Criminology

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)

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

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)

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