WE ARE HIRING: HEAD OF INFLUENCING Deadline - Tuesday 2nd December switchbackworks.info/head-of-infl... We are looking for someone to build on our fantastic progress shifting policy and perceptions – such as our most recent work influencing government policy on recall. #ReshapeRelease

Golf, cricket & (real) Ale…

As James McEwan enters HMPPS stage left, Phil Copple exits stage right. Phil has been a wonderful public servant for 35 years and that is an extraordinary commitment 👏 But now, after decades of mismanagement, HMPPS is ripping up the playbook. www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

A busy week... My @refugeelab.ca released our report about tech and alternatives to immigration detention, co-authored by @danghez.bsky.social & @petramolnar.com, and co-published with @kaldorcentre.bsky.social and @idcoalition.bsky.social: www.unsw.edu.au/content/dam/...

If you work in #Academia, #HigherEducation, or the #Research&Teaching field this is a massively important article. It brings together many of the issues, critiques around the predatory #Tech of (so-called) #AI and its use in our fields, as well as unpicking the hollowness of the pro-AI rhetoric!

New study in Nature on the Long-range PM2.5 pollution and health impacts from the 2023 Canadian wildfires www.nature.com/articles/s41... 'We find that 354 million (277–421 million) people in North America and Europe were exposed to daily PM2.5 air pollution caused by Canadian wildfires in 2023'

"Medicaid coverage is especially important for people post-release, because incarceration can wreck their health. One long-term study... found that imprisonment decreased the life expectancy of a 45-year-old person by 13%."

📢 Trinity College Dublin is hiring an Assistant Professor in Sociology. Full-time, fixed-term role (maternity cover). Early career researchers, including those who’ve just submitted, completed, or are about to complete their PhD are welcome. 🗓️ Deadline: Oct 6, 2025 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOP688/a...

Must read study of class consciousness in class demobilized societies. It reveals more than polls. "...any understanding of political orientations in the contemporary working class should have ambivalence, contradiction, and heterogeneity at its very heart." journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

What happened to pressure groups & UK third sector? It all seems passive & compliant these days. No vision, little resistance, & minimal public presence. The ‘noise’ seems to come from MoJ & POA. Why is no one asking, what are short sentences replaced by? How is Govt. supporting these people?

Hey #Criminology It lives! 29 chapters. 8 sections. 50+ authors. #ECRs to veterans. Wide range of themes/topics It's been a labour of over 2 years, but it's forthcoming (release in January 2026) #CriminalJustice #Victimology #Zemiology #SensoryCriminology www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...

The sociology & criminology dept at gonzaga is hiring! We're searching for somebody with a focus on criminology, law, or social control (broadly conceived). We're a liberal arts teaching university. Very collegial department. Spread the word to interested folks. I'm happy to answer questions!

I think it's part: 1. #TechnoUtopianism - idea that new tech will solve extant problems cheaply 2. Ignorance of the rapacious nature of #SurveillanceCapitalism, the #CodedBias within, and the problems/harms forthcoming 3. Outdated neoliberalism and its desire to both outsource yet maintain control

Good leadership is knowing when to rip it up and start again Nov-July 3️⃣0️⃣ Oakhill staff suspended for child misconduct 20/7 Director & 2 Deps suspended 21-25/7 CQC find unsanitary conditions & safeguarding concerns G4S must be removed & all contracts reviewed www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New evaluation of de-escalation training for law enforcement! . This shows that de-escalation training can actually improve officers' ability to handle volatile situations. doi.org/10.1177/0093...

Turns out plonking a university down in the 1800s was a long-term investment in civic life. Kinda wish current policy makers would take note...

Former German President Joachim Gauck recently appeared on national television and, through tears, described how painful it is for him to criticize Israel. Again, it's about: German pain, German history, and German discomfort with breaking ranks. And not about Palestinian suffering.

When so much of the media rolls out the comfy red carpet for Farage, Private Eye trips him up and milkshakes him. Be more Private Eye.

Doubtless Scottie Scheffler will get hammered for saying this, but it's a lot more interesting than the usual pre-Open chat about the length of the rough and the speed of the greens.

www.theguardian.com/business/202... Rachel Reeves in thrall to old discredited myths of trickle down economics and identifying national budget with household. Can’t believe she doesn’t know better but do believe she’s bowing to the power of the wealthy

Just Published - Parole Futures. Rationalities, Institutions and Practices. Exploring the future of parole.With fabulous contributions from a world-leading panel of experts who draw upon insights from law, sociology, criminology and political science. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/parole-fu...

Interesting new research out in the British Journal of Criminology Homicides in El Salvador rose when tough on crime policies were pursued, and fell when policies based on truces and negotiation with and between gangs were followed academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...

Another reason Labour should be taking Lords reform more seriously (beyond its intrinsic merits) is that Reform (or a Reform like party) government would be able to pack it with their goons as things currently stand.

The new edition 279 of Prison Service Journal is available now! This general edition includes articles on the importance of air quality in prisons, and the experience of an art project in HMP/YOI Parc. 🔗https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/prison-service-journal-279 #prisonservice #psj

*Another* heatwave arrives this week and it could be the most intense yet. But prisons are ill-prepared to protect prisoners & staff from environmental harm. ✍️ A new paper examines indoor environmental conditions across multiple prisons ❌ It’s not good. www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/stale-and-st...

