This unit together with Criminal Investigation Procedure and Sentencing satisfies the prescribed area of knowledge for Criminal Law and Procedure as set out in Schedule 1 Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015.

Criminal Law is a core law subject for the LLB degree. It covers substantive criminal law. Substantive criminal law refers to the law that creates criminal offences. Offences can generally be categorised into offences against the person (homicide offences, assault, sexual offences), property offences (burglary, theft, obtaining financial advantage or property by deception), inchoate offences (conspiracy, incitement or attempt in relation to an existing offence) and complicity (the extent to which a person can be held liable for the actions of another person). Of course, an understanding of criminal liability also requires an understanding of defences.

Unit details

Location:
City Queen
Study level:
Undergraduate
Credit points:
12
Unit code:
LLW1001

Prerequisites

BLB1101 - Australian Legal System in Context

BLB1114 - Legal Research Methods

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Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. Critically review the general principles of criminal liability derived both from common law and statute, in particular, the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), in problem solving and decision making;  
  2. Critically review the central elements of traditional crimes, the case law affecting their operation and how they apply to hypothetical problems.  
  3. Adapt and apply the doctrine of precedent and the rules of statutory interpretation to contemporary hypothetical criminal law problems using inductive and deductive thought processes;  
  4. Justify the solutions to problems using case and statute law as authority with creativity and intellectual independence.  

Assessment

Assessment type Description Grade
Test Online test on statutory interpretation 20%
Assignment Group Work Research Essay (2,000 words) 30%
Examination Final Examination (2.5 hours PLUS 30 min reading time) 50%

Required reading

Required Texts/ Legislation

Waller and Williams Criminal Law Text and Cases 13th edition
Penny Crofts, Thomas Crofts, Stephen Gray, Tyrone Kirchenghast, Bronwyn Naylor and Stephen Tudor, 2016
LexisNexis.Butterworths

Crimes Act 1958
Victorian Govt
Vic Gov

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As part of a course

This unit is studied as part of the following courses. Refer to the course page for information on how to apply for the course.

You can choose to study this unit as part of the following courses. Refer to the course page for information on how to structure your course to include this unit.

Course Study as part of
Bachelor of Legal Services Advanced Legal Services - Major
Bachelor of Legal Services Law Profession - Major

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