Ensure that all the all samples, references, and grammar used relate to the UK Law.

Module Title

The Criminal Justice Process

Assessment title

Essay

Task details and instructions

Choose and answer one of the following questions:

1. In what ways do the news media and social media interfere with different stages of the criminal justice process? Are current laws and policies (e.g., Contempt of Court Act; Sex Offenders’ Registry) sufficient to minimise this interference?

2. Focusing on at least two stages of the criminal justice process, how much difference is there between a suspect/offender’s ‘rights on paper’ and their ‘rights in practice’? Can the ‘rights on paper’ and ‘rights in practice’ be brought closer together?

3. How is the increasing use of digital technology impacting on efficiency, and on justice, in the criminal justice process? Use several examples to illustrate your answer.

4. Should ‘resources follow risk’ in the criminal justice process, or should resources be assigned to cases in some other way? Use several examples to illustrate your answer.

5. What are the main barriers to inter-agency co-operation in the criminal justice process and how might they be overcome? Use several examples to illustrate your answer.

In your answer, it is essential that you show that you have been to class and fully engaged with the module’s content. Therefore, you must:

a. Review and critique the relevant body of academic literature (see the module reading list for recommended readings).

b. Discuss examples from across the criminal justice process (including examples relating to the hypothetical cases followed in class).

c. Cite, where relevant, opinions/insights offered by the criminal justice practitioners who came to class.

Here is an example of this kind of citation. In the text of the essay, you might write:

Tattersall (2017) made the important point that the victims of violent crimes are themselves a crime site.

In the reference section you would put:

Tattersall, A. (2017) Personal communication.

Word count/duration (if applicable)

Your assessment should aim to be 2,350 words long (not including the references).

Marking criteria/scheme

Marks for your assessment will be allocated based on five aspects:

1. Knowledge of the topic – resulting from research and investigation.

2. Context and relevance – showing key awareness of the criminal justice context.

3. Analysis – the ability to organise evidence and information and formulate conclusions based on comparison, contrasts, evaluation and critique.

4. Argument – the level of organisation and clarity in the written text, and its relevance to the chosen topic.

5. Presentation – including the standard of writing (and avoidance of mistakes) and appropriate referencing.