LMCP5002 Critical Issues in the Criminal Assessment 3 Brief 2026 | DMU

LMCP5002 Assessment 3 Brief 

Assessment Information -What You Need to Do

This assignment is an individual assignment. Please answer the following question:

Considering issues of bias, racism, and theories of justice, critically analyse whether the use of a jury ensures a fair trial as required under the European Convention of Human Rights. In your answer, evaluate the extent to which judge‑only courts might better safeguard fairness, impartiality, and equality before the law.  In your answer, evaluate key structural strengths and limitations of the adversarial model, drawing on research, case law, theories of justice and comparative perspectives where relevant. 

Criteria for Assessment: How You Will Be Marked

Your work will be assessed in accordance with the University grade descriptors.
 
Further information on University mark descriptors can be found here. 
 
This assignment is designed to assess the following learning outcomes: 

• Critically evaluate the adversarial trial and formulate suggestions within a policy framework for ensuring just outcomes for participants.
• Conceptualise and adapt theories and concepts of evidence and procedural scholarship to evaluate contemporary contexts in the criminal trial.
• Critically appraise and apply the theories of justice to a criminal trial.
• Using advanced scholarship, formulate and present effective arguments on the efficacy of the criminal trial as a means of achieving justice.
• Critically analyse the core rules of evidence and procedure that impact upon the criminal trial.

Assessment Details

The presentation time is 10 minutes.

There will be a penalty of a deduction of 10% of the mark for work exceeding the presentation time by 10% or more.
The presentation time includes tables, figures, quotations and citations, but excludes the references list and appendices. 

You also need to submit your slides through Turnitin by the deadline.  There is no word limit on the slides, but it needs to include citations and a bibliography.

How to Submit Your Assessment

The assessment must be submitted by 12:00 noon (GMT/BST) 27/03/2026. No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module web.

Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy of your slides through Turnitin. Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your work. 

Please ensure that you have submitted your work using the correct file format; unreadable files will receive a mark of zero. The Faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents, unless otherwise advised by the module leader.

All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be subject to the University regulations on late submissions.

• If an assessment is submitted up to 24 hours late, the mark for the work will be capped at the pass mark of 40 per cent for undergraduate modules or 50 per cent for postgraduate modules
• If an assessment is submitted beyond 24 hours late, the work will receive a mark of zero per cent
• The above applies to a student’s first attempt at the assessment. If work submitted as a reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be given a mark of zero per cent
• If an assessment, which is marked as pass/fail rather than given a percentage mark, is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be marked as a fail

The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict.  If this happens, you can apply for an extension to your deadline for up to five working days, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral, which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the re-sit period following the main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline for your assessment. You will find information about applying for extensions and deferrals here.

Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.

Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism checking websites.