Criminal Justice BA (Hons)

Course Content

• Course Details

  The Criminal Justice Team have a passion for making a difference to our communities. We will use our skills and expertise to develop reflective, ethical and highly motivated criminal justice practitioners who can invigorate and advance the future of criminal justice.

  A blend of classroom-based learning, practical exercises, guest lectures, shadowing professionals and voluntary work placements will be used to provide you with the skills and knowledge for a successful career within the broad field of criminal justice.

  The course will teach you the principles of ethics, equality, diversity and inclusion to help make our criminal justice system fair for all.

  You will learn by gaining direct experience through a voluntary work placement with a local  criminal justice agency. Your third-year assessment will be a reflective piece allowing you to showcase your learning and how you have used this in practice to make a real impact.

  Year 1

  During your first year of study you will explore the journey through the criminal justice system to gain an understanding of both victims/survivors and offenders experiences. You will explore crime in local communities and current issues such as the over policing of diverse communities, youth offending and knife crime. You will learn about criminal behaviours and what triggers and motivates people to offend, exploring the impact of social media and youth culture. You will have the opportunity to manage a crime scene as we develop your investigative practice skills and professional curiosity. You will shadow various professionals at points in year one. During Year one we will develop your skills in academic research, problem solving and communication.

  Year 2

  During year two you will discover the drivers linked to serious violence, exploitation, domestic abuse and serious organised crime. You will start to use analytical skills to consider the criminal justice response to serious violence. You will have an opportunity to challenge local industry on their role in reducing crime and delivering social impact. You will explore how drugs harm, mental health, poverty and trauma are linked to crime by shadowing professionals. Due to the fast-paced developments in crime types and complexity you will learn how technology is used throughout the criminal justice system to reduce risk. You will be introduced to terrorism and hate crime exploring how global politics can impact on the most harmful behaviours. Themes of punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation will be covered allowing you to evaluate their effectiveness and present your evidence-based findings to criminal justice agencies. You will receive guest lectures and immersive learning opportunities. During Year two we will develop your listening, presentation, knowledge and analysis skills.

  Year 3

  In your third year of study you will cover the themes of risk assessment and risk management focusing on how different criminal justice agencies apply these principles in practice. You will learn about multi-agency approaches to public protection to protect our communities from dangerous individuals.  You will explore sexual offences, murder and offences against children to enable you to explore these themes. You will learn leadership skills to develop your skills in decision making, problem solving, communication and partnership working whilst taking account of political and public pressures. You will complete your final voluntary work placement in year three, the learning from this placement will culminate into your final assessment. You will complete a 10,000-word reflective essay. This piece of work will link directly to your placement experience allowing you to showcase the underpinning knowledge and skills you have gained and the application of these in a real-world criminal justice setting.

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• Student Perks

  At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.

  If you join our full-time BA Criminal Justice degree at Northampton, you will receive a laptop when your course begins*. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.

  Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.

  To check out the full list of perks, visit our Student Perks page or dedicated International Perks page.

  *UK fee payers only (see Terms and Conditions for further details).

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• Help with Becoming a Probation Officer

  Whilst this course doesn’t qualify you to become a Probation Officer, it does however, provide the four qualifying modules required to be considered eligible to apply for the 15-month Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP programme). You need to have studied modules on at least 3 of the following 4 topics as part of a degree (or equivalent):

  • Criminal justice system
  • Understanding crime and criminal behaviour
  • Penal policy and punishment
  • Rehabilitation

  You’ll complete whichever module is missing in your first 6 months of the PQiP programme. If your qualification does not include these subjects, you’ll most likely study the 21-month PQiP programme (the first 6 months will cover all 4 modules). The Criminal Justice BA (Hons) includes all four modules required for these entry routes into the National Probation Service but it does not guarantee your future employment with them or entry to their training programmes.

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• FAQs

  How will I learn on the Criminal Justice degree?

  Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, tutorials, skills practice, immersive learning, independent and group work as well as reflective practice. We encourage you to actively engage with seminars and groups discussions to apply your learning to different scenarios. Practical work will represent an important component of our course throughout each of the three years of study. You will also gain practical experience during shadowing and placements opportunities. These will allow you to put your newfound skills into practice ready for your future career, ensuring that your CV stands out to prospective employers.

  Taught sessions are usually between two or three hours per module per week.

  How will I be assessed on this Criminal Justice degree?

  Assessment for this course is varied and consists of presentations, academic writing, reflective writing, practical groupwork exercises and professional discussions. These assessments are designed to mirror the role of criminal justice practitioners which require various strengths and skills when working with victims, offenders and the public. If you choose to take an alternative option for assessment rather than a placement you will be assessed against relevant appropriate standards.

  Are there any special features on the degree course?

  You can practice real life scenarios in one of our specialist facilities. For interview training, there is a purpose-built interview room and a realistic custody suite as well as mock flat with one-way mirrors.

  In addition, we are one of only few universities in the country that have fully functioning Hydra simulation room used for immersive learning. Hydra is a sophisticated piece of technology that is used to simulate the reality of critical incident management. We are also developing our use of VR currently and will be introducing VR opportunities into the modules.

  Special features include:

  • Facilitating shadowing experiences with professionals working at local criminal justice agencies
  • Facilitating voluntary work placements with local criminal justice agencies
  • Providing teaching from a multi-disciplined team with significant practice experience in policing, law and probation
  • Criminal justice immersive learning environments including: interview training in purpose-built interview rooms, realistic custody suite, mock flat with one way mirrors
  • Mentoring groups
  • Guest speakers from across criminal justice sectors.

  Are there any work experience opportunities on the Criminal Justice degree?

  There are opportunities to attend voluntary work placements with local criminal justice agencies. We have collaborated with several local criminal justice agencies who will be offering you opportunities to shadow their practice or to join them on a work placement. You may also find your own placement if it is relevant to criminal justice practice, support will be provided to you if you wish to approach another organisation from the University of Northampton’s Placements Team. In the event of a placement not being viable alternative options will be sought.

  Who are the Student Experience Support Team?

  The Student Experience Support Team are a team of previous graduates of the University of Northampton, they are here to support all Faculty of Business and Law students by offering a friendly listening ear and ensuring students are aware of the numerous support systems that the University has to offer. The team provide confidential 1-1 meetings in person and online where they will signpost the students to the relevant support teams to ensure they are aware of the support available for them throughout their studies. You can follow the Student Experience Support Team to see the services they offer.

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