Explore Our Research
We are proud to showcase our research projects, which have actively engaged with scholars from across the globe as well as policy makers, international organisations, civil society, and practitioners.
CJRC research themes
The centre provides a forum for inter-disciplinary research collaboration in the areas of criminal justice and criminology. Our members are involved in a range of research projects which have local, national and international impact. We also promote the development of research collaboration through a responsive approach to funding calls and engagement with stakeholders.
Experiential practice-informed teaching
The School of Law and the School of Sociology and Social Policy are involved in a range of experiential practice-informed teaching initiatives in relation to legal education and criminal justice in practice. The CJRC is supporting the development of cross-school practice informed teaching with key stakeholder agencies as the basis for research into best practice experiential learning.
Explore our current projects
Advisory Board
Members and associate members of the CJRC take a collaborative approach to research and are assisted by an external Advisory Board of stakeholders. The Advisory Board is comprised of senior figures from key criminal justice agencies and internationally esteemed academics.
Advisory Board
Engagement and impact
We prioritise public engagement and the CJRC hosts regular events which aim to encourage discussion between research, policy and practice, as well as to contribute to wider public debates. This activity includes events and seminars which are open to both local and national criminal justice agency stakeholders, such as policy makers and practitioners working in the statutory and voluntary sector, and members of the public.
Events
Criminal Justice Discussion Group
Events include those organised by our Criminal Justice Discussion Group (CJDG), convened by Paul Roberts, Professor of Criminal Jurisprudence. The CJDG organises termly informal presentations on issues of criminal law, criminal justice (including criminal evidence and procedure) and criminology.
The CJDG has become a popular forum for presenting work in progress, and numerous papers have subsequently been published acknowledging the input of the Group. Postgraduate research and LLM students, as well as colleagues from other Midlands universities, regularly attend. Previous speakers have included Nina Jørgensen, Professor of Law, Southampton Law School, and Dr Mark Dsouza, Lecturer in Law, Faculty of Laws, University College London.
The Forum
The Forum is an active CJRC Postgraduate group which aims to facilitate dialogue between students, academics, policy-makers and practitioners from all disciplines with an interest in the criminal justice system. The group includes students from undergraduate and postgraduate law, criminology, mental health and politics, and has strong connections with the university's Pro Bono Society.
Meetings are held monthly, and recent discussions have included topics such as: What constitutes sexual harassment post-Harvey Weinstein? And, to what extent should the police engage in community outreach? The Forum also works collaboratively to provide film viewings and seminar opportunities, such as film screenings as part of the Human Rights Film Series.