New paper from @danicadarley.bsky.social and I problematising the operationalisation of ‘vulnerability’ in women’s prisons onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

*Recommended Reading Alert* for all academics (not just #criminologists) gearing up for conference season Brill blog by @danicadarley.bsky.social Brittany Jackson and Holly Whyte on their experience of attending the BSC 2024 @unistrathclyde.bsky.social as non-academics thebscblog.wordpress.com

The BSC Blog

all about current issues on crime, criminology and criminal justice

thebscblog.wordpress.com

My wonderful co-researchers Brittany Jackson and Holly Whyte have written an insightful piece about what it was like attending the British Society of Criminology conference as non-academics. Have a read - there is much for us to learn and even more to do!! thebscblog.wordpress.com

The BSC Blog

all about current issues on crime, criminology and criminal justice

thebscblog.wordpress.com

Really good to see @midwifeteacher.bsky.social's important work featured in the national media. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

‘The pain was worse than giving birth’: why are so many women separated from their babies in prison?

First they had to give birth in custody, then their babies were taken away. Sometimes they never got them back. Here’s what 29 women told the Lost Mothers Project

theguardian.com

We need your support!

The Howard League@thehowardleague.bsky.social · last yr.

The Ministry of Justice has announced the introduction of PAVA spray for use against children in prison. The Howard League will take whatever steps necessary, including legal action, to challenge this decision. Please support our crowdfunder 🙏 www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-th...

The Ministry of Justice has announced the introduction of PAVA spray for use against children in prison. The Howard League will take whatever steps necessary, including legal action, to challenge this decision. Please support our crowdfunder 🙏 www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-th...

Stop the use of PAVA spray on children in prison

The Howard League is a national charity campaigning for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.

crowdjustice.com

And one of the problems with peeling off your skin is that it’s near impossible to put it back on in the same way 😞

Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · last yr.

My thoughts on the way we judge mothers www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

👏👏👏👏

Hannah Lewis@hannahjlewis.bsky.social · last yr.

Research praxis as well as policy needs to change it's frame: 'We are treated as case studies, not experts. We are reduced to stories on legs, telling stories to raise money for organisations' fundraising events. Ask us for our expertise and solutions, not sensational stories.'

God forbid we have a ‘two-tier’ justice system. Oh wait……. Just when you think we’re making progress 😞

Janey Starling@janeystarling.bsky.social · last yr.

Hard-won guidelines that would have seen courts instructed to avoid sending pregnant women to prison will no longer come into force tomorrow. Because Shabana rolled over for the far-right. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/mar...

A huge thank you to @cjalliance.bsky.social & @mediatrust.bsky.social, to all the cast and crew, and everyone who contributed. We're so grateful to be able to bring this cause to life, challenge perceptions, reach new audiences and continue pushing for change. fairchecks.org.uk/fairchecks-a...

FairChecks | A short film - #FairChecks

A short film highlighting the experiences of those facing the life-long barrier of a criminal record. Join our campaign for criminal records reform today.

fairchecks.org.uk

Had the privilege of watching Rupture by @openclasp.bsky.social today at HMP Askham Grange. It was moving and powerful and knowledge exchange (I hate that phrase) from research done perfectly.

This is big!!! 👏👏👏👏

Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · last yr.

📢New Sentencing Council Guideline published: *all women should have a pre sentence report * courts should avoid imprisoning pregnant and post natal women * acknowledgement that women's drivers for offending are complex & short sentences criminogenic www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/overarching-...

Today the Government announced young girls will not be placed in YOIs following recommendations from Susannah Hancock’s review. While a welcome first step, more needs to be done to meet gender-specific needs of girls in the justice system. Our comment: tinyurl.com/2apm73tr

My daughter was 14 months old when I was sent to prison for a non-violent offence. More than ten years on I still wonder every day about the harm this caused her. Hopefully we can stop other children and women suffering this kind of trauma.

Birth Companions@birthcompanions.bsky.social · last yr.

Today Birth Companions launches our latest campaign, calling for an ambitious new approach to pregnancy, birth and early motherhood across the whole criminal justice system. Find out more: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/cam...

Criminology people with interest in experiences of families of people in prison! I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share! docs.google.com/document/u/1...

Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma

Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma Editor: Anna Kotova Context: Stigma is a well-documented phenomenon within research on families of people in prison. ...

docs.google.com

Gendering Jail Craft: Preparing Officers for the Realities of Women’s Prisons? This blog shares some preliminary findings from a study tracking the development of graduate prison officers following gender-informed training @drswaite.bsky.social on British Society of Criminology wp.me/p9dqlz-izE

Gendering Jail Craft: Preparing Officers for the Realities of Women’s Prisons?

