Criminology

Powerful Knowledge

Criminology develops powerful knowledge in the following areas:

• An appreciation of the different types of crime that occur in society including white collar crime, moral crime, state crime, technological crime, and individual crimes such as domestic violence
• An awareness of why certain crimes go unreported including personal reasons such as fear, and social or cultural reasons
• Knowledge about the consequences of unreported crime such as the ripple effect, decriminalisation, and changes to police prioritisation
• An awareness of how the media represents crime and the impact this has on the public perceptions such as stereotyping and moral panics
• An appreciation of the methods used to collect statistics about crime including Home Office statistics and the Crime Survey for England and Wales
• An awareness of different campaigns that have affected societal change, particularly in relation to crime, as well as knowledge of how to design and justify a campaign for change
• An appreciation of which actions constitute criminal behaviour and which actions constitute deviancy
• An awareness of the social construction of criminality, including how views about particular crimes change through time, place, and culture
• An appreciation of biological theories of criminality including genetic theories and physiological theories
• An understanding of individualistic theories of criminality including learning theories, psychodynamic theories, and psychological theories
• An awareness of sociological theories of criminality including functionalism, interactionism, as well as left and right realism
• An appreciation of how crime policy is developed in the UK, including how theories, social changes, and campaigns influence this
• Knowledge about the roles of personnel who are involved in criminal investigations including police officers, crime scene specialists, forensic scientists, and pathologists
• An awareness of the techniques used in criminal investigations including surveillance, profiling, interview techniques, and forensics
• An awareness of the different types of evidence that is processed including physical evidence, forensic evidence, and testimonial evidence
• An appreciation of the rights of individuals who are involved in criminal investigations
• An awareness of the role of the Crown Prosecution Service in prosecuting suspects
• Knowledge of trial processes including pre-trial, bale, plea bargaining, courts, and appeals
• An understanding of the rules about which evidence can be used in criminal cases including the relevance of evidence, admissibility, hearsay, and disclosures
• An awareness of the key factors that affect the outcomes of criminal cases including evidence, witnesses, experts, politics, the media, barristers, and the judiciary
• Knowledge around how lay people are used in criminal cases, as well as the effectiveness of juries and magistrates in bringing justice to society
• An awareness of how information can be evaluated for validity and how conclusions can be drawn from this
• An appreciation of the processes used for law making including judicial processes and government processes
• Knowledge of how the criminal justice system in England and Wales in organised and the part each relevant agency plays in bringing about justice
• An awareness of models of criminal justice including due process and crime control
• An appreciation of different forms of social control including rational ideology, coercion, fear of punishment, and control theories
• An awareness of the aims of punishment including retribution, rehabilitation, victim reparation, deterrence, and public protection
• Knowledge of the different forms of punishment and their effectiveness
• An awareness of the different roles various agencies play in social control including tactics, token economy, and gaps in provision
• Knowledge of the effectiveness and limitations of agencies in achieving social control including recidivism rates, resource constraints, and civil liberties

Literacy

Literacy is developed throughout the Criminology course by way of:

• The introduction of Criminological and Scholarly terminology which students are expected to learn and use in written assessments. The terminology is reinforced through repetition throughout the course.
• Students are expected to independently research relevant topics, and to extensively read so they can enhance their understanding of the subject. This takes place during class time and they are also expected to put in an additional 4 hours per week of reading outside of class time.
• Writing skills are developed in the 8 hour controlled assessments and in practice tasks leading up to the assessments. This includes completion of a booklet which contains revision tasks on all relevant topics.
• Speaking skills are developed by way of students delivering a number of presentations throughout the course. These are completed in groups to start with, and individually once students increase in confidence.

School Context

The majority of sixth form students have transitioned from the high school, but Criminology has attracted some interest from further afield during the most recent open evening. Nevertheless, the majority of students continue to be those who have progressed from Stowupland High. The high school itself is nested in a demographic of disproportionately more white British citizens than the national average. The demographic is also affluent, but with significant pockets of deprivation. Criminology is a course that explores the challenges faced by multicultural Britain, particularly in relation to crime. The course also explores how wealth and power imbalances relate to crime, thus broadening the horizons of many of the students.

Assessment

Criminology is 50% internally assessed in the form of two 8 hour controlled assignments (units 1 and 3), and 50% externally assessed in the form of two 1.5 hour examinations (units 2 and 4).

Unit 1 (25%) - Changing Awareness of Crime

Unit 2 (25%) - Criminological Theories

Unit 3 (25%) - Crime Scene to Courtroom

Unit 4 (25%) - Crime and Punishment

Within classes, students are firstly taken through topics broadly relevant to each unit. Students are then taken through all of the assessed outcomes for every unit. Practice questions and tasks are given to students which are relevant to each assessment outcome, and feedback is given to every student who completes the tasks, thereby enhancing their ability to answer questions in the formal assessment.

Each unit is graded and possible outcomes are in the range A* to E. The percentage score required for each grade is reflected in the table below:

The final grade is calculated as an average across all 4 modules. An A* grade is awarded to any student who fulfils the criteria for an A grade in all 4 modules. Students can exit after year 1 if they have successfully completed units 1 and 2. In this situation, they will be awarded an applied certificate in Criminology (equivalent to an AS level). Alternatively, students can progress to the applied diploma in Criminology by completing units 3 and 4 (equivalent to A-level). Students have one resit opportunity for each module, and every module must be passed to receive the qualification. Students can resit to enhance their grade or if they fail to achieve the minimum 40% requirement.

Careers

The course carries the same UCAS points as A-levels, allowing some students to progress to higher education. The course is particularly well placed to prepare students for further study in social science disciplines. In addition to this, the course develops a range of employability skills. These include:

• Team working skills (several tasks in the course require working with others)
• Negotiation skills (topics provoke differences of opinion and a need to negotiate to reach consensus)
• Critical thinking skills (as above, varying perspectives are regularly presented, with the need for critical thinking as a means to navigate this)
• Report writing skills (students write several reports during the course)
• Campaigning skills (students devise a campaign in unit 1)
• Design skills (students design campaign materials in unit 1)
• Presentation skills (students complete several presentations during the course, both individually, and as part of a group)
• Researching skills (students are required to conduct their own research on topics)
• Problem solving skills (students are expected to find solutions to a number of complex issues during the course)
• Time management and organisation skills (students work under a strict time pressure in the controlled assessments for units 1 and 3)

The study of Criminology provides knowledge and skills which are well suited to careers in the public sector. This includes the police service, prison service, probation service, civil service, and local government. The study of Criminology also provides skills and experience which is well sought after in the private sector, particularly by voluntary and charitable agencies such as domestic violence charities, victim support organisations, and agencies who campaign for change. Relationships have been fostered with local organisations such as Suffolk Constabulary, the Ministry of Justice, and Lighthouse Women’s Aid, all of whom have provided guest speakers to Criminology and have spoken to students about career options within their organisations.