Impact & Influence

To see the use of my work in academic research follow this link.

 

Parliamentary Committees and Official Inquiries – Invitations to Advise/Give Evidence

  • High-Level Advisory Group for Justice, Care Commission Inquiry into Community Justice and criminal justice social work (Academic Member, 2018-2020)
  • Sentencing Policy Review, N Ireland Executive 2017-19
  • Community Justice Scotland Academic Advisory Board 2017-present
  • Oral & Written Evidence to Scottish Parliament Justice Committee Control of the Release of Prisoners (S) Bill, Justice Committee. Stage 1 and Stage 2
  • Commission on Women Offenders (Angiolini Commission)
  • Oral & Written Evidence to Scottish Parliament Justice Committee –Criminal Justice (S) Bill 2013
  • Oral & Written Evidence to Scottish Parliament Justice Committee – Criminal Justice & Licensing (S) Bill
  • Oral & Written Evidence to Scottish Parliament Justice Committee -Custodial Sentences & Weapons Bill

Impact Case Study – Official UK Research Excellence Framework 

Invitations to Speak (Funded) 

  • Research into Parole: What do we Know and What do We Need to Know? The Parole Board for Scotland, Edinburgh, November 2018
  • Thinking about Quality in Pre-Sentence Reports The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice November 2018
  • International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Workshop on Judging, Judges & Emotions, Onati 2018
  • Free University Brussels Conference on Sentencing Discretion April 2017
  • Invited to give Keynote lecture on Options for Sentencing Reform to Judiciary, of Cyprus Bar and Law School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2017
  • Invited to give Public Lecture at Cardiff University on Towards a New Era ? Criminal Justice & Penal Policy
  • Invited Keynote Lecture to Holyrood Conference on Women in the Criminal Justice System
  • Invited to give Public Lecture hosted by The Howard League on Smarter Sentencing: What Should the New Scotland Do? 2017
  • Invited to Chair Conference on Sentencing & Communication, Bournemouth University
  • Invited Keynote Address to Glasgow Criminal Justice Social Work Annual Conference 2017
  • Invited to lead a postgraduate methods seminar at Cardiff Centre for Law, Crime & Justice 2017
  • Invited Keynote Address to Association of Directors of Social Work /Scottish Association of Social Workers Conference on Criminal Justice
  • Howard League Public Lecture on Reducing the Use of Imprisonment, Feb 2017
  • European Community Sanctions & Measures Working Group: Legitimacy, Resistance and Professional Guilt University of Lund, Sweden, June 2015
  • Judicial Institute Training Seminars for the Scottish Judiciary on Sentencing 2014 -2016
  •  Prisoners Control of Release (S) Bill, November 2014 – June 2015
  • Social Work Scotland (Assoc. of Directors of Social Work): Invited Keynote –  the Use of Custody Conference 2015 Address on the Use of Custody
  • Keynote on Sentencing of Women Holyrood Conference May 2015
  • The Council of Europe, Conference of Directors of Prison, Probation & Prosecution on Implementation of Sentences, Brussels, 2013
  • European Union COST Symposium on Community Sanctions ‘Researching Discretion’, Bratislava, Slovakia November 2013
  • University College Dublin, staff seminar on pre-sentence research Ireland 2014
  • Audit Scotland Inquiry into Court Efficiency – evidence 2014
  • Government of Japan – Sentencing, Equality and welfare 2011
  • Scottish Parliament Justice Committee September 2012 – gave oral and written evidence on legal aid
  • Cardiff Unversity Law School Law School Invited Staff Seminar Sentencing & Penal Decision-Making in the Age of Information March 2012
  • Sheffield University March Faculty of Law Invited Staff Seminar Are we Witnessing the Slow Death of Discretion? April 2012
  • Commission on Women Offenders November 2011. Invited to on a sole basis give oral evidence (one hour) on sentencing and ways of reducing the use of custodial sentence
  • Japanese Government 2011 – invited and fully funded to speak about the Sentencing, Equality and welfare in the Criminal Process. Simultaneous translation
  • Scottish Parliament Justice Committee – invited and gave written and then follow-up oral evidence to the committee considering the Criminal Justice & Licensing (S) Bill. Invited to give further evidence on Stage 2 tabled amendments to the Bill
  • Scottish Parliament Justice Committee– invited and gave written and then follow-up oral evidence to the committee considering the Criminal Justice & Licensing (S) Bill. The Committee’s Report quotes from and discusses my evidence at six different points.
  • Cardiff Law School, Staff Seminar 
  • The International Society for the Reform of the Criminal (ISRCL), Vancouver  – keynote speaker on sentencing.
  • USA National Association of State Sentencing Commissions Conference Philadelphia – Plenary Speaker. Invited and full funded by NASC
  • Charles University Prague Institute for Criminology and Social Prevention, Czech Republic The Exchange of Current Criminological Knowledge and Criminal Policy Experience Regarding Selected Criminal Sanction” November 2012.
  • Scottish Government Chair/Speaker Beyond the revolving Door at Reducing Reoffending Conference Sept 2012
  • Scottish Parliament Justice Committee – invited and gave written and oral evidence to the Parliamentary Committee considering the Custodial Sentences & Weapons (S) Bill. The Committee’s Report on the Bill quotes and/or discusses my evidence at six different points.
  • Seminars to the Judiciary of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland 
  • Courts Service of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
  • ‘Dealing with Dangerous Offenders’ Holyrood Conference – invited to speak on sentencing to an audience of criminal justice senior practice managers and policy officials
  • Criminal Justice Social Work Department, Glasgow City Council
  • Legal Services Commission of England & Wales Conference, London
  • The Ministry of Justice of England & Wales : ‘International Comparison of Legal Services and Justice Systems’. My legal aid research is discussed by the report
  • Leiden University Law School, the Netherlands – seminars to staff and students on sentencing research
  • Legal Services Commission of England & Wales Conference Belfast
  • Galway University Law School , Ireland on criminal process research
  • Glasgow Bar Association – seminar on legal aid research
  • SYLA Scottish Young Lawyers Association
  • The International Society for the Reform of the Criminal, Edinburgh– keynote speaker on sentencing reform. –
  • Invited to address the ‘corrections’ stream of the American Society of Criminology
  • The Annual Conference of The Superior Court Judges of Georgia USA. Main keynote speaker
  • USA National Center for State Courts Annual Conference Baltimore USA.
  • Canadian Department of Justice, Ottawa, Canada.
  • The Judicial Studies Board of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, December.
  • The Donald Berman Institute La Trobe University Melbourne, Australia, December
  • Department of Criminology, Melbourne University Melbourne, Australia.
  • Judcial Commission of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

