Scottish Sentencing Research Symposium

The Council recently hosted the inaugural Scottish Sentencing Research Symposium, an event which welcomed experts from across the UK to offer perspectives on sentencing research.  

The event, hosted in partnership with the Sentencing Academy and the University of Glasgow, looked at three important areas: sentencing and young people; sentencing and mental health; and community sentencing and rehabilitation.

A full report of the event, which took place at the University of Glasgow in November, has now been published on the Council website, along with presentations from the various speakers.

Lord Matthews, who chaired the event, said: “The aim of the research symposium was to improve awareness and understanding of the delicate art of sentencing, and the ways in which this can be informed by research and evidence.

“I was struck by the breadth of knowledge and experience at this event, from within and outwith Scotland, and I’m delighted that this can now be shared further with the publication of the report and videos of the presentations. It is the Council’s hope that this will amplify some of the important research work being undertaken in these areas, stimulate further discussion, and play a role in informing policy development.”

Chairs and speakers at the event included:

Scottish Sentencing Council: Research work

• Lord Matthews, Senator of the College of Justice and Council member
• Dr Hannah Graham, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Stirling and Council member
• Dr Nicole Vidal, Council’s Principal Research Officer

Panel 1: Sentencing and young people

• Dr Jay Gormley, researcher at the University of Glasgow and adviser to the Sentencing Academy
• Dr Nina Vaswani, senior research fellow at the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice
• Prof Kathryn Hollingsworth, Professor of Law at Newcastle University

Panel 2: Sentencing and mental health

• Lord Colbeck, Senator of the College of Justice and Council member
• Professor Lindsay Thomson, Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh
• Dr Ailbhe O’Loughlin, senior lecturer in law at the University of York

Panel 3: Community sentencing and rehabilitation

• Summary Sheriff Amel Elfallah, Council member
• Professor Cyrus Tata, Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at Strathclyde University
• Professor Fergus McNeill, Professor of Criminology and Social Work at the University of Glasgow

Closing remarks

• Gavin Dingwall, Head of Policy and Communications at the Sentencing Academy

The full report and presentations are available to view on the Council’s website.