Diploma in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Objectives

The main objectives of this programme are to

  1. Provide students with competency in the areas of  crime in Sri Lanka, theories related to criminology, research methods related to criminology, nature and operation of the criminal justice system and its relation to other social structures, institutions and culture, range of criminal justice policies, their effectiveness and their limitations and build competent and effective communication in relation to criminological concepts and their applications.
  2. Provide students with competencies in the areas of administration of criminal justice, law enforcement, law adjudication, corrections, criminological theory, research and analytical methods.
  3. To provide students with education regarding current technology in the field and provide students with a background in quantitative and qualitative reasoning.
  4. To provide students with the opportunity to examine the diverse issues in criminal justice.

SLQF Level 3

NVQ Level 5

 

Programme Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be able to

  1. Explain the underlying philosophies, history, processes, components, and best practices of the Criminal Justice system (i.e., police, courts, correctional agencies).
  2. Analyze the role of ethics, diversity, culture, political power, and corporate power on the components of the Criminal Justice system.
  3. Evaluate the nature, extent, causation, and prevention of crime and critique the major criminological theories.
  4. Demonstrate social scientific research methodologies and analyze data to formulate defensible conclusions. 
  5. Apply the principles of substantive, procedural, and evidentiary criminal laws that regulate and guide the Criminal Justice system and its actors and apply classroom-based information to a real-world setting (e.g., social support agency, police department, courtroom, correctional facility) and critically examine the practices, policies, or processes of that setting.

Description of the Course

The development policy analysis has become important for Sri Lanka since the country intends to achieve a higher growth rate every year. However, the country’s growth rate and the entire development has not been satisfactory throughout the post independent period. As such, it is important to train those who are interested in development policy with a more specialty. This diploma programme accomplishes this goal by offering a broad array of analytical techniques, a wide perspective on pressing policy issues, and practical experience in the dynamics of policy-making organizations at local and national level.

The role of knowledge in the policy process has remained a central theoretical puzzle in policy analysis. The evidence-based policy making has focused on the debate on questions of how knowledge use can improve the quality of policy choices. The overall objective of this programme is to provide an opportunity to explore the way in which theory and evidence can be used to analyze contemporary policy issues. The programme should be of particular value to students who intend to work as professionals in government institutions or other agencies, where they will be expected to provide analysis and advice on specific issues of policy, including new and unfamiliar issues.

 

Course Structure

Subject Code 

Name of the Subject

No. of lecture Hours

Notional Learning Hours

Credit

 

Semester 1

     

DCRM 1110

Basic concepts and theories of criminology

45

150

3

DCRM 1120

Criminological Research Methods

45

150

3

DCRM 1130

Police and community

45

150

3

DCRM 1140

Criminal law and judicial process

45

150

3

 

Semester 11

     

DCRM 1210

Crime Prevention

45

150

3

DCRM 1220

Punishment and Rehabilitation

45

150

3

DCRM 1230

Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science

45

150

3

DCRM 1240

Computer Crimes/Hi Tech Crimes

45

150

3

DCRM 1250

Conflict Resolution and Mediation

45

300

3

DCRM 1990

Independent Research

     
 

450

1500

30