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  This teaching guide is a resource for lecturers  

 

Module adaptation and design guidelines

 

Academics incorporate their own subject matter knowledge and, in some cases, practical experience in crime prevention and criminal justice, into their courses. Because academics teach courses in different local/national contexts, the courses they teach need to include the information students need to critically engage with the laws, policies, and procedures of their own jurisdictions. For these reasons, all Modules within the E4J University ModulesSeries on UNODC core mandates (i.e. anti-corruption, counter-terrorism, cybercrime, firearms, integrity and ethics, organized crime, trafficking in persons/smuggling of migrants, and wildlife crime) have been purposely designed to be flexible and easily adaptable. The following subsections cover the ways in which the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Modules can be adapted to meet the needs of academics and their students (Note: this coverage is not meant to be exhaustive). Particularly, these subsections provide guidance and practical advice on how to use and integrate Module content within existing classes, courses, and programmes, as well as guidance on how to create new classes, courses, and programmes based on all or parts of the Module content.

 

Changing the timeframe

The Module content is designed for a three-hour class. However, academics can adjust the timeframe for the delivery of their content based on their teaching needs, the needs and preferences of their students, and the available class time at their institution. The class based on the Module content can thus be shortened or extended as needed. Academics may also decide to introduce additional content into their courses beyond the material included in the Modules.

Overall, each Module is designed to incorporate twelve hours of learning, which includes: six hours of preparation; three hours of teaching; and three hours for exercises and/or student assessments (see the section Content breakdown for more information about exercises and student assessments).

 

Localizing content

Academics may choose to localize the Module content. When considering the localization of content, academics should identify and assess whether the content applies to their local cultural context and environment. Academics can localize content by incorporating national legal frameworks, cases, and practices into their courses that relate to the Module content, as well as local readings and exercises and other forms of student assessment that reflects local contexts. Academics who seek to make the content relevant to their local setting, might consider some/all of the following:

  • Familiarizing themselves with the relevant legal framework at the national level;
  • Conducting research to find out which relevant international legal instruments their country has ratified. Delving into the periodic reports for the respective treaty monitoring bodies can be useful in understanding a state’s legal obligations and identifying international advice about ways to improve national law, policy, and practice in keeping with international legal obligations and internationally agreed standards and norms;
  • Familiarizing themselves with national/local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the work of these NGOs (by, for example, reading their reports); and
  • Asking criminal justice agents/NGO representatives to come to class to share insights.
 

Integrating content within an existing course

The Modules include a section that provides a suggested outline for the development of a stand-alone course based on the Module content (e.g. see Section 3.B, guidelines to develop a stand-alone course). When integrating Module content into an existing course, academics can merge the Module content within the content of their course, update related content within their existing course, or introduce new material identified in the Modules into their course. If there is no existing crime prevention and criminal justice content in the course, academics may choose to rearrange or consolidate some existing content to make space for the Module material.

Each Module includes flexible guidelines to develop a stand-alone course to offer suggestions about ways that the content and structure of the Module may be developed into a larger course. As mentioned earlier in this Teaching Guide, this type of flexibility exists within all of the E4J University Module Serieson the core mandates of UNODC, such as anti-corruption, counter-terrorism, cybercrime, firearms, integrity and ethics, organized crime, trafficking in persons/smuggling of migrants, and wildlife crime.

 

Combining modules

The complex tasks that arise in the workplace, and the complex challenges that the world is facing, fail to heed disciplinary boundaries. The E4J University Module Series on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice crosses these disciplinary boundaries by bringing together resources from around the world related to crime prevention and criminal justice. These Modules cover many aspects of this complex and interdisciplinary field, combining theoretical knowledge and practical insights from relevant disciplines. The interdisciplinary Modules examine crime prevention and criminal justice issues from multiple perspectives, integrating interdisciplinary material into a unified and coherent framework.

The Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Modules are designed to equip students with the interdisciplinary knowledge-base and the skills that they will need to respond to emerging and complex challenges related to crime. Interdisciplinary education provides students with the tools they need to engage in the cross-disciplinary application of knowledge (i.e. taking an existing idea or approach from one discipline and applying it to another). This form of interdisciplinary education also assists students in recognizing preconceptions and biases; cultivates their critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and helps students understand how conflicts arise and the ways to address them, while also considering the complexity of the issue at hand and the challenges of effectively dealing with it (Bossio et al., 2013; Jones, 2009). Interdisciplinary education also promotes what Fink (2003) has termed as significant learning (Maier et al., n.d.), whereby students: obtain information and comprehend issues (foundational knowledge); comprehend how and when to use obtained knowledge and skills (application); become capable of synthesizing concepts, acquired knowledge, and ideas (integration); acknowledge the individual and social consequences of problems, concerns, and/or issues (human dimension); recognize their thoughts and feelings (caring); and understand their own learning (learning how to learn) (Fink, 2003).

The Module content can be offered as a new class (or classes), course, programme, or integrated within an existing class, (or existing classes) course, or programme. The topic breakdown included in the key issues section of the Modules enables academics to select from those topics that meet their needs within a single Module or across Modules in the E4J University Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Module Series.

