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“Fostering Data Literacy: Teaching with Quantitative Data in the Social Sciences” explores why and how instructors teach with data, identifies the most important challenges they face, and describes how faculty and students utilize relevant campus and external resources. Full details and actionable recommendations for stakeholders are offered in the body of the report, which offers guidance to university libraries and other campus units, faculty, vendors, and others interested in improving institutional capacities to support data-intensive instruction in the social sciences.

I was thrilled to be accepted into the University of Michigan for my Masters of Science in Information, but it was an unexpected deviation as my health derailed my original plan to pursue a career in criminal law. As I enrolled in classes with my peers who intended to pursue careers as librarians and archivists, I was the odd person out asking myself how I could market my research in these courses to law schools in the future. I had always assumed I had incompatible passions, a love for history, literature, and research coupled with disinterest in pursuing a single field towards a Ph.D., and that my legal career would support my hobbies in the cultural heritage sector. With a heavy dose of irony I walked into “SI519 Intellectual Property and Information Law,” my first graduate school class, determined to use it to confirm to law schools my decision to pursue criminal law, but walked across the stage at graduation ecstatic to build a career at the intersection of copyright law and cultural heritage. Fantastic mentors, supportive networks, and timely court rulings and legislative changes, paved a path and provided me a stepping stone into a career at the intersection of my passions in a field I had not known existed. I entered the field at an increasingly critical time and had unique access to practitioners that helped create opportunities for engagement without which, I would not have had the opportunity to accept a tenure track librarian position at the age 24 as my first full time job out of library school.

Gambling-related harms are increasingly recognised as public health concerns internationally. One response is to improve identification of and support for those affected by gambling-related harms, including individuals who gamble and those close to them, 'affected others'. Adult social care services have been identified as a setting in which screening for gambling-related harms is suitable and desirable. To achieve this, a tool is required which can identify gambling-related harms experienced by individuals and affected others. This scoping review aimed to identify whether any brief (i.e. three questions or less) screening tools are being used and, if so, how brief screening for gambling-related harm is being implemented in health and social care-related contexts. An international English language scoping review of research and grey literature was undertaken between April and July 2021. The search included single-item and brief screening tools which have been developed to identify gambling-related harms for individuals and affected others across a range of health and social care-related contexts. Findings show that screening tools for gambling-related harms have been developed for use in health settings rather than in social care contexts. For example within gambling, mental health or substance misuse support services. We found no evidence of a brief or single-item screening tool for identifying harms to individuals and affected others which is of adequate quality to strongly recommend for use in an adult social care setting. Development of a validated brief or single-item screening tool is recommended to assist adult social care practitioners to effectively screen, identify, support and signpost people affected by gambling-related harms.

Background Prescription methadone or buprenorphine enables people with opioid use disorder to stop heroin use safely while avoiding withdrawal. To ensure methadone is taken as prescribed and to prevent diversion onto the illicit market, people starting methadone take their daily dose under a pharmacist’s supervision. Many patients miss their daily methadone dose risking withdrawal, craving for heroin and overdose due to loss of heroin tolerance. Contingency management (CM) can improve medication adherence, but remote delivery using technology may be resource-light and cost-effective. We developed an innovative way to deliver CM by mobile telephone. Software monitors patients’ attendance and supervised methadone consumption through an internet self-login at the pharmacy and sends reinforcing text messages to patients’ mobile telephones. A linked system sends medication adherence reports to prescribers and provides early warning alerts of missed doses. A pre-paid debit card system provides financial incentives. Methods A cluster randomised controlled trial design was used to test the feasibility of conducting a future trial of mobile telephone CM to encourage adherence to supervised methadone in community pharmacies. Each cluster (drug service/3 allied pharmacies) was randomly allocated to provide patient’s presenting for a new episode of opiate agonist treatment (OAT) with either (a) mobile telephone text message CM, (b) mobile telephone text message reminders, or (c) no text messages. We assessed acceptability of the interventions, recruitment, and follow-up procedures. Results Four drug clinics were approached and three recruited. Thirty-three pharmacists were approached and 9 recruited. Over 3 months, 173 individuals were screened and 10 enrolled. Few patients presented for OAT and high numbers were excluded due to receiving buprenorphine or not attending participating pharmacies. There was 96% consistency in recording medication adherence by self-login vs. pharmacy records. In focus groups, CM participants were positive about using self-login, the text messages, and debit card. Prescribers found weekly reporting, time saving, and allowed closer monitoring of patients. Pharmacists reported that the tablet device was easy to host. Conclusion Mobile telephone CM worked well, but a planned future trial will use modified eligibility criteria (existing OAT patients who regularly miss their methadone/buprenorphine doses) and increase the number of participating pharmacies. Trial registration The trial is retrospectively registered, ISRCTN 58958179.

