1. On completion of this module, you will be able to outline the key agencies of the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales and describe their roles.
Knowledge and Understanding
Learning
Enquiry

2. On completion of this module, you will be able demonstrate an understanding of definitions of criminal justice and of the competing aims of the Criminal Justice System.
Learning

3. On completion of this module, you will be able to discuss discretion and differential treatment in the context of the criminal justice process
Application
Reflection

4. On completion of this module, you will be able to show knowledge and understanding of the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales in a good style of written English.
Communication

1. Report on a visit to a magistrates or Crown court 50% 1,000 words
2. Essay 50% 1,000 words

The first assessment will be set mid-point in the module in week 10. In this assessment, students will examine and discuss the workings of the Criminal Justice System through reporting on their visit to a magistrates or crown court. Students’ achievement of Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 4 will be assessed in this assessment.

The second assessment will be set at the end of the module in week 17. In this assessment, students will examine and discuss social and contemporary issues in criminal justice such as ethnicity, gender, class, age and human rights. Students’ achievement of Learning Outcomes 3 and 4 will be assessed in this assessment.

The Criminal Justice Process aims to provide students with a critical knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice process in England and Wales. The module highlights to students that definitions of criminal justice, processes within the criminal justice system and that consequences of criminal justice are not isolated domains of enquiry; they are closely linked together. Students are encouraged to critically engage with topics such as the pre and post-trial processes; the social patterning of criminal justice; and contemporary challenges to the CJS in theory and in practice. The module is intended to give students a comprehensive introduction to the main areas of study that they will encounter in levels 5 and 6 of their degree as well as introducing and developing applied study skills.
The module will cover topics such as:
Criminal justice in theory
• What is criminal justice?
• The structure of the criminal justice system
• Models of criminal justice
Pre-trial and trial processes
• Policing: role, methods, control and accountability
• The prosecution process
• The judicial process
• Miscarriages of justice
Post-trial processes and issues
• The aims and rationale of punishment
• The Prison Service
• The Probation Service (and NOMS)
• Alternatives to imprisonment
• Restorative Justice
Social and contemporary issues in criminal justice
• Youth Justice
• Gender discrimination in criminal justice
• Ethnicity and class bias in criminal justice
• The role of the victim
• Human rights

For 150 hours, of which 26 will be class contact and 124 hours will be guided independent study. Whole group contact will consist of lectures and workshops.

Burke, R. H. (2012). Criminal justice theory: An introduction. London, Routledge.
Cavadino, M., & Dignan, J. (2013). The penal system: An introduction. (5th ed.) London, Sage.
Davies, M., Croall, H., & Tyrer, J. (2010). Criminal justice. Harlow, Pearson Longman.
Doolin, K. (2011). Whose criminal justice?: State or community?. Hook, Waterside Press.
Hucklesby, A. and Wahidin, A. (eds) (2013). Criminal justice. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Joyce, P. (2013). Criminal justice: An introduction. London, Routledge.
Marsh, I. (2011). Crime and criminal justice. London, Routledge.

• The library
• PCs with standard suite of University software providing access to e-mail, the internet, word processing, etc.
• Lecture rooms with access for disabled students, and suitable for group work
• The Blackboard virtual learning environment

The Criminal Justice Process: This module looks at the organisations and individuals who attempt to deliver 'Criminal Justice'. The module offers a brief overview of the nature and development of the Criminal Justice 'System', the various Agencies that this 'system' is comprised of and their formal roles and responsibilities in the delivery of 'justice'. Agencies examined vary from year to year but could include the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice; the Police Service; the Courts and Crown Prosecution Service; The National Offender Management Service (prisons and probation). The module also examines the work of various Inspectorates who oversee/monitor these agencies, along with the voluntary sector and private sector organisations involved in addressing crime and disorder. On this module you learn about the formal roles of these agencies, their core functions and responsibilities and aims of each agency, their similarities and common purposes, differences and potential contradictions. The module also examines the wider factors that have influenced the nature and organisation of these agencies and the relationships between them (including the historical/social context; the organisational/managerial context i.e. the emphasis on performance, process and best value, along with how political ideologies inform policy). It concludes by exploring contemporary methods in seeking ‘justice', such as restorative justice, problem solving approaches and specialist courts.