Advances in Criminological Research

Criminology draws its frameworks for inquiry and understanding from a wide range of intellectual traditions and contemporary conceptualisations. This subject provides accounts of contemporary developments in the construction and application of theory in criminal justice and related settings with a focus on areas of innovation in policy and practice. It is axiomatic that practice in criminal justice ought to be founded on strong theoretical grounds, but this often is not the case. Drawing upon a range of enduring and emerging formulations, the subject explains and tests the relationships between theory and practice in criminal justice. Topics to be covered are drawn from a list which includes restorative justice, offender rehabilitation and desistance, developmental crime prevention, surveillance and control, community and intersectoral policing developments, risk prediction and offender classification, and antisocial behaviour orders.

• 1Comprehend the sources and varieties of theory formation of relevance to criminological inquiry
• 2Develop a sophisticated understanding of the relationships between theory construction, research and criminal justice practices
• 3Explore in detail topical criminal justice practices and interventions in the context of their underlying theoretical and research foundations
• 4Analyse and articulate critically the nexus between theory, research and practice in criminal justice across a wide range of settings.