News: socio-legal publications
This page contains details of socio-legal publications including books, journals, reports, papers and newsletters/bulletins.
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Latest publications ...
Latest from Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies: Working with Archives – Law and Historiography
Latest from Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies: Queer Legal Praxis
New book – Property in Contemporary Capitalism, by Paddy Ireland: 20% discount for SLSA members
Latest Nuffield Foundation Newsletter published
National Council for Research Methods: latest issue of Methods News published
Books
New book – Valuing Employment Rights: A Study of Remedies in Employment Law, by A C L Davies: 20% discount
This book, published by Hart, analyses a neglected topic: remedies for breaches of employment rights. It argues that some of the remedies set out in statute or at common law are a poor ‘fit’ for the employment rights they are supposed to protect. Moreover, the remedies on offer do not always suggest a sensible ranking of employment rights. The authorsuggests why some of these problems might have arisen and makes proposals for reform. Ranging across theory and doctrine, and analysing criminal, contract, tort, and statutory employment law, this volume will be of interest to academics seeking a deeper understanding of the subject. Use code GLR BD8 at checkout. See website for details.
New book – Property in Contemporary Capitalism, by Paddy Ireland: 25% discount for SLSA members
Amid the shift towards neoliberalism and the privatisation of resources, this book provides a radical new lens to view property and property theory. Boldly challenging the conventional theories of property law that have shaped our understanding for centuries, leading expert Paddy Ireland explores the rise and growth of new intangible property forms; the nature of ‘investment’ and of property-as-capital; and the empirical realities of modern property. Raising broader questions about ownership in society, the author ignites a powerful conversation about the increasingly unequal distribution of wealth, forcing us to confront that our current property system bears considerable responsibility for the current ‘polycrisis. This groundbreaking work will set the agenda for a new era in property theory. See website for details. SLSA members can claim a 25% discount: see ASP25.
New book: Free Movement and Welfare Access in the European Union: Re-Balancing Conflicting Interests in Citizenship Jurisprudence by Victoria Hooton: 20% discount available.
This book, published by Hart, assesses EU free movement law and its balancing of fundamental EU objectives and its member states’ concerns regarding their welfare systems. It takes a dual approach: a combination of doctrinal analysis of EU citizenship case law and mobility data. This clearly shows an imbalance between the representation and protection of these conflicting interests in EU case law. The study goes on to identify avenues for reform and to highlight the importance of the principle of proportionality for attaining a legitimate balance of interests. This will be much welcomed by scholars of EU free movement and citizenship law. See website for details. Use code GLR BD8 at checkout. Note: SLSA members are eligible for 20% discount on all Hart titles.
New book: Human Rights and the Care of Older People: Dignity, Vulnerability, and the Anti-Torture Norm by Maeve O'Rourke
Set against the rapid aging of the world's population, this book (published open access by OUP) explores the potential for the rule against torture and ill-treatment in international human rights law to better protect older people from care-related mistreatment. The book's analysis is broadly relevant but is prompted by the widespread reports of older people's suffering due to lack of access to care and coercion in respect of care needs. As an interpretive lens, the book offers a conception of a dignity violation that may amount to prohibited ill-treatment and thus trigger states' positive obligations to protect, including through systemic prevention measures. Meant for readers worldwide, the book addresses the rule against torture and ill-treatment from international law, regional European, Inter-American, and African perspectives.
Litigants in Person in the Civil Justice System: In their own words by Kate Leader: 20% discount
Why do people represent themselves? What works and what doesn’t work for self-represented parties? And how can we improve litigant in person (LiP) experiences to make the civil justice system fairer? Based on in-depth interviews with individuals who have acted as LiPs in the civil courts, this book provides a deep account of LiP experiences that help to show how much we don’t know about LiPs, the civil justice system and LiPs’ place within it, as well as the kinds of things we ought to be doing to improve access to justice for unrepresented parties. See the Hart Publishing website for details. Use code: GLR BD8.
