Executive Summary
What do you want your project to achieve?
The event will provide a bridge between the theoretical discussions of punishment addressed in the module LA374 Crime and Punishment and the practical reality, and complexity, of pursuing criminal justice in practice.
The module LA374 Crime and Punishment has 65 students enrolled in it. The module offers a critical examination of the practice of state punishment. It explores the core political concepts of state, crime, authority and punishment, as well as the normative concepts of responsibility, wrongdoing, and moral luck. It also considers the merits of several key theories of punishment including retributivism, deterrence theory, and communicative theory as well as abolitionist critiques. Finally, the module discusses specific issues such as the legitimacy of international criminal justice, repentance, mercy, and equity. The real-world experiences of the three invited speakers will offer a powerful counterpoint to the theoretical perspectives on punishment.
Dr Kimberley Brownlee convenes the module. Dr Christopher Nathan and Satwant Kaur are both seminars tutors for the module.
How many students will your project reach?
The event will reach the 65 students enrolled in LA374 Crime and Punishment, who will be strongly encouraged to attend the event. In addition, the event will be advertised to all UG students in Law, Philosophy, PAIS, and PPE with the aim of filling a 100-person lecture theatre.
Which stakeholders will you involve? (Projects are normally expected to engage students at all stages.)
Students in the Crime and Punishment module will be invited to take part in organising the event, designing the conversation topics, and, indeed, moderating the discussion. Student societies in the Law School, Philosophy Department, and PAIS will be invited to participate.
What is the intended legacy of your project?
The event will establish links with external partners in the police force and IAG who will be valuable contact points for potential networks. Such links will be built not only between the module providers and the speakers, but also between students and the invited speakers, particularly through the post-event reception and the dinner.
What support do you need?
To host this event, we will require a large lecture theatre; a modest amount of admin support; funding to cover travel costs, advertising, admin assistance, a post-event reception for the speakers and students, and a dinner for the speakers, organisers, and organising students.