Crime and Criminal Justice

Crime and criminal justice is a degree that places the study of crime firmly in its social, institutional, and political context. Rather than approaching crime primarily as a biological or psychological phenomenon, this discipline asks how crime is defined, by whom, and in whose interests, how the criminal justice system, from policing and prosecution to the courts and prisons, operates in practice and what its effects are, and what the relationship is between crime, inequality, and the structures of society. Drawing on sociology, criminology, and law, the degree develops a critical and evidence-based understanding of crime that goes well beyond common-sense assumptions.

At the University of Huddersfield, you will study crime and criminal justice over three years of full-time study. The curriculum takes you through the major criminological theories that have tried to explain crime and deviance, the history and development of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, and the empirical evidence about how policing, prosecution, sentencing, and imprisonment actually work and what their consequences are for those who pass through the system. Critical perspectives on race, gender, class, and age in the operation of criminal justice are central to the course, as is engagement with victims and their experiences.

Research methods are taught throughout, developing your ability to engage with criminological evidence critically and to conduct your own research.

Graduates from crime and criminal justice degrees enter careers across the criminal justice and social care sectors. Work in probation, the prison service, youth justice, victim support, and resettlement services are direct applications of the knowledge developed in the degree. Social work, community development, and housing and support services for people involved in the criminal justice system are further destinations.

Research and policy roles in think tanks, government departments, and campaigning organisations draw on the analytical skills the programme develops. Many graduates also move into roles in policing, the court service, and related criminal justice agencies. Postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, social policy, or law is an option for those who want to develop their expertise or qualify for more specialist roles.