Religion, Crime and Law: A critical overview, edited by Abby Day and Russell Sandberg: call for chapter proposals
Chapter proposals are invited for this edited collection to be published by Wiley. See announcement for full details. Closing date: 31 July 2024.
New book: International Dialogues on Litigation and Society, edited by Antonio Rodrigues de Freitas Júnior and Jorge Cavalcanti Boucinhas Filho
In 2019, the University of Sao Paulo School of Law (FD-USP) hosted the Brazil–Japan Litigation and Society Seminar 2: Cultural Diversity and Global Challenges, strengthening its ties with Shinshu University. After some setbacks, in 2022, many of the event presentations were published as articles in the book International Dialogues on Litigation and Society. Professors Antonio Rodrigues de Freitas Júnior and Jorge Cavalcanti Boucinhas Filho are the book's coordinators and editors, and the project resulted from the partnership between the Research Group on Migration and International Labor Law (GEMDIT) and the Superior School for Lawyers of the Brazilian Bar Association, Sao Paulo Branch (ESA-OAB-SP). See website for details.
Edited Collection on Neurodivergence and Criminal Justice: call for contributing authors
This is a call for contributions to a proposed edited collection focusing on neurodivergence in the criminal justice system, edited by Tom Smith and Roxanna Dehaghani. See announcement for details. Call closes: 14 June 2024.
New books from Hart Publishing by Emily Haslam, Marie Tidball and Israel Cedillo Lazcano: 20% discount
The Subjects and Subjectivities of International Criminal Law: A critical introduction by Emily Haslam
This book provides a critical introduction to the core elements of international criminal law. It does so by provoking thought on what international criminal law is by contrasting the practice of state-based actors and institutions such as the International Criminal Court with practices associated with non-state actors. International criminal law is now established as an essential legal and institutional response to atrocity. However, it faces a series of political and practical challenges. This book encourages reflection on its multiple meanings and usages in order to provoke consideration of what it means, and might mean, to deploy international criminal law today. See website for details. Use code GLR AT5 at checkout.
Disabling Criminal Justice: The governance of autistic adult defendants in the English criminal justice system by Marie Tidball
This book considers the governance of defendants and offenders with autism in the UK courts. Drawing on a rigorously researched case study of adult defendants with autism, the book brings together legal and policy literature, criminological and criminal justice theory with disability studies to provide insight into the ‘dividing practices’ that affect the governance of disabled defendants' conduct. Using interviews with elites and practitioners, and court observation of eight adult defendants with autism, the book investigates why the status of defendants with autism as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 has been overlooked in criminal justice policy and criminal court decision-making. See website for details. Use code GLR AT5 at checkout.
A Socio-Legal Theory of Money for the Digital Commercial Society: A new analytical framework to understand cryptoassets by Israel Cedillo Lazcano
This book poses the question: do we need a new body of regulations and the constitution of new regulatory agents to face the evolution of money in the Fourth Industrial Revolution? After the Global Financial Crisis and the subsequent introduction of Distributed Ledger Technologies in monetary matters, multiple opinions claim that we are in the middle of a financial revolution that will eliminate the need for central banks and other financial institutions to form bonds of trust on our behalf. In contrast to these arguments, this book argues that we are not witnessing a revolutionary expression, but an evolutionary one that we can trace back to the very origin of money. See website for details. Use code GLR AT5 at checkout.
Law, Migration, and the Construction of Whiteness: Mobility within the European Union, by Dagmar Rita Myslinska: 20% discount
This book, published by Routledge, interrogates the history, wording, omissions, assumptions and applications of laws, policies and discourses pertinent to mobility and equality, to argue that the parameters of Central and Eastern European nationals’ status within the EU have been closely circumscribed, in line with the entrenched historical positioning of the west as superior to the east. Engaging current legal, economic, political, and moral issues — against the backdrop of Brexit and contestations over EU integration and globalisation — the book opens avenues of thought to better understand law’s role in producing and sustaining social stratifications. Europe is a postcolonial space, as this book demonstrates. By addressing fractures within the construct of whiteness that are based on ethnicity, class and migrant status, the book also provides a theoretically nuanced, and politically useful, understanding of contemporary European racism. See announcement for details. Use code AFLY01 at checkout.
