New publications

by Dr Louise Brangan

#HCNet Network member Louise Brangan has recently published two articles of interest to Historical Criminologists, one in the British Journal of Criminology and another in Theoretical Criminology.

Both articles are historical accounts of significantly under-researched periods in anglophone penal history, and both offer new analysis of how and why punishment transformed as it did in Ireland and Scotland, respectively.

Brangan L (2019) Pastoral penality in 1970s Ireland: Addressing the pains of imprisonment. Theoretical Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480619843295

Brangan L (2019) Civilizing Imprisonment: The Limits of Scottish Penal Exceptionalism. British Journal of Criminology, 59 (4), pp. 780-799. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azy057

Don't forget to share your latest publications and related announcements by emailing historicalcriminology@gmail.com

If you come across an article you think relevant to Historical Criminology, you can also use the 'share article via email' option on the webpage and input our email address.

Printing press in 11 Shop, Elswick Works, Newcastle upon Tyne, September 1946 (c) Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums via Flickr (TWAM ref. 1027/5178)

  

#HCNet Workshop Event: Call for Ideas

Plans and Call for Ideas from #HCNet Chair

Following on from the highly successful #HCNet (Historical Criminology Network) Conference at the University of Plymouth in April 2019, plans are currently in formation for a dedicated #HCNet event this year. (A retrospective on the conference can be found here.) Following discussions among network members, the plan for this academic year is to hold a one-day workshop-style event, which will provide space for small(ish) groups to work together on a particular project or activity. The aim of the event is to bring together groups of people who don’t normally work together – possibly from across disciplines – to explore working toward some concrete goal. This could take a variety of forms.

Ideas for group objectives that have been suggested so far include:

• Pooling historical source materials/quantitiative data already collected individually to explore opportunities for combining datasets/analysing eixtsing material from new perspectives
• Scoping and workshopping new approaches to analysing data from digital source collections
• Scoping and workshopping unconventional, possibly inter-/cross-disciplinary research techniques and methods
• Scoping opportunities for comparative research on particular themes, pooling expertise from across periods and places
• Working to develop a new public engagement or ‘impact’ initiative, possibly pooling the insights from related pieces of research or complementary projects
• Comparing and refining teaching materials/course designs for modules in crime history, historical criminology or similar

#HCNet Chair Dave Churchill, who is coordinating the event as a whole, says:

Doubtless there are lots of other good ideas out there too. The important thing is for each group to have a fairly clear sense of its aims and some idea of what it hopes to get out of the day. With that in mind, we are looking at this stage to identify people interested in coordinating a group. So if you have an idea of something you might like to collaborate with others over, or something you’d like wider expertise to help develop, then please get in touch via email (d.churchill@leeds.ac.uk)

It doesn’t matter if the idea is very speculative or half-formed at this stage – and we are really keen to welcome ideas from people at all stages of their career, including postgrads and early career researchers. This is potentially a really good opportunity to work with new people and develop something of direct use in terms of our research, engagement and teaching plans and priorities. So please do get in touch, and share this invitation with anybody who might be interested in getting involved.

Further information on the event will be circulated once the workshop groups have been identified.

Please direct any queries/informal enquiries to Dave Churchill: d.churchill@leeds.ac.uk 

Replica of Thomas Edison's first lightbulb, (c) NPS (US National Parks Service)

  

British Crime Historians Symposium 2020: Call for Papers

2nd – 4th September 2020, Centre for Criminal Justice Studies, School of Law, University of Leeds

The British Crime Historians Symposium (BCHS) meets every two years to discuss and debate original historical research on all aspects of crime, policing, punishment, law, criminal justice and social regulation. Since the first meeting in 2008, the BCHS has become a leading academic forum in this broad and vibrant field of research.

The next conference is hosted by the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies in the School of Law, University of Leeds. Confirmed keynote speakers include Professor Louise Jackson (University of Edinburgh) and Professor Randolph Roth (The Ohio State University).

The conference welcomes proposals for papers, panels and other sessions concerned with the history of crime and criminal justice, especially (though not exclusively) in connection with Britain and its former colonies. Papers on all topics and periods within this broad remit are welcomed. Submissions are encouraged from researchers across a wide range of disciplines (including, but not limited to, history, criminology, law, socio-legal studies and sociology), and from postgraduate and early career researchers. Postgraduate presenters will be invited to submit their papers for the Clive Emsley Prize, awarded for the best postgraduate paper at the conference. (We posted about the winner of the 2018 prize here.)

