This Department of Social & Policy Sciences research theme concerns the experiences of harm within societies. This research looks at the entities responsible for many forms of violence, with the aim of developing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of crime, responses from the legal systems, the impacts of incarceration, and the broader social harms affecting communities.
Our researchers covering this theme are divided into five broad areas.
Violence: Patterns and responses
We explore the patterns, experiences of and responses to violence across national, institutional, and class settings. Examples of specific research areas are gender and race violence, armed mobilisations and genocide.
Researchers:
- Dr Jade Bloomfield-Utting
- Dr Mel Channon
- Dr Kate Gooch
- Professor Jason Hart
- Dr Joana Gomes Ferreira
- Dr Peter Manning
- Dr Naomi Pendle
- Dr Megan Robb
- Dr Tina Skinner
- Dr Jack Spicer
- Polly Winfield
Crime and prisons
We focus on the institutional and societal aspects of incarceration, exploring the conditions within prisons, the social effects of imprisonment, and approaches to rehabilitation and reintegration.
Researchers
Social harm and community safety
We examines broader social harms that emerge from criminal activity, such as illicit drug markets. It considers a wide range of cultural, legal, organisational, and community responses to crime and violence.