2. Should the criminal justice system be gender-blind? A critical reflection from the perspective of feminist criminology.

Please write a blog post that critically evaluates the contributions of a criminological theory to knowledge about crime and/or punishment. In your blog, you can focus on the entire theoretical tradition (e.g. all biological theories) or select a single theory/perspective from that tradition (e.g. criminal anthropology).

Please choose ONE of the following topics.

1.    Should Lombroso be ‘cancelled’? A critical reflection on Lombroso’s contribution to contemporary criminological thought.

2.    Should the criminal justice system be gender-blind? A critical reflection from the perspective of feminist criminology.

Please note: 

Submission: Please submit your essay through Brightspace.  Files can be submitted in Office (.docx) format. Other acceptable formats include Word (.doc), Plain Text (.txt), Rich Text Format (.rtf), PDF, and HTML.

Format: Typed, double-spaced, word count on cover sheet. Essays must be accompanied by an Assignment Submission Form.  

Referencing: Please use either the OSCOLA or the Harvard referencing system: (UCD Library Guides available here:

OSCOLA: https://libguides.ucd.ie/academicintegrity/oscola   

Harvard: https://libguides.ucd.ie/harvardstyle

Academic integrity: Always be careful to avoid plagiarism or highly derivative arguments/statements. 

Please read the Student Plagiarism Policy  and the UCD Library Guides on academic integrity before submission.

Length: 1,500 words (excluding bibliography, references and footnotes). Five marks will be deducted if this limit is exceeded by +/- ten per cent.  

Grade: This essay accounts for 30 per cent of the overall mark in this course.

Due date: 28 March 2024 (no later than 3p.m.)

Late submission: Penalties apply for late submission. See UCD Late Submission of Coursework Policy

·      British Society of Criminology blog

 https://thebscblog.wordpress.com/

·      Irish Criminology Research Network blog: 

https://irishcriminologyresearchnetwork.wordpress.com/category/blog/

·      University of Oxford Centre for Criminology blog

 https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/centres-institutes/centre-criminology/blog

A student receiving a grade in the ‘A’ range would meet the following criteria:

·      Content:  Demonstrates extensive and detailed knowledge of the literature based on extensive background reading (e.g. at a minimum, the four primary readings from the reading list, or equivalent); avoids use of internet resources or lecture slides as primary sources. 

·      Interpretation and analysis: Displays a highly developed ability to use knowledge effectively to provide a focused and comprehensive analysis of the theory/perspective. Account includes a detailed summary of the theory/perspective, an in-depth analysis of recent empirical research (using primary sources) and a critical assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.

·      Organisation and structure: Develops clear, coherent and well-formed arguments which are presented in a logical sequence with a clear beginning, middle and end.

·      Referencing: Amply supports arguments and statements with evidence from the literature; provides an accurate and complete bibliography.

·      Expression: Excellent expression as evidenced by original, engaging and fluent academic writing style with few spelling or grammatical errors; minimal use of repetition or redundant statements.

·      Visual presentation: Presents the blog in a visually appealing way, e.g. uses original pictures to illustrate points and/or engaging titles/ sub-titles to draw readers’ attention.