ÌìÃÀÓ°ÊÓ

This module covers the core concepts of ‘punishment’, ‘justice’ and ‘victimisation’ and debates around these that form the basis of understanding in criminology and criminal justice. A history of punishment and penology will focus in particular on the question of how and why punishment has changed over time including the ways in which punishment for crime is linked with wider social processes.

The key justifications, models and types of punishment in contemporary societies will be explored and discussed, including in terms of their effects and effectiveness in controlling or preventing crime and providing justice for victims and how these fit into society and the Criminal Justice System as a whole. The social processes of criminalisation and victimisation are key to understanding ‘justice’ and ‘punishment’. These core concepts will be explored and discussed in relation to 21^st Century societies, in particular the UK.

The module will enable you to explore processes of victimisation, the experience of victims of crime, the management of victims of crime within criminal justice processes, the relationship between methods of punishment and victims experience of justice. We’ll introduce you to the key approaches within penology and victimology, exploring recently emerging themes in research and theory into victimisation and punishment.

This module will explore the concept of justice and examine what makes a just society. The idea of justice as fairness and what is meant by a free and equal citizen will be explored throughout the module. Domains of injustice will be explored, for example, injustice within social institutions, injustice in opportunities and injustice in private, family lives. We will also explore contending conceptions of social justice, and the concrete efforts of political parties, charities, social movements and ordinary people to oppose and transform unfair and harmful social arrangements, so as to achieve more just outcomes. Distinctively, we will adopt a ‘hands-on’ approach to addressing these issues, whereby we examine how best to embed our understanding of justice in active, practical strategies to oppose the injustices we encounter and help transform the social world.

This module takes you on a journey through crime scene investigation. It provides you with the awareness and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of various personnel who process a crime scene, how crime scenes are managed and preserved, with a particular emphasis on evidence recovery and handling, while taking into consideration health and safety. This module also offers an introduction to DNA and Fingerprint evidence and the processing of such evidence from crime scenes.

This module builds on comprehensive understanding of contemporary theoretical perspectives in criminology. You will be able to apply the analytic and investigative skills developed in your first year. The module emphasises lecturer-learner interaction, which introduces cross fertilization of contemporary theoretical perspectives in the mainstream and on the maverick fringes of criminology. This will enable learners explore the links between theoretical frameworks, moral philosophies and the influences of crime control policies and prevention strategies. Also, learners will examine the historical, political, and socio-economic factors that shape contemporary thought in criminology and the applicability of contemporary criminological perspectives to real world issues, events and phenomena.

This module will explore leisure and cultural practices such as attending sporting events, shopping and music consumption in contemporary societies, investigating the ways capitalism impacts our daily activities and experiences. You will explore how leisure and cultural practices are shaped and influenced by social characteristics such as age, disability, ’race’, and social class and the spaces that we inhabit (e.g. leisure spaces, transport, housing). Some of the key principles of this module will explore the privatisation of space, gentrification and accessibility/inaccessibility examining the implications of these contemporary social issues. Furthermore, exploring how leisure, culture and engagement with space can be examined through a ‘health and wellbeing’ and a criminological lens.

This module promotes an understanding of the relationship between psychology and criminal investigations and punishment and rehabilitation by showing how psychological research and theory can inform the investigative process. The aim of this module is to develop and broaden the exploration and use of psychological knowledge in relation to crime by introducing its application within investigations and the prison system.