Rhiannon Davies
Thesis Title: The Denial of Victimisation: An Investigation into the Eligibility of People with Criminal Records for Statutory Victim Compensation in the UK.
Individuals with unspent criminal records are subject to numerous collateral consequences which elongate punishment beyond criminal sentencing. In England, Scotland and Wales, the exclusion of people with unspent criminal records from government-funded criminal injuries compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is one such collateral consequence. This project will investigate impacts of this Government policy on the eligibility of individuals with criminal records for statutory compensation when they are victims of violent crime. Specifically, it will explore how CICA applies the provisions of the 2012 Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (2012 Scheme) which mandates that those who have unspent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 frequently have their application for compensation rejected. This denial of victimisation has impacted over 11,000 individuals since 2012, preventing financial aid and symbolic recognition for victims of violent crime. After developing a detailed understanding of the impacts of the denial of victimisation, this project will explore avenues for the future reform of the 2012 Scheme.
Biography
Rhiannon is an ESRC 1+3 student based at the University of Nottingham and is exploring access to statutory victim compensation for people with criminal records. She recently graduated from her undergraduate degree in Criminology at the University of Nottingham with First-Class Honours. Whilst doing her undergraduate degree, Rhiannon worked as a research assistant on two different projects. The first project concerned helping to compose a journal article exploring access to victim compensation for people with criminal records, leading to her first co-authored publication, first conference presentation, and inspiring her PhD. The second project, which is still ongoing, explores the nuances of human trafficking legislations within different jurisdictions and examines their enforcement and consequent efficacy. Rhiannon also has interest in environmental harms with a particular focus on the destruction of the Amazon, following the work of her late uncle, Dom Phillips.
Publications
Bradford-Clarke, L., Davies, R. and Henley, A. (2022) 'When ‘ideal victim’ meets ‘criminalised other’: Criminal records and the denial of victimisation', Probation Journal, 69(3), pp. 353–372.
Social Policy
University of Nottingham
2022 Cohort, 1+3
Supervisory Team
Dr Nicola Carr
Dr Andrew Henley
Dr Lauren Bradford-Clark