combination of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, workshops, work-based learning and private study. IT resources are provided by the Aldham Robarts Library. Assessment methods are specified in each module handbook. There is a range of assessment methods adopted throughout the programme including seen and unseen paper-based examinations, coursework in the form of essays, online examinations, portfolios, reports and presentations. Intellectual skills are developed through lectures, tutorial support and seminar preparation. Students are provided the opportunity for reflection and achievement in developing their own understanding in acquiring skills. Intellectual skills are assessed by means of a variety of assessment methods, as specified in each module's handbook, including examination, essay, projects, portfolios and presentations. Practical skills are prioritised within all level 4 modules, but particularly in the Personal and Academic Development module (4022LAWCJ). At levels 5 and 6 students are encouraged to develop these skills in written submissions and through seminar based tutorials, especially in the Professional Development in Criminal Justice module (5020LAWCJ) which promotes the development of transferrable skills for future employment in the workplace. Practical skills are the central focus of core module assessments across the programme, where information gathering, written and spoken communication, and group work are prioritised. The main focus of these skills is introduced in level 4 through the Personal and Academic Development in Criminal Justice module (4022LAWCJ). Transferable skills are an essential part of the activities throughout the programme, being further developed at level 5 in the Professional Development in Criminal Justice module (5020LAWCJ),and in independent study at level 6, particularly in the Dissertation (6016LAWCJ) module. Transferable skills are assessed in the various assessment processes, exams, coursework, projects and portfolios across the four levels of the programme. Programme outcomes were formulated with reference to the Criminology benchmarking statement.

Opportunities for work related learning

All LJMU undergraduate programmes are required to incorporate into a L4 module, which is the Personal and Academic Development module (4022LAWCJ), an assessment item of the submission of a personal Self Awareness Statement. Students have the opportunity to choose from work-based/related/transferrable skills modules at Level 5 (Professional Development in Criminal Justice - 5020LAWCJ) and Level 6 (Dissertation - 6016LAWCJ), while the programme’s personal tutoring system provides opportunities for students to reflect on and document their achievements inside and outside of university and think about future employability paths. Work Related Learning is included in the Level 5 core module, 5020LAWCJ Professional Development in Criminal Justice. Professional practitioners will deliver information and be involved in the assessment for the module. Also the Level 6 optional module, 6016LAWCJ Dissertation involves independent study for students in relation to or within criminal justice agencies.

Programme Structure

Programme Structure Description

The programme can be studied over four years (480 credits) or five years (600 credits) full time. On the four year model, study is undertaken at four levels, one for each year of study. 120 credits are required for the completion of each level and 480 credits for the completion of the full honours programme. In addition, the programme will offer the opportunity of an additional study year abroad following Level 5. Students will be enrolled on a 600 credit honours with study abroad programme. Of those 600 credits, 120 will be taken via a Level 5 study abroad module [5024LAWCJ]. The modules to be studied in the host institution must be agreed in advance. The Level 5 mean for the final award mark will be calculated based upon the 240 credits at Level 5. The programme is taught within the Academic Framework. Modules are two types: core and options. The programme is based on a two semester academic year with modules being delivered and assessed in either semester 1 or semester 2, apart from the year-long research-based module at Level 6, Dissertation (6016LAWCJ). All modules at Level 3, 4 and 5 are core and must be taken - 6 modules at Level 3, 6 modules at Level 4, and 7 at Level 5. All modules at Level 6 are optional. The above rules apply for students enrolling on the programme in 2021/22 and beyond. Students at level 4 on the programme in 2021/22 will be subject to the programme rules above. For students who were on the programme at level 4 in 2020/21, the following programme rules apply: six core modules at level 4 (4017LAWCJ, 4105CRIM, 4016LAWCJ, 4022LAWCJ, 4019LAWCJ, 4014LAWCJ); seven core modules at level 5 5030LAWCJ (Criminal Justice Research) (10 credits),5027LAWCJ (Criminal Justice Policy, Practice and the Evidence Base) (10 credits),5019LAWCJ (Decision-Making in Criminal Justice) (20 credits),5018LAWCJ (Injustices in a ‘Just’ System) (20 credits) 5022LAWCJ (Penology: Punishment, Prisons and Probation) (20 credits),5020LAWCJ (Professional Development in Criminal Justice) (20 credits) 5028LAWCJ (Victimology) (20 credits); no core modules at level 6, students to choose from the following optional modules, which are all 20 credit modules apart from the Dissertation (6016LAWCJ) as follows: 6016LAWCJ, 6008LAWCJ, 6011LAWCJ, 6012LAWCJ, 6102LAWPL, 6009LAWCJ, 6020LAWCJ, 6014LAWCJ, 6018LAWCJ, 6021LAWCJ.

Structure

Level 3

Level 3 Core

Level 4

Level 4 Core

Level 5

Level 5 Core

Optional placement

Level 6

Level 6 Optional

Approved variance from Academic Framework Regulations

A variance to the Academic Framework regulation UG.A3.2 which states that modules comprise 10 or 20 credits except for a research project/dissertation module at Level 6 which may comprise 30 or 40 credits has been approved by the Chair of Education Committee on 01.06.17.

Entry Requirements

A levels

Access awards

Alternative qualifications considered

BTECs

National Certificate (RQF): Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
National Extended Certificate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
National Diploma (RQF): Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
National Diploma subjects / grades required: DM if studied on its own or to the total of 72 UCAS points when combined with other qualifications
National Extended Diploma (RQF): Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
National Extended Diploma subjects / grades required: MMP if studied on its own or to the total of 72 UCAS points when combined with other qualifications

GCSEs and equivalents

Prior to starting the programme applicants must have obtained Grade C or Grade 4 or above in English Language and Mathematics GCSE or an approved alternative qualification below:

Key Skills Level 2 in English/ Maths
NVQ Level 2 Functional skills in Maths and English Writing and or Reading
Skills for Life Level 2 in Numeracy/English
Higher Diploma in Maths/ English
Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths/ English
Northern Ireland Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
Welsh GCSE in Maths or Numeracy
Wales Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number

IELTS

International Baccalaureate

Interview required

Irish awards

NVQ

Reduced offer scheme

T levels

UCAS points

Welsh awards

Extra Entry Requirements

Can this course be deferred?

Yes

Is a DBS check required?

OCR National acceptability

National Certificate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
National Diploma: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
National Extended Diploma: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Awards

Target Award

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Programme Offerings

Full-Time

F2F-SEP

Educational Aims of the Course

Learning Outcomes

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Opportunities for work related learning

Programme Structure

Programme Structure Description

Structure

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Approved variance from Academic Framework Regulations

Entry Requirements

A levels

Access awards

Alternative qualifications considered

BTECs

GCSEs and equivalents

IELTS

International Baccalaureate

Interview required

Irish awards

NVQ

Reduced offer scheme

T levels

UCAS points

Welsh awards

Extra Entry Requirements

HECoS Code(s)

(CAH15-01) sociology, social policy and anthropology