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Unit of Study LAW00120 - Victimology (2020)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    N/A

Unit description

Examines the discipline of victimology including social, psychological, financial and legal consequences of criminal victimisation. Explores the past, present and suggested future rights of crime victims. Contemporary issues include the appropriate role of victims in the criminal justice system, victim impact statements, the right of crime victims to compensation and restitution, the special needs of various categories of crime victims, restorative justice and whether other types of victims should be included in the study of victimology.

Unit content

Module 1: The history, scope, extent and theories of Victimology - The nature, concerns and scope of victimology - The extent of criminal victimisation - Theoretical perspectives - The process, effects and consequences of criminal victimisation. 

Module 2: Victims and the criminal justice system (CJS) - Crime victims and the Australian CJS - history, role and rights - The relationship between crime victims and key personnel within the Australian CJS - Comparative perspectives - is there a better way forward for crime victims in the CJS? 

Module 3: Assisting the recovery of victims - Psychological recovery - Financial recovery from the offender and from third parties - Financial recovery from government victim compensation schemes

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2020

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 identify the historical origins and modern developments within the discipline of victimology, review the debates concerning the scope of victimology and the different theoretical and political perspectives concerning the role of victimology in society;
2 assess the extent of criminal victimisation in society, and demonstrate an awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of crime victim statistics;
3 describe and explain the social, emotional, psychological and financial consequences of crime upon victims, and identify the means by which crime victims can be aided in their psychological recovery;
4 recognise the historical traditional role of the crime victims in common law criminal justice systems, discuss the present role of crime victims in the Australian criminal justice system, examine their relationship with important actors within that system, including the police, prosecutors and corrections and critically evaluate alternatives to the role and rights of victims in the Australian criminal justice system, especially restorative justice;
5 identify and assess the rights of crime victims to sue the offender and/or third parties, to obtain a restitution order against an offender in a criminal court, and to claim government funded victim compensation;
6 evaluate the situation and special needs of a category of crime victims, or victims of a specific crime; and
7 demonstrate an ability to conduct research in the field of victimology, and enhance their skills in legal research, critical analysis and the written presentation of research and argument.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. identify the historical origins and modern developments within the discipline of victimology, review the debates concerning the scope of victimology and the different theoretical and political perspectives concerning the role of victimology in society;
    • GA2:
  2. assess the extent of criminal victimisation in society, and demonstrate an awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of crime victim statistics;
    • GA4:
  3. describe and explain the social, emotional, psychological and financial consequences of crime upon victims, and identify the means by which crime victims can be aided in their psychological recovery;
    • GA1:
  4. recognise the historical traditional role of the crime victims in common law criminal justice systems, discuss the present role of crime victims in the Australian criminal justice system, examine their relationship with important actors within that system, including the police, prosecutors and corrections and critically evaluate alternatives to the role and rights of victims in the Australian criminal justice system, especially restorative justice;
    • GA4:
  5. identify and assess the rights of crime victims to sue the offender and/or third parties, to obtain a restitution order against an offender in a criminal court, and to claim government funded victim compensation;
    • GA4:
  6. evaluate the situation and special needs of a category of crime victims, or victims of a specific crime; and
    • GA2:
  7. demonstrate an ability to conduct research in the field of victimology, and enhance their skills in legal research, critical analysis and the written presentation of research and argument.
    • GA1: