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Criminal Justice Policy

Code: 100445 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Criminology OB 3

Contact

Name:
Daniela Gaddi
Email:
daniela.gaddi@uab.cat

Teachers

Gustavo Javier Fondevila Perez

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to enroll in this course. However, it is recommended students pass "Criminal Law" and "Introduction to Law" with an above average mark.

The seminars will be taught in Spanish.

The course will be given taking into account the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This course aims to develop students’ ability to identify institutional approaches to crime as complex political decisions involving different inputs and interests, which go beyond the effectiveness of crime prevention plicies. Moreover, the course intends to encourage critical thought about the principles, the motivations, the aims, the functions and the ideologies in regard to crime policy options. Finally, at the end of the course students should be able to identify the current trends in crime policy, as defined by relevant literature, and to match them with political decisions on specific issues.


Competences

  • Ability to analyse and summarise.
  • Drawing up an academic text.
  • Generating innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Reflecting on the foundations of criminology (theoretical, empirical and ethical-political ones) and expressing this in analysis and propositions.
  • Students must be capable of autonomously updating their criminological knowledge.
  • Students must demonstrate they comprehend the criminological theories.
  • Students must demonstrate they know a variety of criminal policies in order to face criminality and its different foundations.
  • Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  • Working autonomously.
  • Working in teams and networking.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Ability to analyse and summarise.
  2. Applying the variety of criminal policies and their foundations in the criminological field.
  3. Drawing up an academic text.
  4. Effectively using the theoretical foundations of criminology.
  5. Generating innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  6. Inferring the scientific knowledge of criminology in the applied field.
  7. Students must show interest for the scientific updates in the criminological field.
  8. Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  9. Working autonomously.
  10. Working in teams and networking.

Content

 

GENERAL PART

  • Topic 1: Definition of Crime Policy: conceptions, functions, characteristics, relationship with criminal law and criminology
  • Topic 2: Evolution of Crime Policy: Transformation of the State and models of Crime Policy. The limits of Crime Policy in a social, democratic, and rule-of-law State. The crisis of penal welfarism
  • Topic 3: Actors of Crime Policy. Institutions: legislative bodies, judicial system, penitentiary system, administrative institutions, and regulatory agencies. Media and lobbies
  • Topic 4: Current trends in Crime Policy: inclusive and exclusive models. Expansion of criminal law and punitive populism. “Enemy” criminal law, “security” criminal law, and “risk” criminal law. Persistence of resocialization policies. Restorative justice
  • Topic 5: The influence of Criminology on Crime Policy. Historical evolution and current trends. Evidence-based Crime Policy. The tension between criminological knowledge and crime policy decisions
  • Topic 6: The influence of supranational organizations on Crime Policy. The role of the United Nations and European institutions. Crime Policy and Human Rights. Transposition of European directives into national legislation of member states. Lobbies and European regulation
  • Topic 7: Crime policies at the local level. Crime prevention in urban contexts and security management by local police. Administrative sanctions and municipal ordinances. Media and lobbies as conditioning factors of urban security policies.

SPECIAL PART

  • Topic 8: Issues of Crime Policy related to immigration. Immigration policies, criminal law, and administrative sanctions. Immigration policies and human trafficking. The role of scientific evidence in crime policy decisions concerning immigration
  • Topic 9: Issues of Crime Policy related to the environment. Peculiarity of environmental offenses. The concepts of crime, victim and offender from the perspective of the Green Criminology. Police competencies in the prevention of environmental crimes: the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) and the Environmental Units of the Mossos d’Esquadra.

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lecture Classes 19.5 0.78 2, 6, 7
Workshops 19.5 0.78 2, 6, 7, 1, 8, 10
Type: Autonomous      
Individual work and group work 106 4.24 2, 6, 7, 3, 1, 8, 9, 10

Introductory session. Part of the first lesson will be devoted to explaining objectives, methodology and evaluation criteria.

