You explore the modern criminal justice system’s structure, including the police, courts, prison estate and probation service. Developing your understanding of modern approaches to criminal justice, you examine contemporary policing and court reform, and external factors influencing these systems. Some of these include austerity measures, pandemic lockdowns and victim’s rights campaigns.

This module is designed so that students from a range of professional disciplines in Criminal Justice can explore a negotiated topic in a specific area of professional practice.

You conduct an independent research project on a topic of your choosing, in collaboration with your academic supervisor who guides you through the process.

This module will develop an advanced understanding of the processes and issues of social research. Drawing upon the philosophical underpinnings which are central to research methodologies, this module will encourage students to consider the relationship between theory, methods and data. In addition, this module will encourage students to critically consider the need to balance theory with conducting research on real issues in the real world.

Explore your professional practice in the criminal justice sector by applying your individual experiences to wider research context. The concept of the reflective practitioner is central, as you are encouraged to develop a critical, reflective and ethical stance toward your practice.