Combined Academic Press – a selection of titles
Combined Academic Press is offering members a 30% discount on titles bought online. Below is a selection of recent publications: use code SLSAUP at checkout.
Family Law in Action: Divorce and Inequality in Quebec and France (2023) by Emilie Biland; Annelies Fryberger and Miranda Richmond Mouillot (trans), UBC Press
The right to divorce is a symbol of individual liberty and gender equality under the law, but in practice it is anything but equitable. Family Law in Action reveals the class and gender inequalities embedded in the process of separation and its aftermath in Quebec and France. See website for details.
Judging Insanity, Punishing Difference: A History of Mental Illness in the Criminal Court (2023) by Chloé Deambrogio, Stanford University Press
In Judging Insanity, Punishing Difference, Chloé Deambrogio explores how developments in the field of forensic psychiatry shaped American courts' assessments of defendants' mental health and criminal responsibility over the course of the twentieth century. See website for details.
Law by Night (2023) Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller, Duke University Press
In Law by Night Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller asks what we can learn about modern law and its authority by understanding how it operates in the dark of night. See website for details.
Struggles for the Human: Violent Legality and the Politics of Rights (2024) Lara Montesinos Coleman, Duke University Press
In Struggles for the Human, Lara Montesinos Coleman blends ethnography, political philosophy, and critical theory to reorient debates on human rights through attention to understandings of legality, ethics, and humanity in anticapitalist and decolonial struggle. See website for details.
Journals
Call for Papers: Crime, Law and Social Change special Issue on White Collar Crime – Challenges and Solutions
Submissions are invited for this special issue of this peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal guest-edited by Dr Penny Giosa, University of Portsmouth, and Ms Michala Meiselles, University of Derby. Deadline for submission of full papers. 15 November 2024. See attachment for full details.
Non-binary Identities and the Law: call for abstracts for journal special issue
Abstracts are invited for this special issue of the Italian law journal GenIUS edited by Professor Guido Noto La Diega. See website for details. Closing date: 1 July 2024.
New journal: Journal of Global Health Law – open for submissions
Just launched by Elgaronlin, the new journal is dedicated solely to global health law. The editors invite contributions with a global focus. Articles are welcomed from scholars from all over the world examining global health law, as well as, its interaction with other fields, such as domestic legal systems and other forms of governance, whether they be domestic, regional or global. See website for details. The journal is published twice a year and the first issue is now available open access.
Journal of the British Academy relaunch
The Journal of the British Academy has been relaunched to improve access to its diverse range of world-class SHAPE research. The Journal has expanded its scope, spotlighting interdisciplinary research from across the British Academy, including from British Academy Fellows, its funded research programmes, and academic events and activities. It is an online, open access journal, showcasing the very best research in the humanities and social sciences. It aims to deepen and connect scholarship – not only within the humanities and social sciences, but across and between them – creating a platform for innovative interdisciplinary methods, perspectives and approaches. It is published by the British Academy, the UK’s national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
'Indigenous land rights in Argentina under fire: the significance of the Mendoza Resolution at domestic and international law', by Shea Esterling
On 23 March 2023, the Chamber of Deputies of the Province of Mendoza issued a resolution, which asserts that the Mapuche peoples should not be considered Argentine Indigenous Peoples in terms of the Argentine Constitution. This article analyses this resolution through the lens of the challenge of reconciling historical injustices and the claims of Indigenous Peoples within the contemporary Argentine legal system. In turn, it sheds light on the complexities that underpin the implementation of indigenous rights in federal states as well as the complexities of the interplay between indigenous rights at domestic and international law as regards recognition and land disputes. The first instalment focuses on the Mendoza resolution in relation to the implementation of indigenous rights in Argentina while the second instalment will consider its implications under international law. Published in Opinio Juris. See website for details.
Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly: Special Issue on 'Undoing Devolution by the Back Door? The Implications of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020': just published
Following a conference that took place at Swansea University in July 2022 to discuss the 'profound implications of UKIMA for devolved government', this special issue – edited by Tom Hannant and Karen Morrow – brings together contributions from across the UK to examine UKIMA's impact on the UK’s devolution arrangements. See website for details.
Law & Society Review: first issue published with Cambridge University Press
The first 2024 issue of Law & Society Review (LSR) marks the beginning of a new publishing relationship between Cambridge University Press and the Law & Society Association (LSA). Issue 58.1 can be read here.
New issue of Amicus Curiae including a special section on 'Children’s Rights: Contemporary Issues in Law and Society'
Issue 5.2 of Amicus Curiae Series 2 has just been published. The issue opens with ‘Human Rights for Justice’, by Justice Sir Dennis Adjei of the Court of Appeal, Ghana. The remainder of the issue is devoted to a Special Section on Children’s Rights: Contemporary Issues in Law and Society (Part 1), organised, developed and edited by Dr Maria-Federica Moscati (Sussex University), including contributions from Jo Bridgeman, Marian Roberts, Lucía Coler & Gabriela Z Salomone, Hung-Ju Chen & Po-Han Lee, Nuno Ferreira & Anna Verges Bausili, Simon Flacks, Jacob Stokoe and Francesca Cavallo. The issue is rounded off with a Visual Law article from Amy Kellam. See website to read the complete issue.
Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly: Special issue – The Health and Care Act 2022: new legislation – new legacy? Mary Guy and Jean McHale (eds)
This special open access issue edited by Mary Guy (Liverpool John Moores University) and Jean McHale (University of Birmingham) offers UK-wide learning through its primary focus on a number of areas which received little public attention in the lead-up to the passage of the legislation and yet which may leave a considerable legacy for health and social care in the future.
The NILQ is open for submissions and the Chief Editor, Professor Mark Flear welcomes proposals for future special issues. See website for details.
Philosophical Quarterly Special Issue: New Work on Epistemic Injustice – call for papers
Submissions are invited for this special issue. See website for details. Call closes: 30 June 2024.
American Journal of International Law: call for papers
AJIL is a leading peer-reviewed journal, published quarterly since 1907. It features articles, essays, editorial comments, current developments, and book reviews by pre-eminent scholars and practitioners from around the world addressing developments in public and private international law and foreign relations law. See website for details.
Blogs and other online resources
Just like Football, UK Universities Need a Regulator: Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy
Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy, recently authored a piece outlining the need for an independent regulator of the higher education sector. The article explains that the financial crisis the sector currently finds itself in is partially caused by a failure in regulation and oversight. As argued by Professor Black, establishing an independent regulator can address this and secure the financial resilience of the university system. See BA Analysis to read the article.
AHRC Blog: Next steps for the AHRC funding for doctoral landscape awards
This blog provides an update on the next steps for implementation of the AHRC landscape awards component of the Future of Doctoral Provision (FDP) programme.
Nuffield Foundation: June newsletter
Read the latest updates from the Nuffield Foundation in the June Newsletter.
Leverhulme Trust: Funding Bulletin
See the latest bulletin for the latest news from the Leverhulme Trust.
UKRI Voices Blog: People, culture and environment are at heart of research by Rebecca Fairbairn
In the latest instalment of Voices, Rebecca Fairbairn, Director of Research Excellence Framework (REF), Research England, talks about how the definitions of research excellence are changing across the world, how we are now looking in a much more open way at what excellence looks like, and which outputs from research matter. See website for details.
HMCTS Podcast: Accessible Justice: courts and digital services for all
Listen to the the latest Unveiling Justice podcast on accessible justice.
