Overview of Criminal Justice System in England and Wales

Law Enforcement Agencies

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Criminal Justice System essay. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

After completing the module you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the structure and governance of the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
2. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the social divisions in criminal justice in terms of age, gender, class, 'race' and definitions of criminal justice and of the competing aims of the CJS.
3. Demonstrate the ability to analyse policy issues in relation to criminal justice.
4. Demonstrate the ability to apply effective information-gathering and literacy skills in researching and answering questions about criminal justice in England and Wales.
5. Understand and explain the implications of social change, including the value of building new skills and expertise to analyse emerging problems.

Please note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a reduction in grade bythe same percentage that the word count is exceeded.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.

Assignment Task - Essay

Write an essay (maximum 3,000 words) answering any ONE of the questions below. Note that for questions that are multi-part, you should answer all parts of your chosen question.

Question 1

The criminal justice system is made up of several components. Assess how both wider social changes and changes within separate criminal justice agencies might impact the system as a whole.

Question 2

The prison system in England and Wales is considered to be in crisis.

1. Why is it in crisis?
2. What particular issues are of immediate concern?
3. What can be done to reduce or solve these issues?

Question 3

Consider evidence available to you to assess whether ethnic minorities are still discriminated against in the UK criminal justice system.

1. What evidence exists for this discrimination? Who is discriminated against and why does it happen?
2. What efforts have been made to reduce levels of discrimination? Have these been successful?

You have the opportunity to submit an essay plan or draft of up to 1000 words to receive formative feedback.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner.

Your work must be submitted to your tutor no later than two weeks prior to the assessment submission date. This is to allow time for you to reflect on the feedback and draft your final submission. Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date. +

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail. Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For more information please see the �Guide to Submitting an Assignment� document available on the module page on iLearn. used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice (see the Student Handbook which is on the homepage of your module and also in the Induction Area).

Outstanding performance which demonstrates the ability to analyse the subject area and to confidently apply theory whilst showing awareness of any relevant ethical considerations.

The work shows an excellent level of competence and confidence in managing appropriate sources and materials, initiative and excellent academic writing skills and

professional skills (where appropriate). The work shows originality of thought.

Excellent performance which demonstrates the ability to analyse the subject and apply theory whilst showing some awareness of any relevant ethical considerations.

The work shows a high level of competence in managing sources and materials, initiative and very good academic writing skills and professional skills (where appropriate). The work shows originality of thought.

Very good performance which demonstrates the ability to analyse the subject and apply some theory.

The work shows a good level of competence in managing sources and materials and some initiative. Academic writing skills are good and expression remains accurate overall. Good professional skills (where appropriate). The work shows some original thought.

A satisfactory to good performance which begins to analyse the subject and apply some underpinning theory.

The work shows a sound level of competence in managing basic sources and materials. Academic writing skills are satisfactory and expression remains accurate overall although the piece may lack structure. Satisfactory professional skills (where appropriate). The work lacks some original thought.

Basic level of performance in which there are some omissions in understanding the subject, its underpinning theory and ethical considerations.

The work shows a basic use of sources and materials. Academic writing skills are limited and there are some errors in expression and the work may lack structure overall. There are some difficulties in developing professional skills (where appropriate). The work lacks original thought and is largely imitative.

Marginal fail Limited performance in which there are omissions in understanding the subject, its underpinning theory and ethical considerations.

The work shows a limited use of sources and materials. Academic writing skills are weak and there are errors in expression and the work may lack structure overall.

There are difficulties in developing professional skills (where appropriate). The work lacks original thought and is largely imitative.

The work shows little evidence in the use of appropriate sources and materials. Academic writing skills are very weak and there are numerous errors in expression. The

work lacks structure overall. Professional skills (where appropriate) are not developed. The work is imitative.

Certainly! The criminal justice system in England and Wales is a complex structure that encompasses various agencies and institutions involved in the detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of crimes. Here is an overview of its structure and governance:

Law Enforcement Agencies: The police are the primary law enforcement agency in England and Wales. They are responsible for maintaining public order, preventing crime, and detecting and investigating criminal offenses. There are different police forces in England and Wales, including the Metropolitan Police, which covers Greater London, and regional police forces such as the Greater Manchester Police and West Midlands Police.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS): The CPS is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases on behalf of the state. It is an independent body that reviews evidence gathered by the police and decides whether to charge a suspect and take them to court. The CPS works closely with the police throughout the investigative process and represents the prosecution in court.

Courts: The courts in England and Wales play a crucial role in the criminal justice system. They are responsible for interpreting and applying the law, determining the guilt or innocence of defendants, and imposing sentences on those convicted of crimes. The court system is hierarchical, with magistrates' courts handling less serious offenses, Crown Courts dealing with more serious cases, and the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court handling appeals.