The crunch (06/05/2014)

A round up of the best law and criminology related stories scouted daily.

Max Clifford has been jailed for eight years for sex assaults (via 

BBC News)


Mental health patients are being forced to travel miles for care (via 

BBC News)


here's 9 revision tips from people who have nailed law exams 

(via Legal Cheek)

The Crunch (05/05/2014)

A round up of the best law and criminology related stories scouted daily. 

Police and crime commissioner scheme on probation, MP's say (via BBC News)

Boy, 16, arrested after fatal stabbing in Brixton (via BBC News)

'Skull cracker' Michael Weatley absconds from open prison (via BBC News)

Mediation- some frequently asked questions (via Practical law)

Judge faces jail [pdf] (via Financial Times)

Consumers won't pay Barristers predicts Slater & Gordon chief (via Legal Futures)

Solicitor numbers fall for the first time in 20 years (via Legal Futures)

The Crunch (04/05/2014)

A roundup of the most interesting law and criminology related news stories scouted daily.

Teen charged over break in murder (via BBC News)

Kaplan law school to discontinue its bar professional training course (via Legal Cheek)

Law society urges vigilance-as cyber attack costs soar (via The Law Society)

Red lorry, yellow lorry....just what colour will your lamborghini be? (via Wedlake Bell)

The crunch (02/05/2014)

A round up of the most interesting law and criminology related stories scouted daily.

• Police do not record a fifth of crime (via BBC News)
• Legal aid row leads to halting of serious fraud trial (via BBC News) 
• You can read the judgement pdf here
• Police powers of stop and search: summary of consultation responses and conclusions 
• You can see the pdf here 
• And read the proposal speech here
• First victims spared harrowing court room under pre-recorded evidence pilot (via Gov.uk)
• World Dementia Council meet for the first time (via Gov.uk)

Law and Criminology personal statment example

Are you thinking about studying Law and Criminology at degree level? Are you looking for a Law and Criminology personal statement? Well, here's mine to give you some ideas...

My extra-curricular activities have given me a lot of valuable skills to apply to other situations. Within school I regularly volunteer my time to help with clubs and organisations which benefit the younger students. I enjoy being a peer counsellor and am an active member within the club, helping to run events such as anti-bullying week while still maintaining the level of support and compassion the role requires. Last year I involved myself within the paired reading scheme, helping a younger student to develop their reading skills and this year I was selected to help children with Dyslexia to read once a week. Becoming a house prefect and later a school prefect has taught me how to adapt well to certain situations and relate to different people, the role requires responsibility and maturity as you are a role model to the younger students. As well as supervising certain areas of the school during break and dinner I have been given the responsibility of working closely with a year 7 form. In this position I work with not only the younger students to provide support and help, but also teachers to ensure that the students take as much from this experience as I have.

I also undertook a volunteer work placement at [a] Primary School where I built upon my organisation and leadership skills by assisting the teacher with a variety of age groups, and I continue to volunteer there at school events. Over the summer I volunteered at a Multi-Agency team who support children and families with additional needs, helping them to organise and supervise team building and awareness events. Outside of school I participate in many activities such as skiing, swimming and scuba diving, all of which I have achieved awards for. I particularly enjoy Oz-boxing which I was introduced to over the summer while volunteering at the Multi-Agency Team and attend regularly, so this would be something I would be interested in continuing at university.

I have taken English Language and I.C.T and continued them from AS to A2. Studying English Literature at AS level has encouraged independent research and wider reading which developed my skills in self-disciplined study. I.C.T has given me skills such as in-depth computer knowledge, an awareness of business and clerical skills. English language involves essay writing, analytical skills and working to deadlines which are all skills that will benefit me in further education.

I know that university students should be dedicated, hardworking and motivated I believe that I possess all of these skills. Through my extra-curricular activities and work experience I have developed many skills in a short period of time and I continue to build upon them in everyday life. I would relish the opportunity to study at your university and I will apply myself, not only to the course, but also to wider aspects of university life in order to gain the best possible experience.

This personal statement got me conditional offers from all 5 universities I applied for! So, even though its not directly solely at Law and Criminology (as I applied for a whole range of different courses) it is still a great example of a personal statement. 

Please don't just copy any personal statements you see on the internet and please don't copy this one. One you've written yourself will be much better for you in the long run- I used mine as the basis for my now rather impressive c.v. This is for educational purposes to give you some ideas only. 

Help! I'm stuck with writing my essay (writers block)

With second semester assessments fast approaching, it can sometimes feel like you have writers block when writing an essay. Try this method to overcome it...

1. Start afresh. Either by getting a new piece of paper or starting a new document. I like to start a new paragraph when using word underneath what I have previously written and start from the beginning. Then, if you get stuck you can see if you can finish it off with something you have already written, but don't forget to delete the old stuff afterwards.
2. Write a key word or phrase at the top of your piece of paper or document. This can either be a key term that is relevant to the essay or some idea that you want to put in it such as:
• The aim of my essay is to...
• In the first paragraph, I am going to explain...
• The main argument that I want to make is...
• What is it that I'm trying to say?
3. Set yourself a short period of time (1-2 minutes is plenty) and start writing. Try not to worry about the order of you thoughts, the aim of this is to get your thoughts down on paper. 
4. Make sure you use the whole of the allocated time even if you feel not much of it is relevant to your essay- you can always edit these ideas later. If you still have some ideas left at the end of the time, keep writing!
5. When you have finished review what you have written. You should have produced something that captures your ideas in ordinary language but you can easily reword this into a more appropriate style for your essay. Some ideas may need a little reorganising but this is fine. 

Hopefully this method will have kick-started your essay writing and overcome your writers block. 

Taken from: Criminology skills by Emily Finch and Stefan Fafinski. 

Welcome to the new Law & Criminology blog

Looking for information on a criminology degree? Well, you've come to the right place! Law and Criminology go hand in hand, use the navigation bar at the top of the page or the search bar to the left to find what you're looking for. 

And if it isn't there, drop me an email and I'll get a post up on that topic as soon as possible for you and notify you when its been published. Simple!!