Typically speakers will have 20 minutes to present their paper. Panels should each consist of three papers selected to illuminate an overarching topic, theme or issue, and organisers are encouraged to consider including postgraduate and early career researchers in their panels. Suggestions for alternative formats (roundtable sessions, source/method-based workshops, ‘author meets readers’ sessions, etc.) are welcome; please discuss any ideas with the conference organising committee in the first instance.

For individual paper proposals, please include: paper title; name(s) of author(s); institutional affiliation (if applicable); email address (of proposing author); paper abstract of no more than 250 words.

For panel proposals, please include full details (as outlined above) for each constituent paper, in addition to: panel title; name, institutional affiliation (if applicable) and email address of the panel organiser; abstract of the panel’s aims (no more than 150 words); name of panel chair (if nominating a specific chair).

The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday 8 April 2020. Please send proposals by email attachment to: bchs@leeds.ac.uk

The conference organising committee consists of: Roger Baxter (University of Sheffield); Eleanor Bland (University of Leeds); David Churchill (University of Leeds); Kisby Dickinson (University of Leeds); Elliott Keech (University of York); Henry Yeomans (University of Leeds).

Please direct any queries to: bchs@leeds.ac.uk

Typewriter belonging to Nathan Leopold Jr., part of the evidence against him and Richard Loeb for the murder of Robert Franks, Chicago, 1924. Chicago Tribune Historical Photo. 

  

Special Edition of the Prison Service Journal

‘Understanding from the Past’: 

A new edition of the Prison Service Journal has been published, edited by Alana Barton and Alyson Brown, advancing new historical perspectives on prisons, punishment and criminal justice in local, national and international contexts.

Made up of seven short articles, the issue covers a wide range of topics from prison planning and building, female prison reformers, prisoner suicides, drunkenness in prison, the experience of Suffragette prisoners and representations of prisoner uprisings in Hollywood films.

Contributors include Allan Brodie, Helen Elfleet, Thomas Guiney, Chris Holligan, Rhiannon Pickin, Craig Stafford and Alex Tepperman. The edition is available Open Access and can be downloaded here (links directly to PDF). 

  

Prison Service Journal No. 246 cover, cover photograph (c) Allan Brodie, Senior Investigator, Historic England.

Thematic Issue of Criminology and Criminal Justice

‘The Uses of Historical Criminology’ 

A thematic issue of Criminology and Criminal Justice has been published which presents three original articles on the uses of historical enquiry for criminology. The articles focus on the value of historical enquiry for contextualising, characterising and explaining contemporary issues in crime and criminal justice.

Common themes across the articles include the pitfalls of ‘presentism’ and ‘epocahlism’ in contemporary criminology and the importance of long-term historical perspectives. The contributors are David Churchill, Paul Lawrence and Henry Yeomans.

The issue can be accessed here. A short introduction to the issue is available Open Access via the British Society of Criminology blog at thebscblog.wordpress.com

A man wearing a magnifying glass... (1940) Åhlen & Åkerlund via IMS Vintage Photos via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).

Strategic Policing Review - Insights from Police History?

Call for expressions of interest

The Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales – hosted by The Police Foundation – has recently issued a call for evidence. The Review has wide-ranging aims to consider the police mission, public expectations of the police, police capabilities and resources, the future of police service and accountability, cross-sector working and police funding. The current call for evidence covers four areas:

1. Understanding crime, threat and demand.
2. Understanding public and societal expectations.
3. Reconsidering the police mission and purpose.
4. Looking ahead.

The deadline for submission of evidence is 20 December 2019. Further information is available here.

Though oriented primarily to current issues and future developments, there is the opportunity to bring some longer-term historical perspectives to bear on these questions. Informal contact with those involved in the Review (via Twitter) indicates they are keen to put current events and debates in the context of historical examples/precursors. So, police historians – and others – this could be a good opportunity to feed some historical context into contemporary policing debates. Should we team up? Dave Churchill is trying to gauge interest – so get in touch with him (d.churchill@leeds.ac.uk) if you might have something to add. 

Bigg Market [inc. police box], Newcastle upon Tyne ca. 1970 by Laszlo Torday. Public Domain from Newcastle Libraries via Flickr.