 

In the Media – examples include:

  •  Holyrood Magazine March 2014 – quoted extensively in article on Community Justice ‘Paying Back’
  • Scotland on Sunday 24th February 2013 ‘Vicky Pryce – Jury’s Out on Public Role’ quoted extensively in feature article on Juries
  • Holyrood Magazine of the Scottish Parliament – quoted extensively in article on Problem-Solving Justice ‘Courting Favour’ November 2013
  • The Herald Monday 16th July 2012 quoted on p2 and work referred to in name by Leader piece ‘The Jury’s Out on Community Sentences
  • Sunday Times 22nd January 2012 “Early Release Prisoner Recalls Rise by 875%” reporting and quoting extensively of my research
  • Daily Mail 14th January 2012 report on recall to prison research – extensive quotation of research
  • BBC Radio Scotland Tonight Interview on sentencing & imprisonment 16th November 2011
  • BBC Television Newsnight: 11th February 2009 – expert comment on sentencing, learning difficulties, and accused persons’ plea decision-making
  • BBC Scotland Television Newsnight: 3rd February 2009 – expert explanation of controversy surrounding expansion of public defence solicitor offices
  • The Herald – 12th August 2009 – gender and sentencing – front page comment
  • BBC Radio Scotland Good Morning Scotland 12th February 2009 – sentencing policy interview
  • The Herald July 2008 – front page report on my sentencing and social enquiry reports research
  • The Daily Telegraph (UK-wide edition) July 2008 – report on my sentencing and social enquiry reports research
  • The Herald December 2008 – comment on publication of Government’s Sentencing Guidelines and Sentencing Council consultation document
  • BBC Radio Scotland 14th May 2007 – explanation of current and proposed changes in sentencing policy
  • Research reported by BBC Television Newsnight Scotland 2008
  • Interview for RTE Ireland ‘PrimeTime’ (Ireland’s equivalent of ‘Panorama’) – sentencing 2007
  • Studio Interview – BBC Television Newsnight Scotland on Custodial Sentences and Weapons (S) Bill 2007
  • STV ‘Politics Now’ – expert comment on release legislation 11th January 2007
  • BBC TV Reporting Scotland report on my legal aid fixed fees research 2007
  • Front page reports (twice) of both The Scotsman & The Herald in relation to fixed fees legal aid research 2007
  • BBC TV Reporting Scotland – sentencing policy interview 2006
  • BBC TV Newsnight 4th December 2006 – Studio Interview (sole interview) to give expert comment on the Custodial Sentences & Weapons (S) Bill
  • BBC Radio Studio Interview – to give expert comment on sentencing 4th December 2006
  • BBC Radio NewsDrive 20th October 2006
  • BBC TV Scotland News 20th October 2006
  • BBC Radio Scotland Live (twice) – sentencing 2007 and 2008
  • Interviews and contributions for Holyrood Magazine (magazine of the Scottish Parliament) 2006, 2007, 2008