Just Humans

In this episode I talk to Nicola Ceesay  and Dr Marguerite Schinkel about Order for Lifelong Restrictions (OLR) in Scotland and the realities of living with a sentence that feels like it has no end. Nicola, who has spent the last few years researching the Order for Lifelong Restriction as part of her PhD thesis, explains why these sentences exist, and she tell us about the impact they've had on th...

In this episode our host Rachelle Cobain talks to Dr Kirstin Anderson about a new book she's edited called 'The Barlinnie Special Unit:   Art, Punishment and Innovation'. Kirstin is a Lecturer in Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University and has spent a large part of her career teaching music in schools, universities and in prisons. She's now turned her attention to the history and legacy of the...

Grammy-award winning rapper Young Thug is currently at the centre of one of the longest criminal trials in Georgia state history. He's been charged alongside more than two dozen other people under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. Prosecutors are using his rap lyrics as evidence he and a gang called YSL are involved in serious criminal activity, but his defence...

Since completing her PhD thesis, Dr Anastacia Elle Ryan has spent the last ten years working as a researcher, advocate and social entrepreneur promoting the rights of sex workers and criminalised women in Scotland and further afield.  Anastacia founded a charity which aimed to remove the stigma often associated with sex work and provided support and services that improved the lives of hundreds of...

Fergus McNeill, who is a Professor of Criminology and Social Work at the University of Glasgow, started his career as a criminal justice social worker before entering the world of academia in the late 90's. Since then, much of his work has focused on how we punish, rehabilitate and reintegrate people into the community after they've offended. In this episode we talk about how two very different en...

Former solicitor and now PhD student Deborah Russo intended her research into segregation in Scottish prisons to begin with a series of in-person interviews, but as Covid hit in 2020 she quickly had to devise an alternative plan. Over the last year she has been working on a written correspondence project which has seen her amass more than 150 letters from people in prison, detailing personal accou...

Dr Emma Forbes joins us in this episode to describe her extraordinary project GlassWalls which uses the medium of stained glass to shine a light on domestic abuse in Scotland. Emma talks to Rachelle Cobain about each of the glass panels and the stories they tell us about victim/survivors and how law and society has viewed domestic abuse over the last few decades. The panels are part of a collabora...

In this special podcast episode we got four amazing criminologists together to discuss the question, 'is there life after state punishment?' Professor Fergus McNeill and Dr Marguerite Schinkel from the University of Glasgow are joined by Dr Reuben Jonathan Miller, University of Chicago and Professor Shadd Maruna, Queen's University Belfast. This episode was also filmed so if you'd prefer to watch...

Networks: Dr Ben Collier, University of Edinburgh We used to say look at the stars to feel how small you are, today we need just look at our phones. As we type into them the network pulses and our secrets are hoarded by the algorithm. We must ask, are we human or are we data?  Dr Ben Collier, Lecturer in Digital Methods at the University of Edinburgh, has spent the last couple of years looking int...

Work: Dr Hannah Graham Some of us have started to return to the office and in doing so we are relearning how to connect with our colleagues and professional networks.  The art of the office and how to share our work with the outside world is always a challenge and nevermore so than in these strange Covid times.  To help guide us we have gathered round the watercooler with our long-time friend and...

Friends: Dr Lisa Bradley and Dr Nughmana Mirza SCCJR besties Lisa and Nughmana first met when doing their PhD's at the University of Glasgow and soon found they had a lot in common; their research interests, having busy home lives with young kids, wanting to do academia differently and a shared love of chatting over cake and coffee. Soon their conversation sparked deep connection and collaboration...

Family: Dr Cara Jardine   Our colleague, or should that be 'sister' of SCCJR, Dr Cara Jardine, Senior Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, joins our host Ali Fraser to help kick off Season 2 of the Just Humans podcast.  Cara's research focuses on the impact of imprisonment on family and relationships and recently published her book, ' Families, Imprisonment and Legitimacy: The Cost of Custod...

Exceptionalism: Dr Louise Brangan   Our colleague Dr Louise Brangan from the University of Stirling was recently awarded the prestigious British Society of Criminology's Brian Williams prize for her article, 'Civilizing Imprisonment: The Limits of Scottish Penal Exceptionalism.' It got us thinking about exceptions and exceptionalism – what makes one place that bit more special than somewhere else?...

Connection: Professor Laura Piacentini Seldom has there been a time in history where human connection has meant more, but can we stay connected with one another and our work under these conditions?    To help us answer these questions Alistair Fraser is joined by our guest,   Laura Piacentini , who is a Professor of Criminology at the University of Strathclyde. Laura has dedicated her professional...

Translation: Dr Phil Crockett Thomas When we think about translation we usually think of translating from one language to another but research is an act of translation too. Often you are translating an experience, a conversation or observation into quotes and tables. Maybe there's a better way of doing this? Our guest, Dr Phil Crockett Thomas, a visual sociologist based at the University of Glasgo...

Just Humans: Darkness with Dr Anna Souhami Our first episode is about darkness with Dr Anna Souhami, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Edinburgh. Anna takes us on an audio trip to Shetland, around 200 miles north of the Scottish mainland, where she researched policing on the periphery and discovered how the dark skies loomed large in people's daily lives.    "It struck me even on...

Hello, Friends! I'm Ali Fraser, Director of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research - a  community critical, curious and creative researchers based in Scotland. Dedicated to rethinking crime and justice.  In this podcast series, I'll be introducing you to the people that make the Centre, their lives and work, what inspires them and makes them tick. To pique your interest, perk up your e...