Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | Ten one hour lectures (part of 30 hrs total lecture allocation) |
| Lecture | Ten two hour lectures (part of 30 hrs total lecture allocation) |
| Seminars / Tutorials | Three two hour seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours exam at end of appropriate semester | 100% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours exam at end of appropriate semester | 100% |
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 offenders.
6. Explain how successful major criminological theories and perspectives have been in accounting for youth crime and its treatment.
7. Describe and critically 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.
Aims
For over fifty years there has been a growing interest in investigating the links between young people and crime. Building on the introductory courses in criminology this course will familiarize students with the major debates surrounding youth participation in crime and anti-social behaviour, societal desires to control it and the ways in which this is done. The student will be encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of the problem, its solutions and other initiatives which may prove effective.
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
Young people as victims.
Explanations of 'Youth Crime'.
The Development of Youth Justice Philosophies, Laws and Policies.
The Current Framework of Youth Justice
Assessing Young People
Custodial Treatment of Young People
Community Orders
The Youth Offending Team
Inter-Agency Working
Managing Young People
Altering Behaviour Patterns
Comparative approaches and other initiatives.
Gender, Race and ethnicity
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6