LW1ICJ: Introduction to Criminal Justice

Module code: LW1ICJ

Module provider: School of Law

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 4

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Abigail Rowe, email: a.e.rowe@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 26 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module provides a broad introduction to the institutions and practices involved in preventing, managing and responding to crime, and key concepts and critical perspectives from the field of criminal justice studies. It covers the development, role, organisation and governance of the main institutions and agencies involved in crime control and punishment, the causes and implications of complex problems in the justice system, and the experiences of both victims and offenders.

The module aims to:

• Give students a strong foundational understanding of the development and administration of criminal justice in England and Wales
• Foster curiosity and critical thinking about problems of crime and justice, and the nature, operation and impact of criminal justice policies and practices 
• Build students’ confidence and competence in core academic skills, such as reading for understanding, interpreting evidence, peer-group collaboration and discussion and writing and argumentation.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Understand how criminal justice policy is made and develops, and the social and political contexts that shape it.
2. Understand the development, roles and obligations of key criminal justice institutions, including the Police Crown Prosecution Service, Courts, Prisons and Probation.
3. Understand and critically engage with key critiques of criminal justice policy, practice and reforms.
4. Work confidently with empirical evidence and social scientific concepts to understand and analyse criminal justice policies and practices, and to develop and substantiate arguments. 

Module content

The module will explore a range of perspectives and areas of criminal justice policy and practice, including:

• Part One: Institutions, policies and practices:
  • Policing and crime control
  • Arrest and prosecution
  • Criminal trials and the courts
  • Sentencing
  • Punishment
• Part Two: Complex problems and critical perspectives
  • Understanding change and continuity in criminal justice policy
  • Social inequality and criminal justice
  • Critical perspectives on criminal justice and justice reform
  • The individual and social effects of criminal justice 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is divided into two parts. The first provides an overview of key stages and issues in the criminal process, giving students a foundation from which they can go on to explore more connected and conceptual questions. The second part of the module explores a series of wide-ranging thematic questions and complex problems that encourage students to think critically about the nature and functions of criminal justice, and its political and social significance.

The module will be taught by a combination of lectures, workshops and tutorials. Lectures will provide an outline of the reading materials and introduce key concepts; tutorials and workshops will explore in more detail topics, themes and issues arising from readings and lectures and will be a forum for students to discuss, consolidate and extend their learning. 

Students are expected to undertake at least 150 hours of independent study largely in the form of background reading.

Study hours

At least 37 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

• Formative peer review and presentation exercises will support students to develop skills and prepare work for their summative assessed portfolio.
• A formative annotated bibliography and essay plan will be used to help students develop their ideas and pace their work on their summative assessed essay and reflection.

Reassessment

Additional costs