This blog shares some preliminary findings from a study tracking the development of graduate prison officers following gender-informed training

wp.me

THE SOCIAL WORK ONLINE TEAM TRAINING (SWOTT) TOOLKIT: EMBEDDING TEAM-BASED PEER LEARNING IN CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Rogers, M. et al (2024) / Social Work Education #openaccess #socialwork doi.org/10.1080/0261...

The Social Work Online Team Training (SWOTT) toolkit: embedding team-based peer learning in continuous professional development

Continuous professional development (CPD) underpins safe, effective practice by ensuring that social workers acquire and sustain up-to-date knowledge and skills. Additionally, CPD is critical to th...

tandfonline.com

Have any of my followers submitted applications for/been successful in applying for the ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship? And if so, would they be willing to have chat about it? I've seen a few examples in other disciplines but nothing from criminology/law. 🤞

This is perfect. I often struggle with the concept of hope in the context of criminal justice but understanding it like this makes sense to me.

Dr Claire Cunnington@drcisme.bsky.social · 2y ago

About Hope “Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency. Hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the…

For every 100 people released from prison 67 are recalled, according to new stats published today. Only a quarter of people recalled committed another crime. The rest broke licence conditions like missing Probation appointments 👇👇 www.prisonadvice.org.uk/latest/news/...

New figures published today show a 42% increase in prison recalls

Pact supports prisoners, people with convictions, and their families across England and Wales.

prisonadvice.org.uk

Very excited to have had my first day as a research associate with Dr Shirley Lewis looking at the experience of pre-birth assessments for pregnant women who use substances. Feels a bit weird not being in Sociology after all these years but I’ve been made to feel very welcome.

I presented my PhD findings here last year for the first time and it was a lovely, supportive environment in which to do so. Go along if you can.

Daria Przybylska@daria-przblsk.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excited to announce the 3rd run of our PhD conference for doctoral students researching in areas of criminology and criminal justice! We welcome submissions from PhDs at any stage of their degree, from the UK and abroad.

So many things to comment on here, but 5 years after the preventable deaths of Katie and William, the fact that some prison cells are still not safe is inexcusable. Immediate "actioning" rather than just "carefully considering" the recommendations is what is required 💔. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Catalogue of failures led to young prisoner deaths at Polmont, says sheriff

A fatal accident inquiry concludes that Katie Allan, 21, and William Brown, 16, may not have died if reasonable precautions had been taken.

bbc.co.uk

Exciting news - this powerfully vulnerable , astutely observed & cogently argued personal (and yet so familiar it’s surely replicable) account & theorisation by @schreeche.bsky.social of post prison experiences in academia is published! We can, and must, do better. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Insecurity and Fragility: The Perpetual Duo of Precarity for ‘Convict Criminologists’ in a Risk Averse Academy - Critical Criminology

Risk management in the criminal justice system reflects a wider societal risk consciousness. People with criminal records are seen as risks requiring governance. Despite the recent interest in embeddi...

link.springer.com

📣 Job opportunity - CEO! We are looking for the person who will lead NUM's policy advocacy work as our CEO. Applicants must be based in the UK, and lived experience of sex work is desirable. Click below for core responsibilities, person spec & how to apply: www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/nationa...

I am so tired of politicians and billionaires exploiting child sexual abuse (CSA) and exploitation (CSE) for their own political ends. Especially the right who ignore the fact that most children are abused by someone within their own community. 1/4

Can this @teamlabouruk.bsky.social government finish the job first started by the Blair/Brown government & the #Corston report on alternatives to imprisoning vulnerable women. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Funding gap for women’s centres will mean more prison sentences, experts warn

About 50 centres for women in crisis in England and Wales face deficit of £5.1m after funding ends in March

theguardian.com

One of the best parts of my job is being part of this supportive, uplifting community. Team Zine is awesome and I’m so glad our work is out there to share with others.

Dr Sarah Waite@drswaite.bsky.social · 2y ago

Very pleased to be able to share this paper, a true team effort! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

We are creating a new tool to measure what makes a good quality of life for adoptees aged 16-25, based on what adoptees themselves think is important. If you want to take part in a mixed focus group for birth family members, adopters and adoptees aged 26+, sign up here: forms.gle/x1Mi993Dihpg...

New Publication: "The Rehabilitation Industry: Lived Experience and Performance" (10min read) Andi Brierley & I explore our observations of what we describe as a Rehabilitation Industry and reflect on our roles within it We pose tough questions for all CJS stakeholders—read & join the discussion!