Law with Criminal Justice & Human Rights

Law with criminal justice and human rights at Goldsmiths is a degree that takes seriously the proposition that law is not a neutral technical system but a social institution with profound effects on real people's lives. It gives you the opportunity to obtain specialist knowledge and deepen your understanding of criminal justice and human rights and their challenging interactions, asking not just what the rules are but whether they are fair, effective and consistent with the values of dignity and equality that human rights law is supposed to protect.

This three-year full-time programme covers the core areas of English law alongside the specialist knowledge of criminal justice and human rights that distinguishes this degree. You will study criminal law and procedure, human rights law and the European Convention, comparative criminal justice, the sociology of crime and punishment, international human rights instruments, and the ways in which these legal frameworks interact and sometimes conflict. The Goldsmiths approach brings critical and theoretical perspectives to legal study, encouraging you to examine the assumptions that underpin legal categories and to question whether the criminal justice system achieves the goals it claims to pursue.

Graduates move into careers in the legal profession, the criminal justice system, human rights organisations, social work, policy, journalism and academia. Those seeking to qualify as solicitors or barristers will need to complete further professional training, and this degree provides a strong academic foundation for those routes. Others move directly into roles with NGOs, international organisations, prisons, probation, victim support and advocacy organisations, where the combination of legal knowledge and human rights understanding is directly relevant.

Postgraduate study in law, criminology, human rights or international law is also a common pathway.