Table with topics of each Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Module in the Series

Module 1: United Nations Norms and Standards on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

  • Topic One: Introducing the United Nations standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice vis-à-vis international law
  • Topic Two: The scope of United Nations standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice
  • Topic Three: The United Nations standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice in practice

Module 2: Crime Prevention

  • Topic One: Definition of crime prevention and terminology
  • Topic Two: Key crime prevention typologies
  • Topic Two Cont.: Detailed explanation of Tonry and Farrington's typology
  • Topic Three: Crime problem-solving approaches
  • Topic Four: What works

Module 3: Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Proceedings

  • Topic One: Introduction to the international standards and norms
  • Topic Two: Identifying the need for legal aid, and the benefits and costs of legal aid
  • Topic Three: Key components of the right of access to legal aid
  • Topic Four: Access to legal aid for those with specific needs
  • Topic Five: Models for governing, administering and funding legal aid
  • Topic Six: Models for delivering legal aid services
  • Topic Seven: Roles and responsibilities of legal aid providers, and other criminal justice officials
  • Topic Eight: Quality assurance and legal aid services

Module 4: Use of Force and Firearms

  • Topic One: The context for use of force by law enforcement officials
  • Topic Two: The legal framework
  • Topic Three: The general principles of use of force in law enforcement
  • Topic Four: The use of firearms
  • Topic Five: The use of "less-lethal" weapons
  • Topic Six: The protection of especially vulnerable groups
  • Topic Seven: The use of force during assemblies

Module 5: Police Accountability, Integrity and Oversight

  • Topic One: Policing in democracies and the need for accountability, integrity, oversight
  • Topic Two: Key mechanisms and actors in police accountability and oversight
  • Topic Three: Crosscutting and contemporary issues in police accountability

Module 6: Prison Reform

  • Topic One: Introducing the aims of punishment, imprisonment and the concept of prison reform
  • Topic Two: Current trends, key challenges and human rights
  • Topic Three: Towards humane prisons and an appropriate resort to alternative sanctions

Module 7: Alternatives to Imprisonment

  • Topic One: Aims and significance of alternatives to imprisonment
  • Topic Two: Justifying punishment in the community
  • Topic Three: Pretrial alternatives
  • Topic Four: Post trial alternatives
  • Topic Five: Evaluating alternatives

Module 8: Restorative Justice

  • Topic One: Concept, values and origin of restorative justice
  • Topic Two: Overview of restorative justice processes
  • Topic Three: How cost effective is restorative justice?
  • Topic Four: Issues in implementing restorative justice

Module 9: Gender in the Criminal Justice System

  • Topic One: Gender-based discrimination and women in conflict with the law
  • Topic Two: The vulnerabilities of girls in conflict with the law
  • Topic Three: Discrimination and violence against individuals that identify as, or are perceived to be, LGBTI
  • Topic Four: Gender diversity in the criminal justice workforce

Module 10: Violence against Women and Girls

  • Topic One: Ending violence against women
  • Topic Two: Human rights approaches to violence against women
  • Topic Three: Who has rights in this situation? Prosecuting domestic violence and sexual violence - a human rights approach
  • Topic Four: What about the men? Transforming stereotypes and acting in solidarity to end discrimination and violence for everyone
  • Topic Five: Local, regional and global solutions to violence against women and girls

Module 11: Justice for Victims

  • Topic One: Understanding the concept of victims of crime and a short history of victimology
  • Topic Two: The impact of crime, including trauma
  • Topic Three: The rights of victims to an adequate response to their needs
  • Topic Four: Collecting victim data
  • Topic Five: Victims and their participation in the criminal justice process
  • Topic Six: Victim services, institutional and non-governmental organization
  • Topic Seven: A brief outlook on current developments regarding victims
  • Topic Eight: Victims and international law, including international human rights law and international criminal law

Module 12: Violence against Children

  • Topic One: The many forms of violence against children
  • Topic Two: The impact of violence on children
  • Topic Three: States obligations to prevent VAC and protect child victims
  • Topic Four: Improving the prevention of violence against children
  • Topic Five: Improving the criminal justice response to VAC
  • Topic Six: Addressing violence against children within the justice system

Module 13: Justice for Children

  • Topic One: The role of the justice system
  • Topic Two: The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Legal Framework on Children’s Rights
  • Topic Three: Justice for children
  • Topic Four: Justice for children in conflict with the law
  • Topic Five: Realizing justice for children in the face of contemporary challenges

Module 14: Independence of the Judiciary and the Role of Prosecutors

  • Topic One: Judicial independence
  • Topic Two: The role of public prosecutors

In addition to combining different topics from the same and/or different Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Modules, academics can also integrate topics from other E4J University Module Serieson the core mandates of UNODC, such as anti-corruption, counter-terrorism, cybercrime, firearms, integrity and ethics, organized crime, trafficking in persons/smuggling of migrants, and wildlife crime. Academics can thus create custom courses that meet the needs of their students.

The content of E4J University Module Series can be linked and cross referenced in order to enrich courses and/or classes. For example, Modules from the E4J University Module Series on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice could be combined with one or more of the Modules from a different E4J University Module Series (see below table) or one or more topics from one or more Modules within different E4J University Module Series. A case in point is the creation of a class or course on focusing on gender, crime, and criminal justice, which includes content from the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Module 10 on Violence Against Women and Girls and the content of Cybercrime Module 12 on Interpersonal Cybercrime, particularly the section on Gender-Based Interpersonal Cybercrime, as well as the content from Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Module 9 on Gender in the Criminal Justice System, Organized Crime Module 15 on Gender and Organized Crime, and Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Module 13 on Gender Dimensions of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants.

Table with Modules of each E4J Module Series (click on the image to open the full table)

Academics are encouraged to combine Modules and/or topics from Modules, by deriving content from any of the Modules from these E4J University Module Series. For this purpose, registered users on the E4J website have access to a “build your own course” feature that enables them to customize and arrange the selected Modules in the order they are required. This customized feature produces a pdf of the combined content using this tool (Note: Assistance in the form of both a step-by-step guide and a video tutorial can be found here).

 
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