Criminal Justice: People and Processes

The core research methods module for all programmes in the suite focuses on building a sound knowledge and understanding (as well as experience) of social research methods and how they can be used in a professional context. Content will focus on understanding rigour and process in collecting and analysing (quantitative and qualitative) data and communicating findings.

Through hands-on workshops and live-brief activities, students will be supported in understanding how social research methods can shape research in the workplace through essential tools, including needs assessment and stakeholder analyses, log frames, project planning, and monitoring and evaluation processes. Assessment portfolios will be aware of the skills needed in the workplace and will include, for example, research proposal writing, mixed method data analysis, and research communications.

This core module will explore people affected by the criminal justice system to develop an advanced understanding of victims, offenders/perpetrators and families who are impacted by crime as well as those people who make up the extensive criminal justice workforce (in public, private and third sector organisations). People with lived experience, for instance, those who have been stopped and searched, have spent time in prison, been the victim of crime and/or work in a criminal justice setting will contribute to the module.

Contributions by individuals/organisations with real-world/life experience and personal accounts of crime and punishment, for instance, JENGbA the campaign group offering support to families and friends of those who believe they have suffered a wrongful conviction under Joint Enterprise will add to the student learning experience. Students will explore fundamental questions about the different people affected by crime using a critical criminological lens to gain an advanced understanding of the importance of lived experience when considering the criminal justice system in the UK.

This core module will focus on key issues and developments in criminal justice in the UK to develop an advanced understanding of specific issues relating to criminal justice policy and practice. Content will cover an examination/exploration of contemporary criminal justice policy developments in sentencing and punishment. Alongside this, content around racism in criminal justice institutions will be critically explored.

The module will also explore challenges to criminal justice such as crime prevention, restorative justice, and miscarriage of justice. Students will gain advanced knowledge and a critical understanding of criminal justice practice and processes.

This 60-credit module will include a range of workshops to support you in developing and delivering a high-quality postgraduate dissertation assessment. You will be supported to deliver either (a) a traditional 12,000-word dissertation or (b) a 10,000-word report based on a workplace challenge you have used research to explore. 

It is expected that option (b) will be of most benefit to those already working in policy or research roles in organisations. Students will also develop a five-minute poster presentation to be presented at a post-submission seminar event. Students will be supervised on a one-to-one basis. 

In exploring the drivers of social change, this module, through participatory workshops, focuses on developing a typology of change actions with an emphasis on understanding how individuals and organisations enable/make change. Key partners bring live briefs into the classroom to stimulate group discussion. In the latter part of the module, you will pick up on these key social policy areas and develop theories and mechanisms of change which will be presented as a public-facing assessment.

This module builds an advanced understanding of both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis and the philosophical traditions they are rooted in. This module explores current and likely future trajectories of research in an era of big data and challenges to traditional Western paradigms of research.

The latter part of the module will explore the philosophies, practicalities, and implications of research governance, funding, and infrastructure in academic and real-world contexts. The key to this module is developing you as a future research leader with a sound understanding of the philosophies and principles that underpin impactful research.