Criminal Processes

Course Code : LAW 425

Course Title : Criminal Processes

Weekly Teaching Hour: 1 (2-hour) seminar per week

Who may enrol : Optional course for year 4 (Senior) LLB students.

Prerequisites : Previously studied and passed the year 1 Criminal Law LAW 207 course.

Lecturer : To be announced on August 2020

Description : This course is meant for students with a continuing interest in the criminal law. It introduces students to the organising principles of the law of evidence and the rules of sentencing, and it reinforces and builds upon the fundamentals of substantive criminal law as discussed in the 2nd year undergraduate LAW 207

In this course, you will have the opportunity to refresh your knowledge of the substantive criminal law, and to develop it further by studying criminal offences, defences and modes of liability you have not previously studied at MTU Laws. In addition, you will be introduced to the rules of evidence and sentencing, with a view to helping you develop an instinct for how some of the various moving parts of the criminal justice system work, and interact with each other.

The course does not aim for comprehensiveness in coverage – instead, it aims at giving you a flavour of the criminal justice system as a whole. By the end of the course, you should be familiar enough with the subject matter to have a holistic sense of the criminal justice system. Additionally, you should feel comfortable with conducting your own research relating to the criminal justice system, including in relation to matters not directly addressed in the course.

The course will prepare students with an interest in practice to develop their knowledge of these topics further during the BPTC, LPC, or national bar qualification studies. It will also equip students with academic interests in the criminal justice system to explore their particular areas of interests in greater theoretical and practical depth.

Recommended Textbook (s) and Supplementary Books :

  1. and Materials on the Criminal Justice Process, 5th Edition, By Nicola Padfield, Jonathan Bild, publisher: Routledge, 9781138918344
  2. Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the course via online by lecturer.

Course Assessment:

  • Class Participation 10%,

  • Mid-term Examination 30%, 1 x formative essay, 1 x plan for summative

essay

  • Assignments 10%,

  • Final Examination 50%, 50% Open-book 2-hour written examination,

50% Coursework (5,000 words)

Attendance 95 % compulsory.