SettingBased at a busy city hospital, the alcohol care team is a drug and alcohol specialist service, taking referrals for a wide range of patients with substance use disorders (SUD).ObjectivesPatients with SUD are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency; this relates to frequent fractures and proximal myopathy. The coronavirus pandemic brought vitamin D into focus. Local guidelines advise that patients at high risk of vitamin D deficiency are offered replacement. There were no local data on vitamin D deficiency prevalence or any mention of patients with SUD in local vitamin D guidelines. The main aim of this project was to offer vitamin D checks and replacement to all appropriate patients.ResultsWe collected data on 207 patients, [pilot study (n=50) and two subsequent samples (n=95 and n=62)]. Our pilot study showed that no patients were offered vitamin D testing or replacement. We then offered vitamin D checks to 95 patients. Most had low vitamin D (30 patients were vitamin D deficient and 26 were vitamin D insufficient). We provided vitamin D replacement and follow-up advice. Quality improvement was demonstrated 6 months later. We collected data on a further 62 patients who were all on our current or recent caseload. Following exclusions, nearly half (48%) of patients had had a vitamin D check. Almost all of these (95%) had low vitamin D (60% being classified as deficient).ConclusionsPatients had not been offered vitamin D replacement despite often having multiple risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D checks (and subsequent replacement) rose in frequency since the outset of this project. Local guidelines should add SUD as a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency. Hospital admission provides a rich opportunity to offer this simple intervention to patients who are often poorly engaged with community services.

Background: We have previously reported that epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) was associated with prior cancer treatment exposures and certain chronic health conditions (CHCs) among adult survivors of childhood cancer, but the early epigenetic aging pattern among children and adolescent survivors and its implication in CHCs, especially early-onset CHCs, remain to be explored. Methods: Expanded DNAm profiling with EPIC array for survivors in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort covered the age Citation Format: Noel-Marie Plonski, Cheng Chen, Qian Dong, Na Qin, Kyla C. Shelton, Emily Finch, John Easton, Heather Mulder, Jinghui Zhang, Geoffrey Neale, Emily Walker, Hui Wang, Kevin Krull, Kirsten K. Ness, Melissa M Hudson, Leslie L. Robinson, Qian Li, AnnaLynn Williams, Zhaoming Wang. Epigenetic age in peripheral blood among children, adolescent, and adult survivors of childhood cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Aging and Cancer; 2022 Nov 17-20; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;83(2 Suppl_1):Abstract nr B017.