HMCTS Monthly Bulletin: February 2024
Read all the latest news from the HMCTS in its Monthly Bulletin.
HMCTs Blog: Inside the Criminal Courts
The latest ‘Inside the Criminal Courts’ video series looks at experiences of ensuring court building are safe for everyone visiting and working in the courts. See website for details.
Parliament Matters: New podcast by the Hansard Society
Two of the UK's leading parliamentary experts, Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox, guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held accountable by the people we send to Westminster. They will be debating the topical issues of the day, looking back at key historical events and discussing the latest research on democracy and Parliament. See website for details.
Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination at the Bar 2023, Bar Council Report
Research data from Barristers’ Working Lives (the Bar Council’s biennial survey of the profession), as well as reports to Talk to Spot and calls to the Bar Council’s helplines, evidence a long-term problem with bullying and harassment, as well as inappropriate and undermining behaviour, which needs to be addressed. This report draws on new data from the Barristers' Working Lives survey 2023 and Talk to Spot data from 2019-2023 and makes three recommendations. See website for details.
Remand Decision-Making in the Magistrates’ Court, JUSTICE Research Report
JUSTICE'S research report , Remand Decision-Making in the Magistrates’ Court, found that magistrates’ courts are regularly not following the law when jailing people awaiting trial. See website to download the full report.
UKRI news release: 'Update on UKRI open access policy and fund for books'
From 1 January 2024, UKRI’s open access policy will apply to monographs, book chapters and edited collections that need to acknowledge UKRI funding. See news announcement for details.
Leverhulme Trust: Funding Bulletin
The Bulletin contains details of all the Trust's current funding rounds and fellowships.
Latest news from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
The latest JRF newsletter is now available.
National Council for Research Methods: latest issue of Methods News published
Read the latest issue including details of the National Centre for Research Method's many events and training opportunities.
Public Law Project: latest news updates
For the latest Public Law Project news, see the full update here.
AcSS eBulletin: April 2024
See the latest AcSS eBulletin for news of all AcSS activities.
Judging Your Future: latest newsletter from the Judicial Appointments Commission
The Judicial Appointments Commission has published its latest newsletter. See webpage for details.
Latest from the JLS Blog: Meet the book authors
- Trauma-informed Lawyering in the Context of Civil Claims for Sexual Violence by Dr Nikki Godden-Rasul, Newcastle University and Dr Clare Wiper, Northumbria University
Latest from Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies
Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies is a blog by the Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies welcoming perspectives on methods and cutting-edge research from across the socio-legal field.
Working with Archives – Law and Historiography
Professor Linda Mulcahy speaks to Professor Michael Lobban (All Souls College, Oxford) about working with archives as a legal historian. They talk about finding a good research question in the field of legal history and accessing and understanding different archives. Listen to the full podcast here, which is part of the blog’s Talking About Methods podcast.
Queer Legal Praxis
In this special Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies piece for Pride 2024, Professor Chris Ashford introduces the concept of ‘queer legal praxis’, drawing on performance studies and the ways that queerness ‘is done’ to explore how law understands queerness. Read the full post here, which is published as part of the blog’s Borderlands section.
If you would like to receive a summary of all Frontier’s latest posts, sign up to receive the bi-monthly newsletter here.
The blog always welcomes submissions providing analysis of recent socio-legal research, methodological issues, ethical issues, and publications from around the globe: Frontiers can be found at Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies and on Twitter @OxfordCSLS.
Other
New Briefing from the Runnymede Trust – Racial segregation and the asylum system: the case of RAF Wethersfield
People of colour are bearing the brunt of shocking conditions in mass asylum accommodation, which amount to racial segregation, according to the Runnymede Trust's latest briefing. See website for details.
Bar Council Manifesto for justice 2024
The Bar Council's manifesto for justice makes the case for change and sets out eight recommendations needed for reform and investment across the justice sector for the next government. See website for details.
