Assessment Crim3003 – Young People and the Criminal Justice System

Requirement: Create a public education poster and commentary

The assessment is a project to produce a public education poster on a topic relating to young people and the criminal justice system. Students should develop a poster and support this with a commentary on how it fits into a broader campaign of public awareness about the selected issue that requires wider public attention, and potentially reform or change.

So, imagine you are working for an organization that would like to raise awareness amongst the wider population in our society (England and Wales) about an issue or a feature associated with children/young people and criminal justice (the youth justice system).

You will need to produce a ‘poster’, supported by an associated 1000 words commentary, to explain key features. You might wish to consider one of the following topics, but you are not restricted to this – you could choose one of your own:

1. What we need to understand about the minimum age of criminal responsibility (e.g. should we change it from ten years?)
2. What we need to understand about imprisonment for girls
3. What we need to understand about how we use stop and search for children
4. What do we need to understand about how we police children and young people
5. What we need to understand about knife crime amongst children and young people
6. What we need to understand about violence amongst children and young people
7. What we need to understand about the risk-based approach to children and young people
8. What we need to understand about ethnic disproportionality in the youth justice system
9. What we need to know about X in the youth justice system [X represents your choice]

What you need to produce:
1) Poster (A4 in MS Powerpoint, or MS Word) please do not add references in the poster.
2) An associated commentary (up to 1,000 words). Please note that the commentary should be written on a word document and should be an essay like format with references.

Assessment criteria

1) Structure, use of language and clarity
2) Knowledge and understanding (theory, policy and practice)
3) Overall presentation and coherence

Crim3003 Assessment, Semester 1 2021-22

What is the poster..?
• Generally a large format display (although here the size is limited to A4/A3)
• Serves as an introduction to a key message or key points
• Usually has a balance between words and images
• Will be limited in terms of the number of words that can sensibly be fitted on to the page

What is the commentary..?
• Up to 1,000 words
• Further explains or contextualizes the topic focused on in the poster
• It’s an opportunity to further explain, clarify and contextualize, incorporating supporting evidence from relevant literature as appropriate.

A good poster will…
• Be clear, concise and coherent
• Be well presented
• Distill key information in a way that is easy for others to understand
• Be potentially eye-catching or visually appealing

The best posters are those which can effectively summarise and communicate important aspects of a youth justice related topic, making reference to relevant research, legislation, policy and practice. They are easy to read and understand and are visually appealing.

A good commentary will…
• Explain the context – why is the topic relevant and important
• Be clear, coherent and well presented
• Be well structured, employing clear and appropriate language
• Be consistent with the poster
• Refer to relevant academic knowledge (theory)
• Refer to relevant government policy and legislation
• Refer to relevant practice.

Tips:

1. Perhaps make a start by writing your commentary first, then use your poster as a way of distilling the key message(s) and material.
2. Create the poster in Powerpoint or Word. If using Powerpoint do not put material ‘Notes’ section below it, as this will not be immediately viewable in TurnItIn.
3. Aim to complete it a few days ahead of the deadline. Check it thoroughly for errors, spelling mistakes etc
4. There is no one right way to structure the poster. Coherence between the poster and the commentary will be useful for the reader.
5. Please upload just one document for marking. This should contain the poster and commentary.

Questions to consider:
• What is your key message?
• Which are the key elements needed to convey that message?
• What will add interest?
• What will add authority?

Development activity…
• Using flipchart, piece of A4 paper or computer, begin to design your layout
• Use post-it notes for text boxes and images
• Try to think about what text you’d put in each box

Image preparation
• Select and prepare your images (ensuring sufficient image quality)
• Make sure you have copyright permission
• Where to find images?
o Google image search
 After a search, click tools – you can now select usage rights to be free for re-use and request larger image sizes (if necessary)
o Create your own
 You can use Photoshop or Illustrator to design your own images
 Take photos
o Powerpoint Online Picture Bank
 Go to ‘insert’ and select ‘online pictures’
 Brings back only Creative Commons images (not always the best images)

Charts and tables
• Need to be bold and simple
• Enlarge text if necessary, thicken lines
• Avoid too much information (TMI)

Create impact with colour
• It’s generally a good idea for the background colour to be subtle; if too ‘loud’ it is competing with main text/images
• In text boxes use dark coloured font for contrast
• Stick to a small number of colours (2-3) that work well together
• Remember that colour blind people can often not distinguish between red and green

Being creative
• Make your poster standout
• Hook your audience with a creative title
• Make an impact with the design layout and use of space
• Be considerate to readers – try to avoid text that is too small, leave space between text boxes
• Make structure clear and the order in which things should be read

Other information to include (on commentary)
• P number
• (p2415946)

Summary
• Properly prepare before designing
• Keep audience in mind for content
• Keep data clear and easy to read
• Use titles and images for impact
• Keep a clear and logical layout
• What’s the key take-home message?

Templates for you to consider… [you do not need to use these]

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