Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Social Science School
In recent years the effectiveness of the criminal justice system has come under sustained criticism. This has demanded policy responses underpinned by strategies and tactics informed by sound, scientific evidence and rigorous program evaluation. This course will teach students to recognise, assess, and generate evidence-based crime policies across a range of contexts and criminal justice domains such as police, courts, and corrections. This will include a focus on how government and non-government agencies can develop "upstream" responses; that is policies and programs that aim to prevent crime before they become "downstream" problems requiring responses by the criminal justice system. This requires an evidence-based approach that emphasises problem solving and analysis. Topics will include program design and evaluation and the course will cover various crime prevention approaches such as crime prevention through environmental design, situational crime prevention, social prevention, and developmental crime prevention.
The course will be presented as a series of in-class formal seminars that will involve a mix of teaching and learning methods, including presentations, guest speakers, class discussions, practical activities and collaborative group work. Seminars are designed to provide an understanding of the core concepts, theory, policy and techniques of evidence-based crime control/prevention, as well as the politics and processes involved in implementing and evaluating crime prevention programs.
Course requirements
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
CRIM7000, CRIM7119, CRIM7080
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
CRIM7120, CRIM7121, CRIM2120, CRIM2140, CRIM3120
Course contact
School enquiries
Student Enquiries School of Social Science
Level 3, Michie Building (09), St Lucia campus, The University of Queensland.
Monday-Friday, 9:00am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-4:00pm.
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
1: Examine concepts and explanations as they relate to evidence-based crime policy.
2: Understand the process of developing evidence-based criminal control policy and translating evidence into policy and ﾠpractice.
3:ﾠﾠDevelop the capacity of students to comprehend and practically apply crime prevention theory.
4: Evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches to the prevention and control of crime.
5: Acquire knowledge related to the design, planning and implementation of crime control/prevention policy.
6: Acquire theoretical knowledge and problem-solving skills that equip students with the ability to research and develop practical responses to crime.
7: Develop the capacity to work collaboratively.
8: Gain confidence in expressing your opinion, written and orally.ﾠ
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Capacity to recognise, assess and generate evidence-based crime policies.
LO2.
Ability to scrutinize the integrity and effectiveness of different crime policies.
LO3.
Understanding of the complexities in adopting evidence-based crime policies.
LO4.
Ability to identify rigorous evaluation methods to inform evidence-based crime policies
LO5.
Work collaboratively with others and complete group work tasks
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Policy brief
|
40% |
2/04/2025 12:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique | Assessment 2: Using AI and logic models to generate, implement and evaluate juvenile justice policy | 60% |
26/05/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Policy brief
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
2/04/2025 12:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
Task description
This piece of assessment is intended to mimic the often crude policy making processes that take place in the real world, where there may be little time to prepare, and where clear communication, both verbally and in writing, is at a premium. In Week 6 students will produce a (maximum 2 page) policy brief, with little time or notice, on a subject of the instructor’s choosing. This exercise is intended to simulate a frequent real world policy scenario where senior decision makers, often reacting to emerging events and needing to act quickly, seek guidance at the last minute. The policy brief will be structured as a response to an email requesting advice on a course of action related to a triggering event. After receiving the assigned topic, students will have approximately 48 hours to complete the brief.
The topic will be uploaded to blackboard and emailed to the students' University of Queensland email account on 31st of March 8am
The brief is due on 2nd April 12 noon. Students will need to submit their brief electronically through turn-it-in on blackboard. There will be no class scheduled for the 31st of March.
The brief will account for 40% of a student’s final grade.
What to include in your brief:
- Provide an overview of the problem:
- What is the problem?
- For whom, how and why?
- What is the extent of the problem?
- What makes this a public policy issue?
- Why has this come to the government’s attention?
- Provide a brief paragraph critiquing on current policy/approach to the problem. Make sure this is based on 'evidence'.
- What approach is currently being implemented and what evidence exists for this approach?
- What are some alternative options (perhaps being used in other jurisdictions) that are supported by evidence (have been evaluated)?
- Based on evidence, propose a course of action related to the problem and justify your recommendations refering to theory and evidence.
- What was the theoretical basis for the approach? (e.g. According to Routine Activity Theory opportunities for crime occur when offender and target come together in time and space in the absence of a guardian so an intervention may have focused on target hardening to make the target more difficult to reach. Another example, an intervention based on deterrence/ rational choice theories that purport the rational nature of criminal decision making may increase patrols and penalties to heighten the certainty of detection and consequences of offending).
- What is required to implement the policy (resources, training, legislation) and who are the key stakeholders (police, courts, corrections, health providers)?
- How can the policy be evaluated?
- Potential limitations and/or unintended consequences?
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Use of AI: Use of AI: This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date.
Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted.
By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own.
You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
A critical element of this assessment is being able to respond quickly to a request therefore part of the criteria being tested is the students ability to complete the assessment within the specified time frame.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval.
Assessment 2: Using AI and logic models to generate, implement and evaluate juvenile justice policy
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
26/05/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
Identifying and assessing potential criminal justice programs and policies to tackle juvenile crime: Using AI and Logic Models
Context:
Imagine you are a criminal justice policy analyst tasked with identifying and evaluating potential policy proposals to tackle juvenile crime issues. You decide to use an AI system (such as ChatGPT) to provide an outline of potential policy and program interventions. You will use this as a foundation for your own assessment of previous empirical scholarly studies before selecting a particular program to trial and evaluate.
