Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours (unseen exam) | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Timed reflective essay (2500 words) | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours (unseen exam) | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Timed reflective essay (2500 words) | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the incidence and prevalence of youth crime and anti-social behaviour.
2. Describe how youth crime, deviance and victimisation are socially and legally constructed.
3. Analyse the reasons behind youth offending and anti-social behaviour by referring to research into the psychological and sociological aspects of adolescence and the transition to adulthood.
4. Appreciate how policy debates concerning the issue of youth crime are influenced by particular political discourses, popular opinion and the mass media.
5. Identify the key issues, policies, processes and institutions with respect to youth crime and the treatment of young people who offend.
6. Explain how successful major criminological theories and perspectives have been in accounting for youth crime and its treatment.
7. Describe and evaluate policies and interventions within the criminal justice system designed to reduce youth crime and alter patterns of youth offending.
8. Illustrate an awareness of the different methods of investigation and research techniques used to explore the nature and extent of youth crime.
9. Describe how official and unofficial structures, methods and processes of criminal law enforcement, social policy and punishment systems feature in the attempt to control and prevent youth crime and deviance.
Brief description
Young people have been increasingly associated with criminal and anti-social behaviour. This course will investigate that association and disentangle the complex social and control issues involved in this area of study. It will build on knowledge assimilated in the earlier foundation courses concerning reasons for offending, put them into a youth justice context and illustrate how they are used to back up policy initiatives. It will evaluate many of the youth justice initiatives as well as introducing students to both the concept and reality of inter-agency working.
Content
When is a child a child?
The development of youth justice.
‘Youth offending’ – a social construct?
Developmental and life course perspectives.
Risk Factor theories.
Structural and systemic perspectives on youth crime.
Youth violence and gangs.
Dealing with youth crime: prevention and diversion, justice and welfare, and risk focused approaches.
Dealing with youth crime: restorative approaches.
Dealing with youth crime: rights-based, and Children First Offenders Second.
Youth custody and effective resettlement.
‘Desistance’ in youth justice.
International youth justice practice.
What is the future for youth justice?
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Students will be reviewing and engaging with the finding of studies related to the area. |
| Communication | Oral: Students will develop oral communication skills by participating in seminar discussions. They will learn to be clear and direct with their discussion. (Not assessed) Written: Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format and their written communication will be assessed according to effective expression of ideas, good language skills and a coherent argument. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Interactive lectures and seminars will encourage the critical and lateral thinking of students with exercises planned to deliver a range of opportunities to facilitate the learning of abstract concepts, and will allow students to reflect on their own learning. |
| Information Technology | Searches of on-line electronic information sources and accessing information from electronic journals will provide practice in IT skills. Module information on Blackboard will be accessed using IT skills. Students will submit their assessed work on Turnitin. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Preparation for seminars and the assessed assignment will develop time management skills; collation of sources for assessment will nurture research skills; appreciation of complex theoretical issues will develop critical thinking skills. All of these skills will contribute to their portfolio of transferable skills. |
| Problem solving | The assimilation of a range of complex theories will develop students problem-solving abilities and a range of interactive exercises in lectures, seminars and the assignments will encourage lateral thinking. |
| Research skills | Research skills will be developed by accessing and critically analysing relevant literature in order to construct and present an informed discussion for the assessed exercise. Independent and group preparation for the seminars will also develop research skills. |
| Subject Specific Skills | |
| Team work | Small group work and group seminars done within the seminars will foster team working skills. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5