Centre for Sport and Human Rights: Annual Reading list and glossary
Centre for Sport & Human Rights: Annual Reading List
The latest version of the reading list contains references and links to selected publications from 2023 relevant to the broader field of sport and human rights. For suggestions and questions on this list, please use this form email
Centre for Sport & Human Rights: Sport & Human Rights Glossary
The Centre is pleased to announce the launch of the 'Sport & Human Rights Glossary', a continuing and consultative effort aimed at bringing clarity and coherence to the language used to discuss and advance human rights in sport. This Glossary translates sport terminology for those specialised in human rights and applies a human rights lens to terms broadly used in sport, proposing definitions that are accessible to all and contribute to ensuring that communication is responsible, inclusive, respectful and ethical. The project page is available here. A blog providing context for the project and our approach is available here.
The Centre welcomes input and feedback.
New reports from JUSTICE: Reforming the EU Settlement Scheme and Time Better Spent: Improving Decision-making in Prisons
Justice has published two new committee reports:
- Reforming the EU Settlement Scheme: The Way Forward for the EUSS, Chair Paul Bowen KC
- Time Better Spent: Improving Decision-making in PrisonsTime Better Spent: Improving Decision-making in Prisons, Chair Professor Nick Hardwick CBE
Sentencing Council Guidance: Sentencing pregnant women and new mothers
On 1 April 2024, the Council introduced a new, dedicated mitigating factor: ‘Pregnancy, childbirth and post-natal care’, in the majority of offence-specific sentencing guidelines, providing guidance for courts on sentencing pregnant offenders and new mothers. See website for details.
Academy of Social Sciences: 2024–2029 strategy launched
The strategy outlines the Academy's objectives for promoting social science in the UK for public benefit and was informed by consultations with Academy Fellows, Council members, Executive Committee, member learned societies, Academy staff and other stakeholders. See website for details and to download the strategy.
Academy of Social Sciences: Social science EDI data report published
The Academy has published a new report which summarises social science equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data as part of itscollaborative EDI Project in partnership with member learned societies and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). See website for details.
Sentencing Council: Miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines – response to consultation
The Sentencing Council has published details of amendments it will be making to a number of sentencing guidelines following consultation. The changes apply to guidelines in both magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court and will come into force on 1 April 2024. The majority of the changes are being made in response to recent changes in legislation and others are in response to feedback from guideline users. Full details can be found in the response to consultation document on the Sentencing Council website.
AcSS Latest Policy Monitor published
See and respond to the summary of latest consultations across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Bar Council calls for ‘whole system review’ of criminal justice system through Royal Commission
The Bar Council has submitted written evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry update on reducing the backlog in Criminal Courts. In it, it calls for a review of the criminal justice system (ideally by means of a Royal Commission) to resolve these structural issues preventing elimination of the backlog. See press release for details.
Ministry of Justice: Updates in the draft new Victims’ Code
The Victims’ Code is a guide for victims of crime to understand what they can expect from the criminal justice system. It sets out the minimum level of service that victims should receive in England and Wales. See website for the latest changes to the draft code.
UK Poverty 2024, Joseph Rowntree Foundation report
The UK is entering this election year with unacceptably high levels of poverty, appallingly high for some groups. This report looks at the current situation across different groups and regions, and the future prospects for poverty in the UK. See website for details.
Bar Council: New guidance on generative AI for the Bar
The Bar Council has issued new guidance for barristers navigating the growing use of ChatGPT, and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model systems (LLMs). It concludes that there is nothing inherently improper about using reliable AI tools for augmenting legal services, but they must be properly understood by the individual practitioner and used responsibly. See announcement for details.
The SHAPE of Research Impact: new report from AcSS, the British Academy and Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science
This new report sheds light on the tangible impact of UK SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) research on the wellbeing of society, culture and the economy, through a collection of case studies. See website for details.
