Certificate in Criminal Justice Administration
This is a course developed especially for police staff involved in the preparation and processing of prosecution cases. The current syllabus is the result of wide-ranging consultation with police forces.
The course is set at roughly 'A' level standard. Successful candidates will receive a Certificate in Criminal Justice Administration awarded by ILEX Tutorial College. The course is endorsed by Skillsmark, the quality mark for training programmes in the justice sector.
The syllabus
The syllabus provides a good working knowledge of both criminal law and procedure, and has been developed and updated in consultation with police managers and training managers. The course is practical in nature and procedurally orientated. The syllabus includes procedures such as the statutory charging scheme and the Criminal Case Management Framework, as well as covering important legislation such as the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and SOCPA 2005.
Case study
Derbyshire Constabulary took a decision in 2008 to introduce the role of File Builder into the Criminal Justice department. The aim of the initiative was to release officers’ time equivalent to putting 58 officers back on the beat, a saving of £3.3 million.
The key objective of the new File Builder role is to assume responsibility for the build and expansion of prosecution files in accordance with national standards and time targets. The role also involves obtaining statements from victims and witnesses and providing support to help secure their attendance at court.
Part of the requirement of the role was for the File Builders to study ILEX Tutorial College’s Certificate in Criminal Justice Administration and all staff have successfully completed their training. Pictured below with Superintendent Kevin Lea, Head of Criminal Justice at Derbyshire Constabulary, proudly displaying their certificates are the cohort completing their course in early 2010 - from left to right Dawn Riley, Lynn Pickard, Glyn Ivings, Stephanie Gent, Catherine Johnstone and Lorraine Killa. Glyn Ivings said "I found the course to be well structured and easy to follow. It has been interesting and I have been finding the knowledge useful when dealing with victims and witnesses."
Course structure
There is a face-to-face induction day with an experienced Criminal Justice tutor, and after that the course is delivered by distance learning. The induction day introduces students to distance learning, and gives them detailed guidance on preparing for, and writing, an assignment. Most importantly, the induction day gives students the motivation and confidence to tackle the work.There are four on-line assignments, and three written assignments. Students receive feedback on their written work from their personal tutor. The marks on all assignments contribute to the overall mark for the course.
The assignments are designed to help students work through and understand the topics. Students are referred to relevant chapters from their course manual and are set assignment questions based on their reading. The on-line assignments test knowledge by multiple choice and similar questioning. Line managers will need to agree a mutually convenient time for students to complete these four assignments at work during four one-hour sessions. The remaining three assignments require students to submit written answers. Students may refer to their course materials for written assignments.
Course duration
Tutor marking is available for a period of one year from the date of enrolment. The course is intended to be very flexible so that students can work at their own speed. However there are final submission dates for each assignment, to make sure that students make steady progress with their studies throughout the year and are not faced with unrealistic workloads towards the end of the year. We recommend that training managers help students to set a realistic timetable and provide some study leave to prepare for each assignment. Our research shows that students who receive support for their studies from their managers are most likely to complete the course.
Course materials
The study pack includes three ITC course manuals and a CJA supplement, three written assignments, four on-line assignments and a student handbook including administrative information and a comprehensive study guide.
Students are also given a password to the course-specific Student Area on the website, where they can pose academic queries to the on-line tutor, as well as gain access to the LexisNexis legal database. Podcasts on selected topics can also be downloaded from the Student Area to help with the understanding and assimilation of legal concepts. Telephone support is available during office hours from ITC's academic team.
Course assessment
ILEX Tutorial College will award a Certificate in Criminal Justice Administration to those students who pass all seven assignments. Students can re-submit up to two multiple choice assignments and one written assignment if they fail on first submission.
Course fee
The price is £485 plus VAT (£569.88), to include the induction day and the distance learning course. If students pay personally then an instalment option is available. Details are on the application form.
Further study
Certificate holders are exempt from Unit 1 Introduction to Law and Practice, Unit 3 Criminal Law and Unit 11 Criminal Litigation in the new ILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice, which is the first stage of legal executive training. Successful students may also consider enrolling with ITC on the new ITC Specialist Course in Disclosure, or on a course leading to an ILEX Level 6 Single Subject Certificate in Criminal Law or Criminal Litigation. The Certificate in Criminal Justice Administration is also recognised by a number of universities to provide access to their part-time law degree course.
Application
To apply for this course please download and submit the application form below. This course is open to employees of police forces in England and Wales only.
Download application: CJA Application Autumn 2010.pdf
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