Criminology – WJEC Level 3 Diploma

WHY STUDY CRIMINOLOGY?

• I am thinking of studying other related humanities subjects at A Level, such as Psychology, Law and Sociology
• I am interested in learning more about the Criminal Justice System in the UK, why offenders commit crimes and how we punish them
• I want to develop a range of transferable skills for my future career, including oral and written communication skills, the ability to solve problems, provide skills of project-based research, development and presentation.

WHAT DOES THE COURSE CONSIST OF?

Criminology is a fascinating interdisciplinary subject that draws on elements of Law, Psychology and Sociology to examine how crime is defined, why people commit crimes, the perceptions of crime, why some crimes are unreported, how society responds to criminal activity and how we punish offenders. We explore crime statistics and how we can reduce crime rates and successfully rehabilitate criminal individuals as well as how physical evidence such as hairs, blood and fingerprints are collected from crime scenes and how this can prove innocence or guilt. There will be opportunities to debate the controversial criminological theories of crime and investigate their implications in our Criminal Justice System. Studying criminology will allow you to understand the culture of crime and the workings of the criminal justice system alongside giving you the opportunity to delve further into biological, individualistic and sociological reasons for criminal behaviour including exploring criminal personality traits, the born criminal and subcultures. All these exciting topics are woven into our following four units:

• Unit 1 Changing Awareness of Crime (First year unit)
• Unit 2 Criminological Theories (First year unit)
• Unit 3 Crime Scene to Courtroom (Second year unit)
• Unit 4 Crime and Punishment (Second year unit).

HOW IS THIS COURSE ASSESSED?

• Two 8 hour, controlled assessments held December – January (Units 1 and 3) and two external exams held in May – June (Units 2 and 4)
• Graded A*-E Please be aware that for qualifications awarded from 2020 onwards candidates must pass all units in order to achieve a grade for the qualification.

WHAT MIGHT THIS COURSE LEAD ON TO?

• Study of Criminology, Policing, Psychology, Law, Sociology or other Humanities based subjects at University
• The course will develop a wide range of skills and knowledge relevant to many job roles within the Criminal Justice sector such as Policing, Prison Service, Forensic Science, Probation and the Courts.