Lectures. Lectures will present the theoretical aspects of each topic of the course.

Individual work. Students will be expected to study the assigned readings in order to strengthen and deepen their understanding of the theoretical classes. In other words, students should not only study the notes they take during lectures but should also broaden their knowledge of each topic of the course by making use of the provided bibliographic material.

Workshops. The workshops will usually be devoted to working in group on case studies, in order to strengthen theoretical knowledge. All activities carried out in the seminars are designed to enhance students' ability to collaborate and work alongside others in their learning process.

Tutorials. Students will be offered personal tutorials, both to clarify some doubts about specific topics of the course and to discuss their on-going evaluation process.

All the activities described above will be complemented with lectures offered by experts who will provide students with practical examples of some of the topics of the course.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Attendance and participation (lectures and seminars) 10% 0 0 2, 5, 6, 7, 1, 8, 10
Exam 30% 0 0 2, 5, 6, 7, 3, 1, 8, 9, 10, 4
Final exam (test) 35% 5 0.2 2, 6, 3, 1, 9
Work on specific issues and practical cases 25% 0 0 2, 6, 7, 3, 1, 8, 10

Evaluation model. The evaluation model is continuous; therefore, the final mark will be obtained by evaluating the following activities throughout the semester:

  1. Two assessment activities will check the students’ understanding and knowledge of bibliographic and lectures material of the first and second part of the course and will consist in four brief questions to be answered in writing (30% of the final mark, 15% each activity).
  2. One assessment activity will evaluate the students' ability to apply theoretical concepts to practical issues (25% of the final mark).
  3. A final test will check the students’ understanding and knowledge of all the contents of the course and will consist of a multiple-choice test (35% of the final mark).

Active participation: Active participation, which demonstrates that students have achieved an above average mastery of the course material and objectives, will be positively evaluated (10% of the final mark).

Scoring criteria. Each activity will be graded on a scale from 0 to 10. In order to pass the course, students will need to obtain an average of 5 or above for any of the evaluated activities. Students who do not obtain the minimum mark will be able to resit for that activity during the reassessment period.

Requirements to be assessed. Students will be assessable as long as they have completed a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the final mark. If the value of the completed activities does not reach this threshold, professors may consider students as not assessable.

Attendance. Attendance at lectures and workshops is compulsory. Therefore, a student who does not attend at least 80% of the classes will not be assessed. Absences will be allowed only in case of medical reasons or exceptional circumstances. An absence note will be required. Any academic reason for non-attendance should be previously authorized by the professor. Attendance will be supervised in both lectures and workshops. Absence at any assessment activity will only be justified for medical reasons.

Punctuality. Classes start on time. Late arrival or early exit is not admitted, save in duly justified circumstances.

Cheating. Cheating at any evaluation activity will imply a fail mark (0) and students will lose the right to a new assessment. Plagiarism will lead to a fail mark (0) and to a warning. In the case of reoccurrence, the student will be given a fail mark (0) and will lose the right to resit. The use of AI to write assignments will be considered a form of plagiarism.

Single evaluation model

For students who opt for the single evaluation model the final mark will also be obtained by evaluating three types of activities to be completed in 1,5 hours on the same day:

  1. One assessment activity will check the students’ understanding and knowledge of bibliographic and lectures material as well as their analysis and synthesis skills. This activity will consist in two brief questions to be answered in writing in 20 minutes (30% of the final mark).
  2. One assessment activity will check the students’ ability to apply the theoretical content of the course to resolve a practical case and to infer appropriate intervention models based on an effective prior assessment of needs. Students will first have to elaborate in 40 minutes an appropriate solution in class (without the possibility of consulting course material) (30% of the final mark).
  3. One assessment activity will objectively check students’ knowledge of distinct aspects of the course and will consist of a multiple-choice exam tobe completed in 30 minutes (40% of the finalmark).

In order to pass the course, students need to know the content of the Manual and of all mandatory readings, as well as all the content of all class and seminars materials which will be published on the virtual campus.

