Latest Justice Matters update...

Justice Matters
A three year strategic initiative

This is the latest update on Justice Matters, the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' three year initiative promoting radical alternatives to criminal justice.

One year on...
Justice Matters was launched in the summer of 2013 and in the first year, among other things, we have; promoted the core themes of the initiative; developed Justice Matters for Women and a Call to Action; outlined in detail the core thinking behind the project in Criminal Justice Matters magazine; and spent a lot of time discussing and debating Justice Matters with partners.

We have learned a lot over the last year and want to thank everyone who has engaged in the initiative for helping to build it and encouraging us to develop it. In year two Justice Matters will broaden its scope to include ethnicity and will also be holding a series of seminars to debate what the alternatives to the penal system might be.

Justice Matters – the ethnic penalty
The over criminalisation of some ethnic minorities in the UK is well known. 'Justice Matters - the ethnic penalty' will concentrate on how this over criminalisation can be reversed by building alternatives and transforming practice. As long ago as 2008 the Centre published Ethnicity, harm and crime discussing the background of this penalty with a specific focus on young black men; it is this thread that we intend to pick up over the next year. If you are interested in helping us develop this initiative then please contact Will McMahon. 

The  ‘Alternatives to’ seminar series.  Seminar One: ‘What are the alternatives to policing?’
On Wednesday 22 October Professor Tim Hope and Dr Waqas Tufail will discuss ‘What are the alternatives to policing?’. If you want to attend then register here. Future seminars will focus on alternatives to prison, probation and prosecution. Got ideas for speakers? Then get in touch.

Justice Matters for Women
We will continue to develop Justice Matters for Women through building the Call to Action which you can sign here if you have not already done so. You can see the full list of signatories here. We will also be developing an online comment series on ways for addressing gendered violence that do not rely on criminal justice. One of the first steps, argues Rebecca Roberts, is placing women at the centre of campaigns and action for challenging violence and inequality.  Interested in being involved? Contact Helen Mills.

Finally, large or small..... we are looking for donations 
If we are ever to fundamentally downsize our reliance on criminal justice and build alternatives and transform practice then we will need a big coalition to change the terms of the debate and force the pace of change. It goes without saying that this is going to take considerable time and effort. The Centre has committed significant resources to developing Justice Matters for the long term and is looking for philanthropic funders and individuals to help with this long term aim by making donations, whether large or small. If you are an individual and want to donate to help out then please visit here. If you want to offer a larger grant then please contact the Centre's director, Richard Garside.

That’s all for this month. If you have been sent this bulletin by someone else and would like to subscribe to our Justice Matters mailing to keep up to date with the initiative, click here.

Hope you are having a good summer

Will McMahon
​Deputy Director