Tara Young (PhD)

Coroner concerned over indeterminate sentences after HMP Humber death Scott Berry died after being found unconscious in his cell at HMP Humber in October 2023.

A coroner has written to the prisons minister raising concerns following the death of a man on an IPP sentence.

Scott Berry, 37, was found unconscious in his cell. His tariff was two years and four months, but he remained in prison 15 years later.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24g8yj2y15o

Indefinite jail terms are indefensible – so why are thousands still trapped by them? The government admits IPP jail sentences are a mistake, but refuses to correct it. With prisons at breaking point and petty criminals being held inside with no hope of release, this is a stain on our justice system we can no longer ignore, says Lord Thomas

“If we can do justice in the terrible cases of the Post Office and the infected blood scandal, we can do it here.”

Lord Thomas on why we must end the IPP scandal in 2026.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ipp-sentencing-bill-parole-prison-overcrowding-criminal-justice-reform-b2895416.html

The hard-hitting documentary podcast @trapped-ipps.bsky.social is now on BlueSky. DO GIVE THEM A FOLLOW!

This superb podcast series which launched in 2023 is investigating the scandal of IPP sentences & the human stories behind them.

Joint enterprise in England and Wales: why problems persist despite legal change The law in England and Wales (as in Australia and other jurisdictions) enables a person to be convicted of an offence committed by another using complicity liability, sometimes termed ‘joint enterp...

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... An article written by Dr. Susie Hulley and me. Might be of interest.

Offensive Weapons Homicide Reviews are unlikely to save young adult lives says CCJS report - T2A A new duty to review homicides involving offensive weapons is unlikely to achieve its aim of reducing weapons-enabled homicides, whatever else it may accomplish, according to a recent Centre for Crime...

t2a.org.uk/2025/02/20/o... A report written by Dr.Susie Hulley and me last year. Might be of interest.

YouTube video by AudibleAnarchist Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco’s essay ‘Ur Fascism’ seems more relevant - Ur or eternal fascism in 14 key features, and one is enough for hate to coagulate around. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg0u...

Received this book as a Christmas gift. So far, it's an intriguing read.

Fabulous book!

YouTube video by Al Jazeera English How Israel is weaponising water in Gaza | People & Power Documentary

This is an extraordinary film - weaponising water in Gaza. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfpx...

My colleagues & I have taken a huge gamble to set up @thenerve.news We’re trying to build a new independent publication from the ground up. Social media is our only distribution for now.

Sharing this article in your networks would make a huge difference. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

‘We are dying slowly, save us’: starvation takes hold in Gaza after a week of appalling milestones Parents watch children waste away as deliberate aid restrictions from Israel mean hunger is becoming a killer, as experts confirm famine is currently playing out

This, this is s truly appalling situation.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Important point, Gavin.

Lecturer - Grade 7 at University of Liverpool Discover Lecturer - Grade 7 jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.

Fixed term teaching post (10 months) in critical criminology in the University of Liverpool's Department of Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMV424/l...

One to watch.

Prison co-governance in a Brazilian prison: The role of prison gangs Drawing on Gramscian concepts Prof Stegemann Dieter interprets the prison as a hegemonic apparatus and the PCC as a counter-hegemonic force.

💭 Are you interested in learning more about how prisons in Brazil are governed, and what role major organised crime groups like the PCC play?

Join us 26 March, 4pm (UK time) for this online talk with Prof. Vitor Stegemann Dieter to find out more.

Register now bit.ly/brazil-prison

OPPORTUNITY: Would you like to be our Communications Coordinator?

We're hiring...!

Could you be our Communications Coordinator?

This is a part-time role (two days per week) to cover a staff colleague on maternity leave for 12 months from April 2025.

Deadline to apply: Friday 21 March 2025.

howardleague.org/about-us/vac...

YouTube video by Piers Cross Boarding on Insanity With Dr. Gabor Maté: Childhood Trauma & Our Leaders: Full Trailer | Piers Cross

Just watched this thought-provoking documentary about boarding school and trauma. It's worth a watch. m.youtube.com/watch?v=stMv...

New survey findings show that experiences of racial discrimination have not decreased over the last decade, when placed alongside earlier studies, and that confidence in anti-discrimination efforts has continued to decline. @profkatsmith.bsky.social @lizaston.bsky.social @profellenstu.bsky.social

Gavin, this is super helpful data for a project I'm working on. Thanks for posting.

A report written by Susie Hulley and me on the potential benefits, risks, and limitations of Offensive Weapons Homicide Reviews (OWHRs). www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/learning-tra...

Joint enterprise law reform will help solve UK justice system crisis, say experts Campaigners give evidence on principle under which black defendants are 16 times more likely to be prosecuted

“Holding bystanders responsible for what was ‘sadly an unplanned, spontaneous stabbing’ committed by an individual had ‘delayed justice’.”

www.theguardian.com/law/2025/feb...

Fancy a life changing opportunity?
We're looking for a person with character and chemistry.https://www.oasisuk.org/job/lead-youth-practitioner-ae-oasis-hub-waterloo/

Former solicitor general: UK’s miscarriage of justice watchdog is ‘beyond a joke’ Exclusive: Lord Garnier’s comments come after allegations about the ‘absent leadership’ of the Criminal Cases Review Commission

“We’re talking about human misery for... wrongly convicted people in prison. It can’t just be a joke show. It can’t be a circus. It’s got to be a properly functioning organisation”

www.theguardian.com/law/2025/feb...

Ok so Joined Blue sky @midwifeteacher.bsky.social
Let’s see how this goes
Total pleasure to work together on this book ( as always 💪🏻)

International Fellowships 2025 The International Fellowships Programme enables researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of building a globally connected, mobile research and innovation workforce.

If you're an early career researcher - perhaps based in a fledgling authoritarian state - and want an out, @britishacademy.bsky.social offer 2-year fellowships to come to a UK university (including relocation costs and research funds).

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/inte...

Prince of Wales gets £1.5 million per year for HMP Dartmoor, despite it being closed The Prince of Wales is reported to be due to receive millions of pounds from rent out of HMP Dartmoor, despite the possibility the facility may never reopen. The Duchy of Cornwall, the estate which…

insidetime.org/newsround/pr...

Knife crime statistics England and Wales Knife crime is a crime involving an object with a blade or sharp instrument. This briefing presents and analyses statistics on knife crime in England and Wales.

Useful overview of knife crime statistics in England and Wales from the House of Commons Library

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Important seminar on Intersecting Trauma and Justice: Violence Against Women and Families. Centre for Criminological Research, University of Sheffield, 5th March 2025. Featuring Dr Michaela Rogers, Dr Moninuola Ifayomi and Dr Sadiq Bhanbhro. www.sheffield.ac.uk/ccr/events/c...