IntroductionMost individuals treated for heroin use disorder receive opioid agonist treatment (OAT)(methadone or buprenorphine). However, OAT is associated with high attrition and persistent, occasional heroin use. There is some evidence for the effectiveness of contingency management (CM), a behavioural intervention involving modest financial incentives, in encouraging drug abstinence when applied adjunctively with OAT. UK drug services have a minimal track record of applying CM and limited resources to implement it. We assessed a CM intervention pragmatically adapted for ease of implementation in UK drug services to promote heroin abstinence among individuals receiving OAT.DesignCluster randomised controlled trial.Setting and participants552 adults with heroin use disorder (target 660) enrolled from 34 clusters (drug treatment clinics) in England between November 2012 and October 2015.InterventionsClusters were randomly allocated 1:1:1 to OAT plus 12× weekly appointments with: (1) CM targeted at opiate abstinence at appointments (CM Abstinence); (2) CM targeted at on-time attendance at appointments (CM Attendance); or (3) no CM (treatment as usual; TAU). Modifications included monitoring behaviour weekly and fixed incentives schedule.MeasurementsPrimary outcome: heroin abstinence measured by heroin-free urines (weeks 9–12). Secondary outcomes: heroin abstinence 12 weeks after discontinuation of CM (weeks 21–24); attendance; self-reported drug use, physical and mental health.ResultsCM Attendance was superior to TAU in encouraging heroin abstinence. Odds of a heroin-negative urine in weeks 9–12 was statistically significantly greater in CM Attendance compared with TAU (OR=2.1; 95% CI 1.1 to 3.9; p=0.030). CM Abstinence was not superior to TAU (OR=1.6; 95% CI 0.9 to 3.0; p=0.146) or CM Attendance (OR=1.3; 95% CI 0.7 to 2.4; p=0.438) (not statistically significant differences). Reductions in heroin use were not sustained at 21–24 weeks. No differences between groups in self-reported heroin use.ConclusionsA pragmatically adapted CM intervention for routine use in UK drug services was moderately effective in encouraging heroin abstinence compared with no CM only when targeted at attendance. CM targeted at abstinence was not effective.Trial registration numberISRCTN 01591254.

This chapter focuses on essay writing. Earlier sections of the book outlined techniques for locating and understanding primary and secondary legal sources. The chapter builds upon those skills by exploring the ways that this source material can be used in coursework. It guides students through the stages of planning, research, and construction of an essay, with practical advice on interpreting the question and producing a structured response that demonstrates the required skills and knowledge.

This chapter first considers the process by which Acts of Parliament come into being. It then turns to delegated legislation—that is, law that is made by other bodies under Parliament’s authority. Next, it looks at EU legislation, which had an increasingly significant effect from the time that the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973. It explains the various institutions of the EU and role they had in the law-making process; the different types of EU legislation; and the circumstances in which individuals could use them in domestic courts, prior to Brexit. Finally, the chapter discusses the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.

This chapter discusses how to use legislation. It first looks at the ‘anatomy’ of an Act of Parliament and describes each of its composite parts. It then considers the various means by which the courts can interpret the wording of statutory provisions, including a discussion of the impact of the European Communities Act 1972 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

This chapter describes the role of books (student textbooks, cases and materials books, monographs, practitioners’ books, legal encyclopaedias and digests, dictionaries, revision guides), journals (general journals, specialist journals, practitioner journals, foreign journals), and official publications (Command Papers, bills, parliamentary papers, parliamentary debates, Law Commission reports) among the secondary sources which may be encountered during legal studies.

Case law can be broken down into common law, equity, and custom. This chapter begins with a discussion of common law and equity, including a brief history on how these sources came into being. It then turns to custom as a further source of law. It also provides an overview of the court system to illustrate how the various courts in the system link together in a hierarchy. It concludes with a discussion of the European Court of Human Rights and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on case law.

This chapter focuses on the range of different skills involved in the production of a dissertation. It begins by outlining the reasons for writing a dissertation. It then discusses the choice of dissertation topic and formulating a research question; writing a dissertation proposal; planning and organization; researching for a dissertation; and the writing process.

This chapter outlines the elements of good written English with particular emphasis on the way that language is used in academic legal writing. It includes sections on language, grammar, and punctuation as well as practical guidance on matters such as selecting quotations and writing in a concise manner so as to keep within the word limit.

