Law and Criminal Justice

Law and criminal justice is a programme that takes seriously two of the most fundamental questions in social life: what the law says, and whether it achieves justice. Law provides the technical knowledge of legal rules, institutions, and procedures, developing the analytical skills to read statutes and case law precisely and to construct well-reasoned legal arguments. Criminal justice widens the frame, asking not just what the law is but how the criminal justice system as a whole works in practice, who it serves, what its effects are on those who pass through it, and whether it is just.

This three-year, full-time programme at Westminster is one of very few in the UK to combine specialist teaching in criminal justice with a qualifying law degree, giving you both the professional legal qualification and the critical perspective on the criminal justice system that together equip you for a wide range of legal and justice-focused careers. The programme includes a year abroad, which gives you the opportunity to engage with criminal law and justice systems in a different national context, illuminating the choices that underpin the UK's own approach. You will study criminal law, criminal procedure, sentencing, criminology, victimology, and the sociology of punishment alongside the broader core areas of English law.

Graduates have a broader range of career options than those from a straightforward law degree. Those who wish to qualify as solicitors or barristers can use the qualifying law degree to progress to professional training. The criminal justice specialism also opens routes into the probation service, the Crown Prosecution Service, youth offending teams, the prison service, victim support organisations, and policy roles focused on criminal justice reform.

The year abroad adds international perspective that is valuable in comparative and international criminal law contexts. Further postgraduate study in law, criminology, or criminal justice policy is a natural extension for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.