LAW4101 - Administration of criminal justice - 2018

The unit focuses on the institutions and processes that surround the implementation and enforcement of criminal law. Students will examine the idea of a criminal justice 'system'; objectives and models of criminal justice; and crime statistics and public perceptions of crime. Other topics will be drawn from the following areas: police powers and exercise of discretion; the exercise of prosecutorial discretion; theories of punishment; juvenile justice; imprisonment and prisoners rights; sentencing; and the role of victims in the criminal justice system.

On completion of this unit students will have acquired or developed:

1. an understanding of the objectives and theories of criminal justice
2. a knowledge of current legal, political and social perspectives on criminal justice issues
3. the ability to independently research and critically analyse problems in the enforcement of the criminal law
4. the ability to think critically about the principles and institutions which relate to punishment
5. the capacity to empathise with those practitioners and parties involved in law enforcement and criminal justice processes.

Research essay (2000 words): 40%

Examination (2 hours writing time plus 30 minutes reading and noting time): 60%.

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information