criminal justice, law and rights

Reponding to gender-based violence in Scotland: the scope of the gender equality duty to drive cultural and practical change

Research undertaken for the Equality and Human Rights Commission by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, which explores some of the arguments for and against a gender aggravation in Scots criminal law before considering the evidence thus far of the impact the Gender Equality Duty (GED) has had on Scotland’s criminal justice system. It also makes a number of useful recommendations for the future.

Research soundbites: crime and justice

Video recordings produced as a result of joint work by IRISS and the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) on the topic of recent crime and justice research.

The videos offer short 'research soundbites' based on recent or forthcoming research, and a series of crime and justice discussion recordings which capture academics, policy makers and practitioners talking about key issues around crime and justice in Scotland.

Understanding child contact cases in Scottish sheriff courts

Parents or grandparents who cannot agree arrangements to see children with whom they do not live may turn to the courts to resolve their disputes. The Scottish court system puts children at the centre of decisions that affect them. A key mechanism for this is the Child Welfare Hearing (CWH), which parties must attend, in which sheriffs have extensive powers to intervene.

Legitimacy and procedural justice in prisons

A functioning correctional system depends on the orderly reproduction of a stable and acceptable prison environment. The argument in this paper has two parts: first, a key factor in the social order of a prison is the legitimacy of the prison regime in the eyes of inmates; and second, the legitimacy of authorities depends in large part upon the procedural fairness with which officers treat prisoners.

Shadow writing and participant observation: a study of criminal justice social work around sentencing

The study of decision-making by public officials in administrative settings has been a mainstay of law and society scholarship for decades. The methodological challenges posed by this research agenda are well understood: how can socio-legal researchers get inside the heads of legal decision-makers in order to understand the uses of official discretion?

Report on community payback order seminar (February 2010)

The Scottish Consortium on Crime and Criminal Justice and the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research held a seminar in Glasgow on 23rd February 2010, to discuss the community payback order, which has been proposed by the Scottish Government in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. The purpose of the seminar was to clarify the intentions behind the proposed new Scottish Order; how its success would be judged; and how it could be made both effective and acceptable, to sentencers, to the press and to the public.

Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) – Vimeo

The SCCJR produces high-quality research which is both scholarly and of relevance to the needs of those involved in the formulation, development and implementation of criminal justice policy. The SCCJR seeks to share its research findings widely and offers training, consultancy and policy advice. The SCCJR works in partnership with a range of stakeholders involved in crime and justice research, policy and practice. This Vimeo resource contains the SCCJR's video content.