Cursos / 2º Ciclo / Faculty of Law :: Criminology

SEGURANÇA E POLÍTICAS CRIMINAIS - 2023/2024

2º curricular year
Semestralidade: 1st semester
ECTS: 7.5

Teachers

Leading Teacher: Prof. Doutor Samuel Moreira
Assistant Professor: Prof. Doutor Samuel Moreira

Class type and School hours

Teórica : 1 Horas
Orientação Tutorial : 1 Horas

Teaching Language

Portuguese

Main Aims/Objectives

- To understand (in)security concept;
- To grasp the correlates of (in)security;
- To conceive the phenomenon of (in)security as a current and central problem of Criminology and criminal policies;
- To understand the organization, functioning and nature of political interventions in the face of (in)security in contemporary times.

Specific Aims/Objectives

- To understand the complexity and multidimensionality of (in)security;
- To grasp the relationships between (in)security and individual and contextual factors;
- To know and distinguish the different models of crime and insecurity prevention;
- To know the current trends in criminal policies and critically reflect on them.

Skills to be acquired

Students are expected to:
- Develop skills for analysis and reflection on the multidimensionality and complexity of (in)security;
- Know the decentralized, multilateralized, and commodified nature of security today;
- Understand the configurations and rationalities of current interventions and policies addressed to insecurity;
- Be able to carry out a literature review and a research proposal on a topic of the programme.

Teaching Procedures

Combination of the expository and interrogative methods, promoting the student´s involvement in the discussion and reflection on the exposed contents, accompanied by the realization of assignments and practical exercises.
Tutorial classes are mostly dedicated to monitoring and guiding students in the preparation of a written assignment on one topic of the programme.

Programme

1. Concepts, dimensions, and determinants of (in)security
1.1. Conceptual analysis: security vs. insecurity, objective insecurity vs. subjective insecurity
1.2. Multidimensionality of fear of crime: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions
1.3. Determinants of fear of crime: individual, contextual, and social variables

2. Crime and insecurity prevention models: situational, social, and community prevention

3. Criminal policies
3.1. Configurations and rationalities of contemporary criminal and security policies:
- The work of D. garland
- Security governance: key aspects for understanding current interventions concerning crime and insecurity phenomena
3.2. The relationship between criminological scientific research and criminal and security policies
3.3. The scientific evaluation of criminal and security policies: the “evidence-based policies and practices” movement, “evaluation research” and experimental criminology

Evaluation Type

- Continuous evaluation: 1 written assignment and its oral presentation and defense.
- Final evaluation: exam.

Teaching Resources

Scientific publications, audiovisual materials, and practical exercises.

Sustainability Objectives

Keywords

(In)security
Crime and insecurity prevention models
Criminal policies
Security governance

Main Bibliography

Complementary Bibliography