For this assessment you are required to complete 3 tasks:
(1) Generate a policy that aims to address juvenile crime by focusing on both prevention and effective responses to offenses committed by minors using an AI system, such as ChatGPT. You will attach your AI system output as an appendix.
(2) Critically assess the policy/programs provided by the AI system based on scholarly literature: Think about the following aspects of the policy components/programs:
- Effectiveness: How likely is the policy to reduce juvenile crime rates? Use evidence, theories, or studies on juvenile delinquency and effective interventions to support your response.
- Feasibility: Consider the practicalities of implementation. Are there financial, social or logistical barriers to the policy’s success?
- Equity: Does the policy adequately address the needs of individuals in marginalized groups? Will the policy have unintended consequences for some groups?
- Ethical considerations: Is the policy fair and just in its consideration and treatment of juvenile offenders? Consider, right to respect, safety and
(3) Based on your assessment of the literature, select one component of the AI generated policy that you are going to trial. Generate a detailed project logic model outlining the inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes involved in the implementation and evaluation of the component of the juvenile crime prevention and response policy that you are going to trial. For example, based on your review of the literature you might decide to trial diversion programs for low-level or first time juvenile offenders committing non-violent offenses. The programs might include: restorative justice circles; community service; life skills workshops; and educational support such as tutoring and mentoring to improve academic engagement. You need to develop a logic model outlining what this trial and evaluation would look like.
NOTE: It is essential that your selection of the program you use in your logic model is based on your assessment of the literature (task 2).
When evaluating a juvenile justice policy or program component, a logic model can help outline how the policy aims to prevent and respond to juvenile crime, as well as identify expected outcomes and how to measure them.
Your report should include (1) an introduction, (2) a summary of the policy you generated using chat GPT (3) a review of the literature that shows support for elements of the generated policy AND/OR critiques elements of the generated policy, (4) a paragraph stating which element of the generated policy you would most recommend based on the literature review (approximately 1500-1800 words). You should then provide a logic model as Figure 1 including inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes specific to the implementation of your recommended policy. We will practice the development of logic models in class.
In total your assessment piece should be between 1500-1800 words - not including your logic model. You can use sub-headings to organise your work. You should reference academic journal articles and policy reports. A full reference list is required. You must attach you Chat GPT generated policy as Appendix 1.
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Use of AI: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date.
Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted.
By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own.
You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time.
The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic.
In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) or an Extension Verification Letter (EVL) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ).
Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.
Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements.
Students may be asked to supply the work they have completed to date on the assessment piece. This is to establish what efforts have already been made to complete the assessment, and whether the proposed work plan is feasible. Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team.
Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Supplementary assessment is an additional opportunity to demonstrate that the learning requirements for an eligible course have been satisfied and that the graduate attributes for the course have been attained. Supplementary assessment may only be granted where Supplementary Assessment – procedures allow. A passing grade of 4 (or P) is the highest grade that can be awarded in a course where supplementary assessment has been granted. For further information on supplementary assessment please see my.UQ.
Additional assessment information
Academic Integrity: All students must complete the Academic Integrity Modules https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity/
School Guide for Written Assessments: School of Social Science Guide for Written Assessments
Release of Marks: The marks and feedback for assessments will be released to students in a timely manner, prior to the due date of the next assessment piece for the course. This is with the exception of the final piece of assessment. The marks and feedback for the final assessment item will only be made available to the student on the Finalisation of Grades date at the end of semester.
Assessment Re-mark: For information on requesting an assessment re-mark, please view the following page on my.UQ: https://my.uq.edu.au/querying-result
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Seminar |
Week 7: Crime prevention & evidence-based problem solving
Seminar activity: The crime prevention triangle |
|
Seminar |
Week 8: Social crime prevention
Seminar activity: Identifying risk and protective factors |
|
Seminar |
Week 9: Situational crime prevention
Seminar activity: situational analysis |
|
Seminar |
Week 10: Crime prevention through environmental design
Seminar activity Crime prevention scenarios |
|
Seminar |
Week 11: Evaluating crime prevention/control programs
Seminar activity - Applied Crime Prevention Case Studies (evaluation) |
|
Seminar |
Week 12: Implementing crime prevention
Seminar activity: Putting crime prevention into practice |
|
Seminar |
Week 13 Course summing up and key lessons
|
|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 1: Controlling crime through evidence-based approaches
Seminar activity: Types of evidence to inform policy |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 2: Evidence based policy in policing, courts, and corrections.
Seminar activity: Research translation. |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 3: Evidence-based policy for crime prevention in health settings
Seminar activity: Parliamentary committees and public submissions. |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 4: Translating policy text into practice
Seminar activity: Writing a policy brief |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 5: Evidence based policy for crime control in corporate context
Seminar activity: Evaluating policy through cost benefit analysis |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Peer Assisted Study Session |
Week 6 (no class take home assessment) Take home policy brief will be distributed. Please use this time to work on the assessment due 12 noon THURSDAY 28th March |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.