This course invites postgraduate students to (re)consider the meaning and possibilities of 'justice' within and beyond conventional criminal justice systems for different social groups, and in different social and cultural contexts. We build upon criminological scholarship and learning from the Criminal Justice and Injustices course that evidences the limitations and harms of criminal justice systems for those who are drawn into them (e.g. as 'victims', 'offenders', practitioners and communities). Drawing upon criminological theory and empirical evidence, we rethink how 'justice' may be conceptualised and consider if, and how, it may be achieved and for whom. Informed by the latest international research and developments within criminology and related disciplines, we explore alternatives to criminal justice systems and responses to crime and harm (e.g. transformative justice, restorative justice, procedural justice) that could create fairer and safer societies rather than exacerbate social inequalities.

10 x 2 hour in-person weekly classes which combine short lecture inputs and seminar activities.

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Summative assessment will be in two-parts:

30% [1,000 words]: A mid-semester AI exercise (addressing ILOs 1-3)

Students will choose a prompt (from a list of 3-4 prompts) based on learning from the early part of the course about understanding and reconceptualising justice, and use AI software ChatGPT to generate an answer. Students will be asked to critique the AI generated answer by drawing upon and referencing course materials.

70% [3,000 words]: An end-of-course essay (addressing ILOs 1-4)

Students will be asked to prepare an essay by drawing upon their learning across the course to: identify an alternative model or system of justice and critically evaluate the extent to which it can deliver 'justice' for a social group (or groups) or their choice.

The course aims to develop a critical understanding of how justice may be conceptualised beyond conventional criminal justice systems.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Demonstrate understanding and critical awareness of the limitations of criminal justice systems in delivering justice for individuals, communities, and societies more broadly.

■ Describe and critically evaluate theories and concepts of 'justice' as developed in the Global South and East, as well as the North and West.

■ Critically assess how understandings and experiences of justice are shaped by social and cultural contexts.

■ Critically analyse the extent to which alternative approaches and justice systems can deliver justice in response to different forms of crime and harm and for diverse stakeholders/groups. 

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.