Calls for Papers

Call for Papers: ‘The Vulnerable Accused in the Criminal Justice System’ – 10 – September 2025, Cardiff University

Organisers: Dr Roxanna Dehaghani (Cardiff University), Dr Samantha Fairclough (University of Birmingham), Dr Harriet Pierpoint (University of South Wales)

With funding from: Cardiff’s Centre for Law and Society, the Society of Legal Scholars, and the ImpleMendez COST Action CA22128

The vulnerability of suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings is a topic that has received increasing and sustained judicial attention in recent years. The Salduz judgment and subsequent case law recognises that all suspects are potentially vulnerable. With specific regard to defendants, there is an ever-growing body of case law concerned with the ability of vulnerable defendants to participate effectively in criminal proceedings, as per Article 6(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), including the European Court of Human Rights judgments of T v United Kingdom and SC v United Kingdom. Whilst such developments are positive (in that they mark official recognition of the potential vulnerabilities of suspects and defendants) several issues remain in ensuring the proper identification/recognition of vulnerability among these groups and the provision of appropriate responses to it. 

This conference is the follow up to the inaugural Vulnerable Accused conference at the University of Birmingham in 2023. It is dedicated to a discussion of the many unresolved issues that remain with regard to suspect/defendant vulnerability, with a view to moving the conversation forward. It will bring together a range of contributors, exploring different aspects of the criminal process, to critically interrogate the safeguarding, protection, and participation of vulnerable suspects and defendants across jurisdictions. It is an in-person event, designed to provide invaluable networking opportunities to those working in these areas and to facilitate collaborative thinking and working.  

Confirmed speakers:

We are grateful to the Society of Legal Scholars and the ImpleMendez COST Action for funding that has enabled us to secure a fantastic line up of invited speakers.

Key note:

Professor Layla Skinns (University of Sheffield): Vulnerability, dignity and materiality: Joining up the dots and making an impact on police custody

Session Speakers:

Dr Kate Doolin (University of Auckland, New Zealand) 

Dr Katie Maras and Dr Ralph Bagnall (University of Bath)

Dr Brendon O’Mahony (forensic psychologist and registered intermediary)

Dr Jon Robbins (University of Brighton and founding editor of The Justice Gap).

Call for papers: deadline 2 June 2025

We welcome papers from a range of socio-legal, theoretical, doctrinal, empirical, comparative, and interdisciplinary perspectives, from individuals at all career stages (including PGR/ECRs), and from jurisdictions within and outside of the UK. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: 

• The conceptualisation of vulnerability for suspect/defendant populations.

• The identification of vulnerability among these groups.

• Issues relevant to specific stages of the process, for example from first contact with the police (stop and search/voluntary interview/interview under caution/arrest); post-charge (plea/bail decisions); at trial (Youth Court/magistrates’/Crown court trials or equivalent jurisdictional distinctions); and post-verdict (post-acquittal/conviction/sentencing/experience in custody, etc).

• Legal responses to vulnerability and their suitability/use in practice (for example appropriate adults, legal representation, special measures, Ground Rules Hearings, reasonable adjustments).

• Barriers to participation among vulnerable suspects and defendants. 

• The experiences of vulnerable suspects/defendants.

• Issues around resources and the provision of adequate support to relevant individuals. 

Abstracts should be 250 words long, include a title, and speaker details (name, affiliation, email address). Please submit to VACJSConference@cardiff.ac.uk.

Key dates

2nd June 2025 Deadline for abstract submission

13th June 2025 Applicants notified of success

Registration opens: 1st September 2025 Deadline for submission of extended abstracts (compulsory for all speakers)

Registration closes: 10th and 11th September 2025 Conference takes place

Other information

• Submission of abstracts via: VACJSConference@cardiff.ac.uk

• Successful applicants will be required to submit an extended abstract (1000-1500 words ahead of the conference for publication on the conference website and the Defending Vulnerability blog (https://defendingvulnerability.wordpress.com/) 

• Delegate fee – approx. £120-130 for two-day conference, including lunch, refreshments (exact cost tbc).

We are offering a small number of PGR/ECR bursaries, worth £200, towards travel and overnight accommodation. If you wish to apply, please indicate your interest, your year of study (PhD)/your length of time in post (ECR), and your dissemination plans for the conference paper. 

• There will be a Conference Dinner for the evening of 10th September. There is an additional fee payable for the conference dinner.

• If there is sufficient interest, we plan to publish a Special Issue following the conference. Please register your interest when submitting your abstract. Full written papers will need to be submitted by April 2026.

