Blog

In this series of blogs, HERC takes a multidisciplinary approach to exploring harmful evidence and evidencing harm. We consider the roles of harm and crime, uses and abuses of evidence in criminal justice and criminalisation to de-criminalisation.

** All views in the blogs are the author’s own.

Police photo lineups: how background colours can skew eye witness identification

Catriona Havard, The Open University and Martin Thirkettle, Sheffield Hallam University, explore how background colours can impact identification by eye witnesses.

10th May 2019
Crime, harm and the question of justice: an interview with Samantha Fletcher

This post features a conversation with Samantha Fletcher, lecturer in criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, on crime, harm, and global justice. It was originally posted on Commonweal on 26 February 2019.

14th March 2019
Hearing voice and recognising privilege: Engaging in non-reciprocal dialogue

In today's post, David Scott explores listening, privilege, and the position of academics and activists when discussing prison abolition.

11th March 2019
Crime at the Car Wash? Serious Organised Crime and a View from Inside the NCA

This week's blog is a report on a lively discussion about the nature of modern slavery. In November 2018, Louise Westmarland, Professor of Criminology and Steve Conway, Lecturer, PuLSE at the Open University organised a conference bringing together police practitioners and academics working in the field of organised crime. This was held with thanks to funding from HERC and the BSC.

25th February 2019
When does sleeping rough not count as sleeping rough?

Daniel McCulloch discusses the importance of defining 'sleeping rough'.

18th February 2019
Do techniques for generating suspects contaminate procedures for identifying perpetrators?

In this article, Graham Pike and Jim Turner discuss the issues when attempting to identify perpetrators of crime.

12th February 2019
What is Crime?

David Scott begins this year's run of blog posts by exploring the difficulties of trying to define 'crime'.

24th January 2019
Where’s the harm in educating distracted drivers?

This Road Safety Week, Gemma Briggs discusses educating motorists about mobile phone use when driving.

19th November 2018
Pride and Anti-Gender Harm

In this article, Avi Boukli explores Straight Pride in Greece through the concept of anti-gender harm.

8th November 2018
Prisons and Matters of Life and Death

In today's post, Deborah H. Drake explores the deaths of prisoners in custody.

1st November 2018