This chapter presents the skills needed to find cases. It first explains the meanings of case citations before moving on to discuss how to locate domestic cases. It then describes how to find decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the General Court, and the European Court of Human Rights.

Legal Skills is structured in three parts, covering a full range of legal skills. The first part deals with sources of law and includes information on finding and using legislation, case law, books, journals, and official publications, making sure you understand where the law comes from, and how to use it. The second part covers academic legal skills and provides advice on study and writing skills, legal reasoning, referencing and avoiding plagiarism, essay writing, dissertations, problem solving, and revision and examinations. The final part of the book covers the practical legal skills of oral presentation, mooting, and negotiation. This sixth edition includes a new section on legal ethics and codes of professional conduct, and completely rewritten chapters on presentation skills, and negotiation skills, including a brand new scenario, together with a large number of other enhancements throughout.

Introduction: Although alcohol is widely used concurrently with illicit drugs, the role of alcohol in recovery from and relapse to drug use is under-researched. This study investigates drinking pat...

Purpose Mental health problems and substance misuse are common among the mothers of children who experience court-mandated placement into care in England, yet there is limited research characterising these health needs to inform evidence-based policy. In this descriptive study, we aimed to generate evidence about the type, severity, and timing of mental health and substance misuse needs among women involved in public family law proceedings concerning child placement into care (‘care proceedings’). Methods This is a retrospective, matched cohort study using linked family court and mental health service records for 2137 (66%) of the 3226 women involved in care proceedings between 2007 and 2019 in the South London and Maudsley NHS Mental Health Trust (SLaM) catchment area. We compared mental health service use and risk of dying with 17,096 female-matched controls who accessed SLaM between 2007 and 2019, aged 16–55 years, and were not involved in care proceedings. Results Most women (79%) were known to SLaM before care proceedings began. Women had higher rates of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (19% vs 11% matched controls), personality disorders (21% vs 11%), and substance misuse (33% vs 12%). They were more likely to have a SLaM inpatient admission (27% vs 14%) or to be sectioned (19% vs 8%). Women had a 2.15 (95% CI 1.68–2.74) times greater hazard of dying, compared to matched controls, adjusted for age. Conclusion Women involved in care proceedings experience a particularly high burden of severe and complex mental health and substance misuse need. Women’s increased risk of mortality following proceedings highlights that interventions responding to maternal mental health and substance misuse within family courts should offer continued, long-term support.

What you need to know ### Case scenario A 30 year old primiparous woman is delighted to find herself pregnant and comes to your surgery for confirmation of the pregnancy. You discover that she is smoking 20 cigarettes a day, and she is worried that she went to a friend’s wedding around the time of conception and drank so much that she couldn’t remember what had happened until the next day. She also reports occasional recreational use of cannabis. #### Next steps Advise her of the risks of smoking and of alcohol and cannabis use during pregnancy. The biggest risk for her pregnancy at present is her smoking. Offer referral to a specialist pregnancy smoking cessation clinic. Clarify with her how much cannabis and alcohol she is using. Brief intervention may be sufficient, but regular or heavy use of either substance may warrant referral to specialist drug and alcohol services. Many women use substances during pregnancy. For example, the global prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is 9.8%.1 Moreover, 10.4% of pregnant women in England were known to be smoking tobacco at the time of delivery.2 Prevalence of cannabis use during pregnancy in a UK cohort has been reported as 5%3 but is likely to increase over coming years.4 Pregnancy may be a woman’s first time engaging with health services and may be a motivator to stop or reduce her substance use.5 In this article we offer an overview of assessment and interventions for substance use in the perinatal period. We focus on alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis …

BackgroundAlcohol-related hospital admissions have doubled in the last ten years to > 1.2 m per year in England. High-need, high-cost (HNHC) alcohol-related frequent attenders (ARFA) are a relatively small subgroup of patients, having multiple admissions or attendances from alcohol during a short time period. This trial aims to test the effectiveness of an assertive outreach treatment (AOT) approach in improving clinical outcomes for ARFA, and reducing resource use in the acute setting.MethodsOne hundred and sixty ARFA patients will be recruited and following baseline assessment, randomly assigned to AOT plus care as usual (CAU) or CAU alone in equal numbers. Baseline assessment includes alcohol consumption and related problems, physical and mental health comorbidity and health and social care service use in the previous 6 months using standard validated tools, plus a measure of resource use. Follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months after randomization includes the same tools as baseline plus standard measure of patient satisfaction. Outcomes for CAU + AOT and CAU at 6 and 12 months will be compared, controlling for pre-specified baseline measures. Primary outcome will be percentage of days abstinent at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include emergency department (ED) attendance, number and length of hospital admissions, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, other health service use, mental and physical comorbidity 6 and 12 months post intervention. Health economic analysis will estimate the economic impact of AOT from health, social care and societal perspectives and explore cost-effectiveness in terms of quality adjusted life years and alcohol consumption at 12-month follow-up.DiscussionAOT models piloted with alcohol dependent patients have demonstrated significant reductions in alcohol consumption and use of unplanned National Health Service (NHS) care, with increased engagement with alcohol treatment services, compared with patients receiving CAU. While AOT interventions are costlier per case than current standard care in the UK, the rationale for targeting HNHC ARFAs is because of their disproportionate contribution to overall alcohol burden on the NHS. No previous studies have evaluated the clinical and cost-effectiveness of AOT for HNHC ARFAs: this randomized controlled trial (RCT) targeting ARFAs across five South London NHS Trusts is the first.Trial registrationInternational standard randomized controlled trial number (ISRCTN) registry:ISRCTN67000214, retrospectively registered 26/11/2016.

AimsInput from Assertive Alcohol Outreach Teams (AAOTs) reduces the ‘burden’ on already overstretched community mental health teams (CMHTs).AAOTs are specialist addictions services. This project focuses on an AAOT based in the London, which engages with people with severe alcohol and illicit substance misuse problems.Previous research has shown that input from AAOTs reduces hospital admissions. This project examined the impact of AAOT input on reducing the ‘burden’ on CMHTs.MethodThe full caseload of the Southwark-based AAOT was reviewed, including mental health records, general practitioner notes, hospital notes and discharge summaries. We collected data on diagnoses and previous hospital admissions. Patients were assessed to determine whether they met criteria to be open to a CMHT (the presence of complex or serious mental health problems, in addition to addictions).ResultThe caseload was made up of 39 patients, 85% of patients were deemed to meet criteria for being under the care of a CMHT. Only 15% of patients are currently under the care of a CMHT. 87% of patients had at least one comorbid psychiatric diagnosis. 72% of patients had had at least one emergency department or medical hospital admission due to mental health-related problems. 39% had previous admissions to mental health wards. 21% of patients has been admitted under Section of Mental Health Act.ConclusionThe majority of AAOT patients have severe mental health problems in addition to addictions. The patients are complex and often have a history of disengagement from standard mental health services. Formal diagnosis and treatment of comorbid mental health problems is challenging in the presence of protracted drug and alcohol misuse. AAOT input appears to address a serious ‘gap’ in supporting patients with complex mental health needs who are often ineligible for CMHT input or disengage from CMHT support.

