Justice and Security

This theme explores the norms, practices and institutions underpinning justice and security in contemporary societies.

As an interdisciplinary collective, the group examines how pressing local, national and global challenges shapes justice and security in domestic and international contexts. Bringing together researchers from criminology, international relations, philosophy, political science, policing, sociology, law and linguistics, the group engages with a range of critical issues that span across the justice and security spectrum.

Our vision is to establish a collegiate, inclusive and supportive research theme that helps nurture members’ research careers and plans. We intend for the Justice and Security theme to act as a supportive mechanism for staff in conducting their research, through supporting their development with regards to research plans and aspirations. This will include supporting staff who may be at an earlier stage in their research careers, or who may be less involved with research currently, but would like to develop their research profiles.

We hope to build a strong sense of research community within the theme, where research is embedded within members’ day-to-day activities. We also plan to implement a regular series of activities and events that will provide staff with the space, opportunity and mechanisms through which they can build on their research activity, and work towards their research goals.

Members of the theme are undertaking research in a number of areas including:

• Domestic violence and abuse
• Gender-based violence 
• Sexual violence  
• Police education 
• Police wellbeing and mental health 
• Police culture
• Gender and race in policing 
• Policing in UK overseas territories 
• History and politics of international criminal justice
• Transnational organised crime 
• Drug trafficking violence 
• Economic crime 
• Asset recovery 
• Peacebuilding 
• Hate crime 
• Restorative justice 
• Lie detection 
• Community safety 
• GIS and crime analysis
• Offending behaviour intervention and risk assessment 
• Illegal drug use and drug policy
• Processes of treatment and recovery

• Policing, policy and practice in Sovereign Base Areas (improving police responses to domestic abuse for SBA Police)
• Empowering change: What UK grassroots women’s organisations need to know about the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention)
• Ecocide and global efforts towards its recognition as an international crime
• Enforced disappearances: Comparative cases between Colombia and Mexico
• Forced displacement and mechanisms of participation and inclusion of IDP in Ukraine
• Reparations after conflict: Comparative cases
• Facilitating knowledge exchange between local governments: using drone technology to locate clandestine graves in Mexico
• Beyond the figures: exploring success measures in asset recovery
• Deterrence and disruption: A qualitative exploration of the impact of asset recovery on offender behaviour and networks
• Exploring perceptions of student safety and unsafe spaces in Bristol
• Female motivations to become police officers
• Global comparison of police use of live facial recognition software
• X: Free speech versus extreme narratives – sexism and misogyny

For further information about the theme, please contact Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa (suwita.hanirandhawa@uwe.ac.uk) or Dr Nick Addis (nick.addis@uwe.ac.uk).