• Further detail for ImpleMendez COST Members will be made available on the ImpleMendez webpage. 

• Please see joining details for SLS: https://www.legalscholars.ac.uk/ 

• Please see https://implemendez.eu/ for details about the work of the ImpleMendez COST Action and details on how to join.

• Further information on travel and accommodation will be provided in due course.

We are grateful to our funders for making this conference possible and for subsidising several essential expenses.  

Call for Papers: International conference: “Imperial Experiences in Family Violence: Crimes and Criminology in 19th–20th centuries.” 15–16 December 2025 – Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania 

The University of Helsinki and the Lithuanian Institute of History are pleased to announce the international conference “Imperial Experiences in Family Violence: Crimes and Criminology in 19th–20th centuries.” The event will take place at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library’s which serves as a partner in hosting the conference. This gathering aims to examine the historical dimensions of family violence within imperial contexts. By exploring legal practices, social perceptions, and criminological approaches across different empires, the conference seeks to analyze how state policies, legal transformations, and cultural norms shaped responses to violence in the family. Bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines, the event fosters a comparative discussion on the intersection of law, crime, history, and family dynamics in imperial settings. 

We invite scholars and practitioners to submit original paper proposals. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics: 

  • Legal definitions and regulations of family violence in imperial systems 
  • The role of courts, law enforcement, and state institutions in addressing domestic violence 
  • The impact of legal reforms on the prosecution and adjudication of family violence 
  • Imperial legal frameworks and their relationship with gender, family authority, and social hierarchy 
  • Social perceptions and responses to family violence among state authorities, religious institutions, and communities 
  • Legal and extralegal punishments for domestic crimes and their evolution over time 
  • Judicial and societal treatment of intimate partner homicide, child abuse, and other forms of family violence 
  • The influence of class, ethnicity, religion, and geography on legal and social responses to family violence 
  • Comparative perspectives on family violence across different empires, including Russian, Ottoman, British, and Soviet contexts 
  • The adaptation and exchange of legal and social measures in regulating family violence between imperial authorities 
  • Family violence in colonial and peripheral regions versus imperial centers 
  • The role of patriarchal norms and power structures in shaping family violence and state responses 
  • Women’s and marginalized groups’ strategies for resisting, reporting, and legally challenging domestic violence 
  • The impact of modernization, nationalism, socialism, and colonial rule on attitudes and policies toward family violence 
  • Archival, judicial, and media representations of family violence and their reflections on broader social transformations.

The conference will be held in person in Vilnius, Lithuania. The working language of the event is English. There is no participation or registration fee. A limited number of bursaries to cover conference costs for young scholars without funding or scholars coming from low-income countries will be available.  

All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the Conference Organizing Committee to determine the final list of speakers. Accepted participants are expected to participate in the post-Conference publication (the format to be determined based on the abstracts submitted). Speakers will be required to submit a longer version of their presentation (3,000-5,000 words) before the conference by 1 December 2025.  

Submission Guidelines: 

Please submit a 300–500 words original abstract along with a short academic biography via the link here.  Submission deadline: 15 June 2025. Notification of acceptance: 15 July 2025.

For any inquiries, please contact: feverhelsinki@gmail.com

Call for Abstracts: Special Issue CFP for The Journal of Historical Criminology: Institutional Care or Control: Past & Present

This issue welcomes proposals for articles concerned with institutional confinement and the question of care or control. This may include, but is not limited to, criminal justice institutions (e.g. Reformatories, Houses of Correction and Borstals), workhouses/charitable institutions, and institutions which house(d) those classified as inebriates or as having mental health disorders. Aspects that might be considered; movement in and out of the institution, life and treatment within the institution, experience of those caught up within them, the aims and objectives of those who ran the institutions, and policy change and continuity. Taking a very broad understanding of critical criminology, abstract submission on all topics and periods within this remit are welcomed. We are keen to see proposals from those who have considered change and/or continuities across time within their research methodology. We hope to curate contributions from researchers working on different institutionalised settings across the globe.

Abstract Submission closes: 31 June 2025. Wordcount: 300 Words. Submit to: JHCeditor@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Institutional Care or Control’.

Further details on the peer review process and submission will be provided for those accepted, but the deadline for the final 8000-word articles will be summer 2026. Final acceptance will be subject to passing the usual peer review process. For queries about the remit of the special issue, please contact the lead guest editor Emma Watkins (e.watkins.1@bham.ac.uk).