Background & objective Substance misuse has been a major health and social issue worldwide and has become an important public health issue in China over the past two decades. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been proved worldwide by large bodies of research to be one of the most effective practices for illicit drug users. The Treatment Outcome Profile (TOP) was developed in 2007 by the UK National Treatment Agency (NTA). It has been proved to be a reliable instrument for outcome measure. This study aim to develop the Chinese version of the Treatment Outcome Profile (TOP), and to assess whether TOP is a reliable outcome measure that can be recommended for use in Chinese MMT program. Methods The Chinese version of TOP was translated and revised based on the English version of TOP. Psychometric properties of TOP were evaluated through face-to-face interviews in 197 patients who had been attending methadone maintenance treatment clinics in Kunming city, Yunnan Institute for Drug Abuse, for less than three months. Patients were interviewed by 3 trained interviewers. Reliability and validity of the instrument were analyzed by measures including test-retest and inter-rater reliability, concurrent validity and change sensitivity. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing the scores from TOP with scores obtained from validated clinometric instruments. Self-reported opiate use was compared with results of urine analysis. Change sensitivity was judged by t-tests and chi-square tests. Results & conclusions About 67% of the 197 interviewers were male and 33% were female. Test-retest reliability of TOP scores (after 10 days interval) were good (K=0.65 to 0.95), inter-rater correlations (ICC) ranged from 0.7 to 0.9, and the criterion validity ranged from 0.72 to 0.88. TOP covers a large scope of problems encountered by drug users needed for treatment. The Chinese version of TOP is a reliable and valid assessment tool.

This chapter discusses the elements of good written English for criminology students, with particular emphasis on the way that language is used in academic writing. It covers the use of appropriate academic language and written style, grammar, and punctuation as well as practical guidance on matters such as producing a flowing line of argument, and selecting quotations. It also contains advice on writing within the word limit.

This chapter focuses on skills that will help criminology students ensure that their revision is effective and productive. It includes putting together a realistic and achievable revision plan by using the syllabus to identify appropriate topics to revise. It also covers different strategies for active revision, including writing practice answers. It gives advice on planning answers in an exam setting together with tips on avoiding the most common problems that arise in exam answers.

This chapter discusses the main approaches used by criminologists to gather data. It explains different methods of gathering data, such as interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, and observation, and how each of these methods can be used in criminological research. It also explains the strengths and weaknesses of each method. Discussion on selecting a sample for research, the different methods of sampling, and how to select the right sampling methods for a particular research study are also included.

Criminology Skills covers both study skills and research skills in one manageable volume. The text is designed to enable you to develop an integrated understanding of the key skills required to succeed in your study of criminology. A three-part structure introduces you to the skills of finding source materials and takes you through the academic skills you will need to succeed in your degree, before finishing with a section on research methods and writing dissertations and research reports. The book provides an ideal introduction to the key study and research skills that you will need to demonstrate during your study and practice of criminology. Criminology Skills first helps you establish a strong skills foundation before incrementally building to a more advanced level increasing the competence, and confidence, with which you will be able to approach projects that require strong academic and research skills. After an introduction to the study of criminology, the book covers: books and journals; statistics and official publications; media and web sources; criminal law; study skills; writing skills; referencing and avoiding plagiarism; essay writing; presentations; revision and examinations; research ethics; gathering data; quantitative analysis; qualitative analysis; and dissertations and research reports. It is accompanied by online resources.

Many criminology students will be required to produce a dissertation or research report in their final year. This chapter distinguishes between these two pieces of work and offers practical advice on the requirements of each. It addresses skills such as selecting a workable research question and developing an effective relationship with supervisors, and also provides guidance on how to organize workload and create a suitable structure for a dissertation or report.

This chapter discusses the importance of research ethics in criminology, with emphasis on ethical issues arising from research using human participants. It first considers the value of ethical approaches to research and moves on to address the particular issues raised by criminological research. It draws on the British Society of Criminology Statement of Ethics to explore the core ethical principles of confidentiality, anonymity, consent, and the avoidance of harm. The final section offers guidance on identifying and addressing ethical issues raised by one’s own research, along with suggestions on points to consider when formulating an application for approval for a Research Ethics Committee.

This chapter, which focuses on oral presentations, discusses the stages of preparation for a presentation, from selecting a topic to making decisions about the use of supplementary materials. It gives practical advice on organizing a presentation which flows naturally and is comprehensive and engaging. It considers issues relating to the actual delivery of the presentation including timing, combating nerves, and engaging the interest of the audience. It also covers how to deal with questions confidently, together with the importance of practise and self-reflection.

