Centre for Law, Justice and Society Research Clusters
Law and Social Justice
Research in the Law and Social Justice cluster aligns directly with the Peace, Equality and Social Justice university research theme and UN Social Development Goal 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions are a key focus in research to meet the goals of inclusivity, equality, diversity and social justice. To this end, concepts, contexts, and societal ‘big questions’ – from postcolonial law and theory, the right to assisted dying, food poverty and social welfare, to the role of emotions in the judicial process – are interrogated from a critical perspective. Projects and publications include vulnerability theories and legal cultures; arts and humanities for social inclusion; housing and homelessness; access to justice; immigration and refugee law; social entrepreneurship and social justice; social innovation and marginalised communities; transgender and intersex law and rights; equality and discrimination law; food poverty and food justice; modern slavery and human trafficking.
Crime, Law and Justice
The Crime Law and Justice cluster represents research which addresses a range of significant social issues arising within criminal law and criminal justice in relation to policy and reform. These include the gathering of evidence in criminal investigations and its use and presentation at trial; sentencing, punishment and penal policy; the problem of selective incarceration; and the intersections between criminal justice and other forms of justice especially in relation to the role played by emotions such as remorse, guilt and blame. The ethical legitimacy of criminal law is also explored in relation to, for example, the right not to be unfairly criminalised, the need for protection of privacy in the context of emerging technologies, and the normativity of consent in criminal law. Other research includes corporate crime; law and organised crime; emerging technologies and crime and cyber-crime. Recent projects include a critical analysis of online harms, hate speech, and proportionate punishments in the context of evolving social media technologies and new legislation to promote social cohesion and peaceful societies.
A significant body of work on mental condition defences with particular reference to insanity, diminished responsibility, and the cognate doctrine of unfitness to plead has influenced both policy and law reform. This work is supported by many citations in the highest courts both nationally and internationally. Projects relating to the investigative interviewing of victims, including children, witnesses and suspects, as well as decision-making of investigators is supported by a series of external grant awards from Local Authorities to the Home Office.
International Law. Development and Human Rights
In recognition of the increasing significance of transnational governance along with the emergence of new forms of global rights and conflicts, research undertaken within the International Law and Global Justice cluster seeks to influence international policy discourse on the structure of, and potential for, global governance and justice. It aims to foster innovative approaches to policy and political economy, and new thinking about international legal and institutional arrangements. Research in this cluster addresses the complex problems facing economically challenged jurisdictions and includes the development of tools with which to create stable frameworks for social and economic development, and to improve living and working standards, in the Global South.
A broad range of methodological and interdisciplinary approaches are applied to emerging threats and challenges in the areas of international and European human rights law, international humanitarian law and the law of conflict, international and European environmental law, Research themes include environmental degradation, food security, includes work on human rights violations and corporate social responsibility; international assistance and governance; legal training and capacity building for developing economies; public finance law, aid effectiveness, state financial governance; interpretation of treaties; migration policy; genocide and atrocity prevention; law of armed conflict and peacebuilding; international child law and sustainable development.
Interdisciplinary Legal Studies
In the Interdisciplinary Legal Studies cluster our work intersects with, and draws on, a range of diverse influences, for example, philosophy, sociology, culture, the humanities, anthropology, theology, psychology, economics, politics, critical theory and international studies. The possibility of ethically and socially responsible technologies is investigated by members in response to the competing interests of privacy, security and innovation, which includes work on developing a coherent critical IT/AI theoretical framework for addressing the wider implications of future technologies and generative AI for humanity. The challenges of the digital society are explored inter alia through the lens of dystopian fiction, philosophy and creative writing. Other research encompasses environmental law and climate change; pollution offences; energy law; renewable energy; green pension funds; family law; employment law and women's rights; law and public policy; consumer protection law; built environment law and policy; law, culture and the humanities; indigenous rights; cohabitation rights; fintech law and regulation.