By Revision Genie
Changing Awareness of Crime (Unit 1)
Unit 1
What “criminal”, “deviant” and “antisocial” mean in criminology
White collar crime: organised, corporate and professional
Moral crime and “moral offences”
State crime: human rights abuses
Technological crime: e-crime and cyber-enabled offences
Individual crime: hate crime
Individual crime: honour crime
Individual crime: domestic abuse
Analysing crime by offence type, victim type and offender type
Analysing crime by level of public awareness
Why crimes go unreported: fear and intimidation
Why crimes go unreported: shame and stigma
Why crimes go unreported: disinterest and “not affected”
Why crimes go unreported: lack of knowledge and complexity
Why crimes go unreported: lack of media interest and low public concern
Culture-bound crime and barriers to reporting
Unreported crime case focus: domestic abuse
Unreported crime case focus: sexual offences (including rape)
Unreported crime case focus: vandalism and “minor” property crime
Unreported crime case focus: perceived victimless crimes
Consequences of unreported crime: the ripple effect
Consequences of unreported crime: unrecorded crime and distorted priorities
Consequences of unreported crime: decriminalisation and legal change
Consequences of unreported crime: procedural change and police prioritisation
News and newspaper representations of crime
TV and documentary representations of crime
Film and drama representations of crime
Social media representations of crime: blogs and networking
Gaming and music representations of crime
Moral panic: what it is and how it forms
Stereotyping offenders and “ideal victims”
Media impact on perceptions of crime trends
Media impact on fear of crime and attitudes to punishment
Comparing crime sources: Home Office stats vs CSEW
Reliability, validity and ethics in crime data collection
Strengths and limitations of official statistics
Strengths and limitations of victimisation surveys
What a “campaign for change” is and what it tries to achieve
Campaign aims: changing policy, law, funding and agency priorities
Campaign aims: changing awareness and public attitudes
Comparing campaigns: purpose, audience, methods and outcomes
Measuring campaign effectiveness against objectives
Media types in campaigns: blogs, viral messaging and social networking
Media types in campaigns: advertising, radio and television
Media types in campaigns: film, documentary and print
Evaluating campaign media: reach, persuasion and audience targeting
Choosing a crime-related campaign focus for planning
Setting aims and objectives for a campaign plan
Defining and justifying the target audience
Selecting methods, media and materials for the campaign
Building a campaign budget and financial justification
Creating timescales, resource plans and roles
Designing campaign materials: structure and sequencing information
Designing campaign materials: images and attention-grabbing features
Designing campaign materials: persuasive language and calls to action
Designing campaign materials: align with aims and audience
Designing materials: leaflet conventions
Designing materials: poster and advert conventions
Designing materials: blog and social page conventions
Writing a justification: presenting a clear case for action
Using evidence to support a campaign argument
Referencing credible sources for campaign work (controlled assessment focus)
Unit 2
Criminological Theories (Unit 2)
Crime and deviance: similarities and differences
Social construction of criminality: how laws vary by culture
Social construction of criminality: how laws change over time
Social construction of criminality: context and circumstance in applying law
Social construction of criminality: why groups experience law differently
How “unreported crime” links to social constructions of crime
Biological explanations: what “genetic theories” claim
Jacobs XYY study: claims and evaluation points
Twin and adoption studies: what they test and what they suggest
Physiological explanations: Lombroso and atavism
Physiological explanations: Sheldon and body types
Individualistic explanations: learning theories overview
Social learning theory: Bandura and modelling crime
Individualistic explanations: psychodynamic overview
Psychodynamic explanation: Freud (id/ego/superego) and offending
Individualistic explanations: psychological traits overview
Personality explanation: Eysenck and criminal personality
Sociological explanations: social structure overview
Marxism: crime, power and inequality
Functionalism: crime as normal, functions and strain/anomie links
Sociological explanations: interactionism overview
Labelling: primary/secondary deviance and self-fulfilling prophecy
Sociological explanations: realism overview
Left realism: relative deprivation, marginalisation and subcultures
Right realism: individual responsibility, control and opportunity
Applying theories to crime types: person/property crime
Applying theories to white collar and corporate crime
Applying theories to state and moral crimes
Applying theories to individual behaviour in case scenarios
Evaluating theories: strengths, weaknesses and evidence base
Comparing theories: which best explains which crimes (and why)
How theories influence policy: informal vs formal policy making
Crime control policies and the theories behind them
State punishment policies and the theories behind them
Policy examples through theory: zero tolerance, CCTV and penal populism
Policy examples through theory: restorative justice and multi-agency approaches
Social change and policy: values, norms, mores and shifting attitudes
Social change and policy: demographic change and social structure
Social change and policy: cultural change and public perception of crime
Campaigns and policy making: newspaper campaigns
Campaigns and policy making: individual campaigns
Campaigns and policy making: pressure group campaigns
Unit 3
Crime Scene to Courtroom (Unit 3)
What happens after a crime is detected: the investigation pathway
Crime scene investigators: role and typical tasks
Forensic specialists and forensic scientists: roles and differences
Police officers and detectives: investigative decision-making
The CPS in investigations: working relationship with police
