Recent Events

Bridging policy and research: new directions for women’s justice.

14 March 2025, 11am – 5pm.

The Powerhouse, University of Greenwich,
King William Walk, London. SE10 9JH

On 21st January 2025 Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood launched the Women’s Justice Board (WJB). By creating a dedicated forum for policy innovation and collaboration, the Women’s Justice Board has the potential to drive meaningful, lasting change in the landscape of women’s justice. At its launch, key speakers highlighted the importance of basing reforms on robust research.

Following the launch of the WJB, the British Society of Criminology’s Women, Crime, and Criminal Justice Network (WCCJN) in collaboration with the Centre for Communities and Social Justice at the University of Greenwich held a conversation on the intersection of policy and research in women’s justice.

This event brought together representatives from the Women’s Justice Board, policymakers and researchers, to explore how we can inform legislative and policy reforms and create more humane solutions to the challenges faced by women in the criminal justice system. Through panel discussions, keynote addresses, and networking opportunities, the event aimed to cultivate collaboration between those of us who shape policy and conduct research to create a fairer, more effective justice system for women.

The day included performance of Clean Break’s new production Scenes from Lost Mothers. With the voices of women with lived experience of prison at its heart, Scenes from Lost Mothers explores the multiple challenges faced by women in prison who spend their pregnancy awaiting the possibility of separation, and those who are compulsorily separated from their babies, based on research by WCCJN member Dr Laura Abbott.

Speakers:

Dr Shona Minson – Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, and member of the Women’s Justice Board
Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe, Emeritus Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge
Dr Gemma Birkett, Reader in Criminal Justice, City, University of London
Jason Nickeas – HMPPS Head of Operational Policy, Strategy and Community (including HMPPS Women’s Group)
Claire Rushton – Early Interventions Policy Lead, Women’s Operational Policy and Strategy Team, HMPPS Women’s Group
Ben Hepworth – Evidence and Partnerships Hub, Ministry of Justice.