Guest Editors

Dr Emma Watkins, Associate Professor in Criminology, University of Birmingham
Dr Tahaney Alghrani, Criminology Lecturer & Lead, Hugh Baird University Centre
Dr Buxi Daun, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Birmingham

Call for Submissions: The Journal of Historical Criminology

The Journal of Historical Criminology is now inviting submissions for upcoming issues. The journal is the first and only academic journal exclusively dedicated to research and scholarship in the international field of historical criminology. We are interdisciplinary in nature and welcome contributions from criminology, history, law, sociology, and other related disciplines. The content published should be both criminological and historical in scope. The former is intended in the broadest sense, inclusive from criminological theory to the justice processes which work to confront the issue, both formal and informal. The term ‘historical’ is meant to capture a focus on not only the past but also on the links between past and present and questions related to historical time, temporality, and social change.

The Journal of Historical Criminology is an open-access journal. All published articles are freely available to the academic community and the public to ensure wide dissemination of research and greater impact. There are no costs for authors who also retain copyright and are encouraged to distribute their work freely. All submissions are subjected to a double-blind peer review process to ensure academic quality.

For more information about the journal, please visit https://journalofhistoricalcriminology.pubpub.org/

If you have any questions, or would like to submit an article, please email JHCeditor@gmail.com

 

Call for Papers: The Justice Evaluation Journal (JEJ)

The Justice Evaluation Journal (JEJ), an official journal of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, aims to assess the efficacy, efficiency, and equity of crime reduction and prevention programs and policies.  JEJ provides a forum for scholars and practitioners in criminal justice and related sectors to offer answers to fundamental questions of what works and what does not work, and why. 

JEJ welcomes papers concerning criminal justice policies and programs broadly defined. This includes related public policy areas which have an impact on criminal justice outcomes such as social welfare, education, or health initiatives. We publish evidence-based examinations of existing programs and policies and the role of research in practice. 

Submissions should:

  • be no more than 30 pages.
  • focus on the research questions, methodology, findings, and analysis of results rather than extensive literature reviews.
  • explicitly assess the research’s implications for the program or policy in question.

All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double-blind and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

For more information, contact the Editor, N. Prabha Unnithan, Colorado State University [Prabha.Unnithan@colostate.edu] or the journal office [CLA_jej@colostate.edu] or visit the JEJ Website.

The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence and The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior.

Dr. Todd Shackelford is curating two new encyclopedias, and would like to extend an open invitation to any authors interested in contributing entries. Prospective authors are also encouraged to recommend colleagues, graduate students, or advanced undergraduate students to contribute entries as well.

The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence will be the most comprehensive encyclopedia of domestic violence to date, and will include over 2,000 entries from authors across a wide array of disciplines. The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior will be a comprehensive encyclopedia of evolutionary perspectives on sexual psychology and behavior, and will also include over 2,000 entries from authors across a wide array of disciplines.

For additional information about either of these encyclopedias, or for a complete list of available entries, please contact Section Editor Madeleine Meehan (madeleinemeehan@oakland.edu) or Section Editor Gavin Vance (gvance@oakland.edu).

Call for Submissions: The International Journal of Justice and Police Sciences

The International Journal of Justice and Police Sciences (IJJPS), the official Journal of the International Institute of Justice and Police Sciences (IIJPS) is pleased to invite submissions. This Gold open-access peer-reviewed journal provides a platform for research, case studies, and reviews in Justice and Police Sciences, offering insights into both theoretical developments and practical applications.

The journal welcomes submissions in the following fields and related areas:

1. Justice Sciences 

Criminology & Criminal Justice, Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Victimology and Victim Justice, Criminal Laws and Justice Administration, Criminal Justice Governance & Public Policy, Criminal Justice Social Work, and International Criminal Laws and Allied Justice Sciences.

2. Police Sciences

Cyber Security and Cyber Forensics, Police Science, Crime Analysis and Crime Science, Evidence-Based Policing, Translational Criminology, Embedded Policing, Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Security Management, Forensic Odontology, Forensic Victimology and Allied Police Sciences.

Article Types

We welcome submissions of original research articles, case studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and short communications that contribute to the fields of justice and police sciences. All submissions that are not desk rejected undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review. Manuscripts should be formatted as per APA 7 Guidelines (Law Articles can use Blue Book Citation). A cover letter detailing the manuscript’s originality, relevance, and contribution to the journal’s scope must accompany each submission.

Please visit: https://www.icssinstitute.org/journal.html for submission instructions.