Pathologists and cause-of-death evidence
Other agencies: SOCA and HMRC (why they get involved)
Evaluating effectiveness of roles: cost limitations
Evaluating effectiveness of roles: expertise limitations
Evaluating effectiveness of roles: availability limitations
Forensic techniques: fingerprints, DNA and trace evidence basics
Surveillance techniques: physical and digital surveillance overview
Profiling techniques: what profiling can and can’t do
Intelligence databases: National DNA Database and investigative value
Interviewing eyewitnesses: reliability and procedure basics
Interviewing experts: purpose and limits
Matching techniques: crime scene vs lab vs station vs “street”
Matching techniques to crime types: violent crime investigations
Matching techniques to crime types: e-crime investigations
Matching techniques to crime types: property crime investigations
Physical evidence vs testimonial evidence: key differences
Evidence processing: collection and contamination risks
Evidence processing: transfer and continuity
Evidence processing: storage and chain of custody
Evidence processing: analysis and interpretation
Who processes evidence: roles and accountability
Evidence in case studies: how processing affected outcomes (Barry George)
Evidence in case studies: how processing affected outcomes (Sally Clarke)
Evidence in case studies: how processing affected outcomes (Angela Cannings)
Evidence in case studies: how processing affected outcomes (Amanda Knox)
Rights of suspects during investigation and interview
Rights of victims during investigation and trial preparation
Rights of witnesses and witness protection considerations
Rights through to appeal: what “safeguards” look like
CPS legal framework: charging role and why it matters
Prosecution of Offences Act and CPS responsibilities
Full Code Test: evidential stage
Full Code Test: public interest stage
Pre-trial processes: case building and case management
Bail decisions: purposes and risks
Court personnel roles: judge, prosecution, defence and legal teams
Plea bargaining: what it is and impacts on justice
Courts: magistrates’ court vs Crown Court pathways
Appeals: why appeals happen and what they challenge
Rules of evidence: relevance and admissibility
Disclosure of evidence: purpose and fairness
Hearsay rule and key exceptions
Evidence rules shaped by legislation and case law
Influences on outcomes: strength and type of evidence
Influences on outcomes: media pressure and publicity
Influences on outcomes: witness credibility and errors
Influences on outcomes: expert evidence and expert bias
Influences on outcomes: politics and policy climate
Influences on outcomes: judiciary and judicial directions
Influences on outcomes: barristers and legal strategy
Laypeople in criminal cases: the role of juries
Laypeople in criminal cases: the role of magistrates
Strengths and weaknesses of jury decision-making
Strengths and weaknesses of lay magistrates
Reviewing information sources: what “validity” means in practice
Testing for bias, opinion and context in case materials
Testing for currency and accuracy in case materials
Using evidence, transcripts, judgements and Law Reports as sources
Drawing conclusions: what makes a verdict “safe”
Drawing conclusions: what makes a verdict “just”
Miscarriages of justice: warning signs from evidence
Judging sentencing as “just” using case info (controlled assessment focus)
Unit 4
Crime and Punishment (Unit 4)
The criminal justice system in England and Wales: what it is for
Law making via government processes: how legislation is created
Law making via judicial processes: judges and case law
Linking law making to campaign pressure and public opinion
Criminal justice system agencies: police functions in the wider system
Criminal justice system agencies: courts and decision-making roles
Criminal justice system agencies: formal punishment and enforcement
Relationships between agencies: cooperation and tension points
Models of criminal justice: due process model
Models of criminal justice: crime control model
Comparing due process and crime control in real scenarios
Social control: internal forms (rational ideology)
Social control: internal forms (tradition)
Social control: internalisation of rules and morality
Social control: external forms (coercion)
Social control: external forms (fear of punishment)
Control theory: why people obey the law
Aims of punishment: retribution
Aims of punishment: rehabilitation
Aims of punishment: deterrence (reducing reoffending)
Aims of punishment: deterrence (deterring others)
Aims of punishment: public protection
Aims of punishment: reparation
Forms of punishment: imprisonment
Forms of punishment: community sentences
Forms of punishment: financial penalties
Forms of punishment: discharge
Assessing punishment forms against aims: what “effective” looks like
Agencies in social control: police (aims, funding, philosophy, practices)
Agencies in social control: CPS (aims, funding, philosophy, practices)
Agencies in social control: judiciary (aims, funding, philosophy, practices)
Agencies in social control: prisons (aims, funding, philosophy, practices)
Agencies in social control: probation (aims, funding, philosophy, practices)
Charities as social control agencies: roles and reach
Pressure groups as social control agencies: roles and influence
Agency contributions: environmental approaches (design, gated lanes)
Agency contributions: behavioural approaches (ASBOs, token economy)
Agency contributions: institutional and disciplinary approaches
Agency contributions: rule making and staged/phased systems
Gaps in state provision and how non-state agencies respond
Limits on social control: repeat offenders and recidivism
Limits on social control: civil liberties and legal barriers
Limits on social control: resources, support and finance
Limits on social control: local vs national policy constraints
Limits on social control: environmental constraints on prevention
Limits on social control: “moral imperative” offending
Evaluating agency effectiveness using evidence and sources
Evaluating sources about agencies: bias, opinion and circumstances
Evaluating sources about agencies: currency and accuracy
Law Making via Government Processes