“Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him.” – Professor Edmond Locard
Crime is all around us. We see it on TV; we read about it in the news; we talk about it with our friends and family. Last year alone there were over 5 million crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is important to increase our awareness on what crimes are happening among us every day, and it is vital as a society we begin to understand these crimes and criminals. This course will benefit anyone from the Netflix crime documentary binge-watcher to the aspiring lawyer. After the two-year course, students will be fully equipped to analyse and criticise the perception of crimes in the media, will have an understanding to why people commit crimes, be able to identify and evaluate every role in the Criminal Justice system and debate on the usefulness of our own crime and punishment policies.
Key information:
Vocational Specification
Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology is a 2-year course, equivalent to one A Level
Level 3 Specification
How you are examined
Year 1 – 50% of your grade (25% internal controlled assessment & 25% external exam)
Year 2 – 50% of your grade (25% internal controlled assessment & 25% external exam)
Curriculum Progression
In year one, students are introduced to Unit 1: Changing Awareness of Crime. In this topic they will learn about society’s awareness of different crimes and how the media and campaigns influence this. Next, students will study Unit 2: Criminological Theories. This is where they will learn and evaluate different explanations for why people commit crimes. They will then apply criminological theories to past and current policies for controlling crime.
In year two, students are introduced to Unit 3: Crime Scene to Courtroom. They will learn about the roles of the personnel involved from the minute a crime is detected to the minute a suspect is found guilty. Students will also review criminal cases and draw their own conclusions on the verdicts. Unit 4: Crime and Punishment is the last topic where students will develop their skills in evaluating the effectiveness of our current legal system in controlling crime.
Curriculum Plan