"If you’re going to get politically organised, it’s more likely to be because your neighbour asked you to come along to a local protest than because you saw a bunch of allegedly intelligent people debating policy on TV." Read: graceblakeley.substack.com/p/why-i-stop...

‘The only thing most political journalists in this country care about is their proximity to power; an attitude that I find pretty grotesque’ ✍️ Why I stopped going on TV - ⁦‪@graceblakeley‬⁩ graceblakeley.substack.com/p/why-i-stop...

Amazing correction in the Telegraph.

There may come a day when the BBC puts on air one of the other 29,999 headteachers currently estimated to be working in UK schools, but that day is not today

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders? 1. Imprisonment is disconnected from crime rates 2. Prisons are *the* punishment, not for punishment 3. Prisons don’t deter those committing crimes 4. Attraction to minors is a sexual orientation (not mentioning law/exploitation)

Dr Jo Farrar is back! Former HMPPS CEO & MoJ 2nd Perm Sec is now back to lead as Perm Sec Jo led the pandemic response and will do another wonderful job at a critical time for the department. Smart move 👏

🚨Opportunity alert: We're hiring a Policy and Public Affairs Manager! - Lead policy change - Engage with MPs & stakeholders - Amplify impacted voices Ready to help build a fairer justice system? We'd love to hear from you Apply by Monday 23 June www.criminaljusticealliance.org/about-the-cj...

Incredible: 0% of studies funded by the meat industry have found a link between red meat and cardiovascular ill-health. 73% of studies *not* funded by the meat industry have found a link. www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

Minister of Youth & Childhood of Spain @ World Congress on Child Justice: “We must acknowledge that we are here whilst Israel is perpetuating genocide in Gaza” “The world is whitewashing it. We are speaking up for Palestinians. We cannot be hypocritical whilst this massacre is going on.”

📢 We’re underway at the 5th World Congress on Justice With Children. Stay tuned below to hear the latest news & events !! #WorldCongress2025 #JusticeWithChildren2025 #SDG16J4C

Great to be at the World Congress on Justice with Children in Madrid 🇪🇸 If you’re here, do get in touch! Sadly, there don’t seem to be many people from the English Youth Justice system (strong 🇮🇪 Irish contingent) but lots of wonderful speakers & researchers

Sad news that the South London Press has closed. It was a great local newspaper. It also ran one of the greatest local newspaper stories ever*, "Squirrels on crack".

Let’s not pretend that this is reform. This ‘review’ is tinkering at best, failing to mention or consider the social determinants of crime (& reoffending) CJS cannot resolve these issues alone. Promoting chemical castration reinforces the individualisation of crime. It ignores structural violence

Thank you @martinmckee.bsky.social for your evidence today at #covidinquiry. Made clear we haven't fixed failings to respond to next pandemic 👇 That's why we urging Chair to call Pat McFadden MP to update us on Govt response to recommendations on preparedness. Need action now! @cbffjuk.bsky.social

It's never a bad time to remind everyone:

JOB: Research Fellow, a part-time post at University of Nottingham. Working with a wonderful team on comparative research: @nicolacarr.bsky.social (PI), Beth Weaver, Jake Phillips, Fergus McNeill, myself, Fern Gillon, Sarah Doxat-Pratt. #Criminology #Probation #Job www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMY924/r...

🎓Scholarship opportunity Our new Exogeneity Scholarship offers a top-up stipend for a PhD in Applied Public Policy, conducting research related to inequality, social justice, and social sciences. ➡️ www.kcl.ac.uk/study-legacy...

Every now again it’s useful to repeat advice about accessing papers that are behind a paywall that excludes you. Email the author. My estimate is that 90% of academics are so thrilled that a living, breathing, possibly even reading, person shows interest that they will swiftly send you a copy.

🔴 Remember Aria, the “moonshot" research agency dreamed up by Dominic Cummings? It's funded by £800m in public money but exempt from FOI laws We decided to fight for transparency... and we won 🎉 New on Democracy for Sale w/ @lucasamin.bsky.social democracyforsale.substack.com/p/dominic-cu...

Further point: Latest #prison safer-custody statistics give evidence to the deterrence/protection lie of #PAVA. "... 12 months to December 2024, the rate of assaults on staff (10,605 assaults on staff) up 13% ... to a new peak" www.gov.uk/government/s... Same will be true of Tasers #Criminology

POA demanded PAVA POA now demand Tasers that will also fail to work ‘adequately’ POA will then demand guns The POA won’t be happy until they can use weapons proactively to ‘prevent’ strikes (they are already taught this in C&R training) www.bbc.com/news/article...

This is what makes football special. A young lad’s first game with his grandma and father at Union Berlin. Memories for a lifetime #fcunion @fcunionen.bsky.social

Very excited to read this! Two great authors. @joshuapage.bsky.social work on trade unions have been transformative. @joesoss.bsky.social writings on inequality & welfare reform are critical. 👏