This chapter first explains the nature of different books, journals, and articles encountered in the study of criminology. It introduces textbooks, edited collections, books of key readings, monographs, and dictionaries, together with journals as a key source of latest developments, research findings, criticism, and commentary. It moves on to consider how to find books and articles specified on a reading list. It then considers more generally how to find materials on a particular topic by developing a search strategy and using databases to locate relevant literature.

This introductory chapter attempts to answer the question ‘what is criminology?’ by exploring the origin of criminology as a discipline together with an overview of some of the types of question that may be of interest to criminologists. It sets out the structure of the remainder of the book, the first part of which introduces the source material that is commonly used in the study of criminology. The second part focuses on academic skills, while the final part concentrates on research methods.

This chapter explains the two main sources of criminal law in the UK: legislation, that is, Acts of Parliament (or statutes), and case law. It discusses the process by which Acts of Parliament come into existence; European Union legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights; criminal courts in which cases are heard and the systems of law reporting; how to find legislation and case law using various online resources; and how to find the criminal law of overseas jurisdictions.

Qualitative data cannot be analysed mathematically—such as words, images, attitudes, feelings, and reactions. There are many research methods in criminology that produce qualitative data: for example, interviews, participant observation, documentary analysis, and focus group discussion. This chapter explains how collected qualitative data can be coded, and then describes various approaches to qualitative analysis, including thematic analysis, content analysis, grounded theory, and analytic induction.

A number of government and other official agencies collect statistics that provide insight into the extent of criminal behaviour, and produce reports that explore issues such as the impact of crime; policy considerations concerning responses to crime; and evaluations of the work of the various agencies involved in the criminal justice system, such as the police, the courts, prisons, and the probation service. This chapter describes the various types of statistics and reports available, explains how they can be used in the study of criminology, and details where they can be found.

The cover of this book features an open penknife with an impressive range of attachments, set against a bright yellow background. So why did we pick this as the image to capture what we think Criminology Skills is all about? Without turning this into a media studies lesson, the cover says several things to us. First, by its very nature, much crime is hidden. Criminals tend not to want their activities to be made public. Criminology aims to bring criminality into the light: to explore issues such as why people start to offend, the causes and consequences of crime, methods of crime prevention, public perceptions and reactions to crime, measuring and quantifying crime, how the criminal justice system, the police, the courts, the probation and prison service, should deal with offenders, and methods that the state uses, especially the criminal law, in response to crime. Secondly, a penknife is quite capable of causing harm: stabbing or merely cutting someone with a knife could give rise to criminal liability for a range of different offences. Simply waving it at someone could be criminal. What about possession of the penknife in a public place? Or selling one to someone under the age of 16? Is it an offensive weapon or a weapon of offence? These have distinct meanings in the criminal law of England and Wales. Knife crime is a topic that is always of concern in the media. Thirdly, and perhaps, most importantly, a penknife contains a whole selection of different tools that can be used in different situations to make life easier. Several years ago, one of us was asked the question: ‘Why do you make such a fuss about skills? These students are at university. They ought to know how to study by now.’ Our answer is that, yes, perhaps students ...

This chapter provides an introduction to legal reasoning. It first outlines the skills to analyse how judges decide cases. There are various points of view that judges can (and do) take in deciding the outcomes of cases, so the chapter introduces some of the theory behind judicial reasoning before moving on to show how judges reason in practice, how one case can give rise to multiple judgments, and the importance of legal ethics.

There are a range of important sources of law beyond legislation and case law. These are materials that provide information on the content, meaning, and operation of the law and help students in their quest to understand the law. This chapter explains how to how to find these important supplementary resources. It covers books, journals, official publications, Halsbury’s Laws of England, Bills, and Hansard (Official Reports of Parliamentary Debates).