Reimagining the Recipe for Research and Innovation: The secret sauce of social science, new report from AcSS and Campaign for Social Science
This report emphasises the vitally important yet underdeveloped role of the social sciences in the UK’s current research, development and innovation system. Drawing on data which highlights the ways in which social scientists contribute to a diverse ecosystem of talent and impact, it sets out some distinctive flavours of the UK’s social sciences, and how they are transforming UK research into a recipe that is genuinely world-leading and future-focused. See website for details.
Sentencing Council: Response to the Justice Committee recommendations: Public Opinion and Understanding of Sentencing
The Council has responded to recommendations made by the Justice Committee following the Committee’s inquiry into public opinion and understanding of sentencing. See website for details.
Assessing Access to Justice in HMCTS Services: new report
This publication outlines the HMCTS's commitment to being transparent and treating data as one a valuable asset. See website for details.
Nuffield Foundation: March 2024 newsletter
The latest news from the Nuffield Foundation. See website for details.
Safesoc Newsletter: March 2024
The £1.1m UKRI funded SAFESOC research project aims to reconceptualise prison regulation for safer societies. See website for the latest SAFESOC news.
Latest JRF Newsletter
Read all the latest from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation: JRF Newseltter: October 2023.
Sentencing Council: new guidelines on perverting the course of justice and witness intimidation
On 1 October 2023, two new guidelines from the Sentencing Council for sentencing offenders convicted of interfering with the administration of justice came into effect. The guidelines cover two offences: perverting the course of justice contrary to common law; and witness intimidation under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. There were previously no sentencing guidelines for perverting the course of justice offences and only limited guidance in the magistrates’ courts for witness intimidation.
Perverting the course of justice offences cover a wide range of conduct, from giving false information to police officers at a traffic stop, tampering with evidence or giving false information during a police interview. Witness intimidation includes pressuring witnesses to withdraw allegations or witness statements, or not to give evidence in court.
Sentencing Council: Data release on sentencing robbery
The Council has published data covering the factors taken into account when sentencing adult offenders for robbery (where this was the principal offence) and details of the sentence imposed. See website for details.
Analysis and Research at the Sentencing Council – September 2023
This roundup summarises some of the research work recently undertaken or commissioned by the Sentencing Council. See website for details.
The Bar of 2043: Thoughts for the future – speech by Nick Vineall KC, Chair of the Bar
This speech was given on Wednesday 13 September 2023 at the Inner Temple Hall, London.
Rapid Legal Policy Reactions and How to Do Them: new Best Practice Guide from the Doing Feminist Legal Work Network
This best practice guide, edited by Maebh Harding and Aoife O’Donoghue, brings together practical advice from legal academics about how to respond quickly to events or opportunities that could influence legal policy. It is hoped that scholars and activists will find this research tool empowering and helpful when engaging directly with policy makers and media to address complex issues of law and gender. See website to download the free guide.
Humor and Free Speech: A Comparative Analysis of Global Case Law, by Alberto Godioli and Jennifer Young
The paper Humor and Free Speech: A Comparative Analysis of Global Case Law, authored by Alberto Godioli and Jennifer Young (University of Groningen, convenors of the 'Comedy Controversies' stream at SLSA 2023), is now available as part of the Special Collection series run by Columbia Global Freedom of Expression. The paper discusses international trends and recurring issues in humour-related jurisprudence, by analysing 81 cases from across the globe. The cases are organised around five key themes, namely (1) satire, defamation and other individual dignitary harms; (2) disparaging humor and hate speech; (3) humor, violence and public unrest; (4) parody, copyright and trademarks; (5) humour and “public morals”. Please click here to download the paper.
Nuffield Foundation Annual Report 2022 published
The 2022 annual report has just been published. Tim Gardam, the Foundation's CEO, has written his reflections on last year, highlighting the Foundation’s key achievements, and sharing a preview of what to expect over the coming year. See website for details.
Runnymede Trust: overview of 2023
The Runnymede Trust has published its final press release of 2023.
Academy of Social Sciences: June eBulletin
See the latest eBulletin for a round-up of AcSS activities.