Just as the rest of the students, those who choose the single evaluation model shall have the right to be attended by the professor responsible for the course, throughout the semester, during the established tutoring hours.

 


Bibliography

 HANDBOOK

Students need to consult the following handbook to complement the theoretical classes:

  • Ruiz-Rodríguez, L. R., Miró-Llinares, F., Pérez-Machío, A. I., & González-Agudelo, G. (2022). Manual de política criminal. Atelier, Libros Jurídicos. Only pp. 23-188

MANDATORY READINGS

Topic 1: Definition of Crime Policy: conceptions, functions, characteristics, relationship with criminal law and criminology

  • Class material

Topic 2: Evolution of Crime Policy: Transformation of the State and models of Crime Policy. The limits of Crime Policy in a social, democratic, and rule-of-law State. The crisis of penal welfarism

  • Class material
  • Garland, D. (2020). Penal controls and social controls: Toward a theory of American penal exceptionalism. Punishment & Society, 22(3), 321-352. https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474519881992

Topic 3: Actors of Crime Policy. Institutions: legislative bodies, judicial system, penitentiary system, administrative institutions, and regulatory agencies. Media and lobbies

  • Class material

Topic 4: Current trends in Crime Policy: inclusive and exclusive models. Expansion of criminal law and punitive populism. “Enemy” criminal law, “security” criminal law, and “risk” criminal law. Persistence of resocialization policies. Restorative justice

  • Antón-Mellón, J., & Antón-Carbonell Elisenda (2018). Populismo punitivo, opinión pública y leyes penales en España (1995-2016). Revista Internacional de Pensamiento Político, 12, 133-150

Topic 5: The influence of Criminology on Crime Policy. Historical evolution and current trends. Evidence-based Crime Policy. The tension between criminological knowledge and crime policy decisions

  • Class material
  • Welsh, B. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2011). Evidence-based crime policy. In M. Tonry (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of crime and criminal justice (pp. 60-92). Oxford University Press

Topic 6: The influence of supranational organizations on Crime Policy. The role of the United Nations and European institutions. Crime Policy and Human Rights. Transposition of European directives into national legislation of member states. Lobbies and European regulation

  • Class material

Topic 7: Crime policies at the local level. Crime prevention in urban contexts and security management by local police. Administrative sanctions and municipal ordinances. Media and lobbies as conditioning factors of urban security policies.

  • Ruiz-Rodríguez, L. R. (2010). La gestión urbana de la seguridad: política criminal y municipios. Revista Electrónica de Ciencia penal y Criminología, 12(09), 1-25

Topic 8: Issues of Crime Policy related to immigration. Immigration policies, criminal law, and administrative sanctions. Immigration policies and human trafficking. The role of scientific evidence in crime policy decisions concerning immigration

  • García-España, E. (2024). Inmigración y delincuencia: la falacia de una sospecha. Boletín Criminológico, (30), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.24310/bc.30.2024.20680

Topic 9: Issues of Crime Policy related to the environment. Peculiarity of environmental offenses. The concepts of crime, victim and offender from the perspective of the Green Criminology. Police competencies in the prevention of environmental crimes: the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) and the Environmental Units of the Mossos d’Esquadra.

  • Baucells-Lladós, J. (2024). ¿Nuevas perspectivas para el delito ecológico en España? A propósito de la nueva Directiva relativa a la protección del medio ambiente mediante el Derecho penal y por la que se sustituye la Directiva 2008/99/CE. Revista Catalana de Dret Ambiental, 15(1), 1-38.

OTHER BIBLIOGRAPHY

For studying, may be useful to consult the following bibliography as well:

  • Grupo de Estudios de Política Criminal (2024). Una propuesta alternativa de regulación de los delitos contra el medio ambiente. Tirant lo blanch.

Note: Any possible update in the bibliography will be communicated through the Moodle.


Software

Basic software (MS Office tools)


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 11 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 12 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 13 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed