Making Sense of the Criminal Justice System
PostgraduateGRF-CCJ7022025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Examine the principal components of the criminal justice system and question the competing tensions of fairness, justice and effectiveness in a liberal-democracy. Identify emerging issues and analyse the response of allied systems to selected crimes.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 6 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $3,438
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Making Sense of the Criminal Justice System
About this subject
At the completion of this subject students will:
- Understand the roles of the principal components of the criminal justice system
- Understand the competing tensions inherent in a liberal-democratic justice system
- Identify and examine key emerging issues in the provision of criminal justice
- Understand and critically analyse the response of the criminal justice and allied systems to selected crimes
- Further develop your skills in expressing yourself clearly and coherently in writing
- The criminal justice system
- Models of criminal justice
- Indigenous people and criminal justice
- Youth justice
- Policing
- Adjudication and court processes
- Corrections and the purposes of punishment
- Mental health, crime and justice
- Organised crime and the Crime Commissions
- White collar crime, corporate crime, and regulation
- Illicit drugs
- Violence
This subject was previously known as Making Sense of Criminal Justice.
This subject identifies, examines and evaluates current and emerging policies and structures of the criminal justice system. It focuses on debates and problematic issues in the provision of criminal justice. Components of the system are examined in terms of fairness, justice and effectiveness. The extent to which the Australian system is effective in maintaining maximum levels of social harmony is explored. Alternative models of criminal justice are critically examined within the context of liberal-democratic society.
Assessment details will be advised at the beginning of the subject offering.
- Second short essay (25%)
- Major Essay (50%)
- First short essay (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 18
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 20
Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Core
- GRF-MCJ-GCE-2025 - Graduate Certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Elective
- OUA-PSU-GCE-2025 - Postgraduate Single Subjects
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
GRF-MCCJ7002 (Not currently available)
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Graduate Certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice
PostgraduateGRF-MCJ-GCE
PostgraduateOUA-PSU-GCE