learning outcomes
- critically analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the relevant law and procedures regarding criminal investigation and prosecution and the role of the key criminal justice agencies and, where appropriate, make recommendations for reforms;
- critically evaluate the evidence gathering process and identify the possible causes of a miscarriage of justice with reference to a particular case study;
- utilising an applied methodology work on a case to be able to provide constructive thoughts able to determine the outcome of cases for the benefit of families.
Assignment
a written assignment which critically analyses the following question:
“How can a miscarriage of justice be prevented?”
You will need, and be expected to, utilise the vast academic and legal literature in support of your argument (3,000-words)
Tips: This assessment has been designed to give students flexibility in terms of approaches, methodology and focus of their assessed work.
The focus of this essay is on identifying and evaluating solutions that have been adopted to remedy miscarriages of justice. As such, while the essay may briefly discuss definitions and causes of miscarriages of justice, the essay must be devoted to evaluating solutions that prevent miscarriages of justice.
For example, you may choose to evaluate solutions that have been established to avoid miscarriages of justice cased by flaws in police investigatory process such as the Code of Practice to the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act and PACE, proffering suggestions to improve outcomes. OR you may wish to evaluate mental health provisions within the criminal justice system and identify innovative solutions to support persons with mental health challenges. OR you may adopt a comparative approach examining provisions targeting a specific cause of miscarriages of justice across two or more countries. ( These are only examples, students can decide the focus of their essays.)
Assessment checklist
● I have put all case names and Latin phrases in italic;
● Every case name has a footnote for its shelf reference (e.g. The case of R v Williams confirmed that…);
● As per OSCOLA, every case name has a footnote with a page number;
● I have deleted unnecessary case facts from my answer (e.g. In R v Woollinthe defendant Mr Woollin threw his baby…)
● I have ensured there are no large paragraphs of purely descriptive prose.
● I have referenced my essay in a style consistent with my discipline
● I have used a variety of authoritative texts and on-line sources about law, forensic science, criminology, or a combination of the above.
● I have specifically cited and used journal articles in my work.
● I understand that I need to include a bibliography for this submission.
● I understand that the essay is assessed on presentation, structure, spelling and grammar as well as the quality of my research, the quality of my contents, and the quality of my critical analysis.