Current projects

Public Policy Analysis

We carry out a range of public policy projects providing cutting edge critical analysis of policy developments on crime and justice issues. Work includes:

• An audit of the youth justice system
• Understanding the rise in the prison population
• An audit of the government's record on criminal justice reform
• Analysing the 2008 Carter Review on Prisons
• Analysing prevention and early intervention policy strategies

Criminal Justice Spending Briefs

In 2010 we are publishing a series of detailed briefings on criminal justice spending in England and Wales since 1998, supported by the Hadley Trust. Released as a series of three publications, this project has explored spending and workload in prisons and probation, policing and the courts.

• Police Expenditure, 1999-2009
• Prisons and Probation Expenditure, 1999-2009
• Courts Expenditure, 1999-2009 (forthcoming in autumn, 2010)

Criminal Justice Policy Reviews

A new project in development. Click here to find out more about this project.

What is crime?

The What is crime? project aims to stimulate debate about what crime is, what it isn't and who gets to decide. Funded by The Wates Foundation from 2008-2009, this project features;

• Research and policy briefing papers.
• A photography competition.
• Parliamentary mini-inquiries.
• Lectures and events.

Harm and Society

The Harm and Society project is a social policy and criminal justice work stream based at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. The project has embarked on a detailed work programme to stimulate debate about the role and limits of criminal justice and enhance understanding of the foundations and characteristics of a safer society. It includes work on:

• Criminal Obsessions - Why harm matters more than crime (2nd edition)
• Social justice and criminal justice
• Crime, persistent offenders and the justice gap
• Ethnicity, harm and crime
• Critical thinking about the uses of research

Reform sector strategies

Reform sector strategies - a new project to the Centre.

• Reform sector strategies aims to make a major contribution to informing coherent and credible policies to halt and reverse prison growth in England and Wales.

Whose Justice?

Whose Justice? is a strategic project offering critical and innovative perspectives on the scope and purpose of the criminal justice system in the UK, shedding new light on old problems. It includes work on:

• Social Costs of Dangerousness
• Problems of everyday life
• Knife crime
• Gun crime
• Debating youth justice
• Summary justice

Research

Our research department carries out a variety of research projects including evaluations of voluntary and statutory services, research commissioned by Trades Unions, criminal justice agencies and government deparments. This includes work on:

• Doing justice locally: the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre
• Prison education (Wings of Learning and Nat Cen evaluation)
• Public confidence in community sentences (LCCS)
• Young people who sexually abuse
• Prisoners families
• Voluntary and community based work with Black young people affected by crime
• Scoping community support for offenders
• Media representation of asylum seekers
• Research archive

Stand Alone Initiatives

We also organise a number of additional stand alone projects, initiatives and events. These include:

• The Una Padel Award
• Eve Saville Lecture
• Annual event

Evidence based policy

• Evidence based policy began as part of the Centre's Harm and Society strand and now is a series of publications.