Legal and Criminal Justice Systems

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a good understanding of both the legal system and the criminal justice system, and the interaction between the two.
2. Be familiar with sources of law and how to locate and identify same.
3. Be familiar with courtroom procedures and course of trial.
4. Be able to analyse and evaluate aspects of the Legal and Criminal Justice System.

This module will incorporate all the legal system components that are fundamental to qualifying law degree while providing an overview of the criminal justice system. The two topics will be integrated into a module that presents the relationship and interaction of the two systems.

​Note that the Level 2 students attend the Level 1 lectures in this module. HOWEVER, in order to reflect their Level 2 status, (i) their examinations, and (ii) seminar work are different and are set at a higher level.
Students will consider the following in respect of the legal system the structure of the courts and the court hierarchy and how this relates to case law and the doctrine of precedent. Legislation will be studied and the principle of statutory interpretation, with further study of how Parliament legislates. The legal profession, including the judiciary, barristers and solicitors and magistrates; jury; adversarial/inquisitorial systems; ADR; tribunals will be focal areas for study within the legal system component. In terms of the criminal justice system police discretion and powers and the impact of PACE will be considered. The trial/courtroom workgroup will be studied and linked to role within legal system. Sentencing, including custodial/non-custodial sentencing and prison rules/procedures will also be considered.

This module is at CQFW Level 5