Vision

Criminology allows students to embrace the scientific study of human criminal behaviour. We aim to offer students a curriculum rich in criminological theory and research to engage students in criminological debates. This is to encourage students to use an array of criminological theories and evidence to debate a range of issues and consequently construct well-reasoned arguments. Students will leave the Criminology course with an extensive understanding of the criminal justice system, a variety of different crimes and their consequences and an ability to analyse types of offender. This Criminology course has strong real-life application and deep dives into case studies are a central theme of the course. We foster the development transferrable skills such as critical thinking, time management and report writing. We aim to equip students with the skills that are relevant for industry and university studies, whilst fostering a real empathy and appreciation for justice, moral and ethical issues. We aim to prepare students to take up their role as responsible and critical thinking citizens, with concern for others, and with a clear sense of justice.  Students will leave the course as more aware, analytical and compassionate individuals.

Core Knowledge

Year 12

Year 12 aims to introduce students to the study of criminology and to explore a range a crimes, how they are perceived by the public and the media and understand the use and effectiveness of campaigns to try to reduce criminal behaviour. Students will have completed a piece of controlled assessment where they will have planned, designed and justified their own campaign for change. By the end of Year 12, students will gain an understanding of why people commit crime. Students will be able to describe and evaluate biological, individualistic and sociological theories of criminality. They will be able to understand the influence of these theories on policies to reduce criminal behaviour.

Unit 1

This is the controlled assessment unit that is completed in year 12. This unit provides the foundation for the criminology course and provides the basis for which subsequent learning is based. It allows students to explore different types of crimes, the role of police and the public in reporting crime and how the media shapes our perceptions of criminality. It has links to both unit 2 and unit 4.

• Analyse different types of crime in terms of types of offences, typical offender, typical victim & level of public awareness.
• Explain the reasons why certain crimes are unreported
• Explain the consequences of unreported crimes
• Describe how media represents crime and the impact of media representation on public perception of crime
• Evaluate methods of collecting statistics about crime
• Compare campaigns for change
• Evaluate the effectiveness of media used in campaigns for change
• Plan, design and justify a campaign for change

Unit 2

This exam-based unit introduces students to a range of criminological theories to explain criminal behaviour. It provides the knowledge needed to understand forms of social control and the aims of punishment in unit 4.

• Compare criminal behaviour and deviance
• Explain the social construction of criminality
• Describe biological theories of criminality
• Evaluate biological theories of criminality
• Analyse situations of criminality – allows the application of the biological approach to novels situations including some of those covered in unit 1
• Assess the use of criminological theories in informing policy development – biological theories informing policy development.
• Describe individualistic theories of criminality
• Evaluate individualistic theories of criminality
• Analyse situations of criminality – allows the application of individualistic theories explain a range of crimes including some of those covered in unit 1
• Assess the use of criminological theories in informing policy development –individualistic theories
• Describe sociological theories of criminality
• Evaluate sociological theories of criminality
• Analyse situations of criminality –allows the application of sociological theories to explain a range of crimes including those covered in unit 1
• Assess the use of criminological theories in informing policy development –sociological theories
• Explain how social changes affect policy development
• Discuss how campaigns affect policy making – this offers opportunities to recap campaigns for change covered in unit 1

Year 13

Year 13 aims to provide an understanding of the criminal justice system from the moment a crime has been identified to the verdict. Via the completion of the unit 3 controlled assessment, students will develop the understanding and skills needed to examine information in order to review the justice of verdicts in criminal cases. Students will apply their understanding of the awareness of criminality, criminological theories and the process of bringing an accused to court in order to evaluate the effectiveness of social control to deliver criminal justice policy.

Unit 3

This is a controlled assessment unit and provides the opportunity to explore the roles of agencies in the criminal justice system which can be used with unit 4.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of personnel involved in criminal investigations
• Assess the usefulness of investigative techniques in criminal investigations
• Explain how evidence is processed
• Examine the rights of individuals in criminal investigations
• Explain the requirements of the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecuting suspects
• Describe trial processes
• Understand rules in relation to the use of evidence in criminal cases
• Assess key influences affecting the outcomes of criminal cases
• Discuss the use of laypeople in criminal cases
• Examine information for validity
• Draw conclusions from information

Unit 4

This is an exam-based unit and is the most synoptic unit as it draws together learning from unit 1, 2 and 3. There are opportunities within unit 4 to revisit some of the criminological theories covered in unit 2.

• Describe processes used for law making
• Describe the organisation of the criminal justice system in England and Wales
• Explain the role of agencies in social control
• Describe models of criminal justice – links made back to sociological theories of left and right realism.
• Explain forms of social control – links made back to unit 1, 2 and 3
• Discuss the aims of punishment – links made back to criminological theories in unit 2
• Assess how forms of punishment meet the aims of punishment – links made back to learning in unit 1, 2 and 3
• Describe the contribution of agencies to achieving social control – links made back to policy and campaigns from Unit 1 and criminological theories from Unit 2. It also offers the opportunity to revisit token economy from unit 2 as a technique for achieving social control.
• Examine the limitations of agencies in achieving social control
• Evaluate the effectiveness of agencies in achieving social control