Part 1

In Part 1 of TMA 05, you will demonstrate the skill of comparing and contrasting. As part of this, you will demonstrate your ability to construct an argument by explaining how the two models are similar and different.

As the question suggests, the material for this essay will be found in Week 23: Deconstructing youth justice. It is essential that you use the module materials in this week’s work to support the points you make. Both Chapter 15: Deconstructing youth justice and Week 23 of the module website explain models of justice that have been developed by criminologists to help to make sense of the complex social world. Four such models are discussed, but you are being asked to compare and contrast the following two only:

• due process model
• rights model

You will find a breakdown of the due process model, which seeks to administer justice by using fair legal rules and procedures underpinned by an impartial judicial system, in Section 1.1 of Chapter 15 and, in particular Table 15.1. It is also discussed in Activity 23.1 and in Section 3 of Week 23, where it is examined in the context of James Bulger’s killers.

The rights model of justice (also referred to in the materials as the human rights model or children’s rights model) seeks to ensure that human rights are respected and to protect democratic freedoms. The focus in Week 23 is on how this model might be applied in order to deliver justice to children and young people. You will find an overview of this model in Section 4 of Chapter 15 and in Section 5 of Week 23. In Week 23, you will also find the case study of responses to the death of Silje Redergard.

The material in Section 6 of Week 23, which compares and contrasts models of justice, so this will also be of use when preparing your essay.

In comparing and contrasting the due process model with the rights model, remember to highlight both similarities and differences. Both models have things in common, even if there are significant differences in the way they imagine and understand the concept of criminal justice.