Working in the Criminal Justice System - SOC00038M

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Module summary

What is it like to work in the criminal justice system? How can sociological and criminological theory and concepts help us understand the experience? In this module, you will develop an understanding of the criminal justice system from the perspective of the people who work in it.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 2 2026-27

Module aims

What is it like to work in the criminal justice system? How can sociological and criminological theory and concepts help us understand the experience? In this module, you will develop an understanding of the criminal justice system from the perspective of the people who work in it. Structured around specific occupations, with contributions from practitioners, the module will provide you with an appreciation of the roles and responsibilities of people working in the criminal justice system. We will enable you to critically reflect on the key debates about what they do and how they do it, and to explore the occupations and sociological concepts that interest you.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module students should be able to:

1. Discuss a range of types of work within the criminal justice system and make comparisons between roles.

2. Critically engage with current debates about work in the criminal justice system.

3. Critically analyse and apply sociological and criminological concepts to the experiences of those working in the criminal justice system.

4. Communicate a scholarly argument in a structured and coherent manner

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

For formative work - written task - students will receive written or verbal feedback on how to improve their skills in areas that will contribute towards their summative assessment. The formative assessment provides practice for the summative tasks which is in line with MLOs 1-4.

For summative work - essay - students will receive an overall mark and grading according to clearly defined criteria for assessing their knowledge, skills and abilities in line with MLOs 1-4. They will also receive written feedback showing areas in which they have done well and those areas in which they need to improve that will contribute to their progress.

Indicative reading

Bennett, J., Crewe, B. and Wahidin, A. (Eds.) (2008) Understanding Prison Staff. Cullompton: Willan Publishing

Phillips, J. et al. (2020). Emotional labour in criminal justice and criminology. London : Routledge