Portsmouth hosts International Crime Conference
Tuesday, 03 July, 2012
Over 300 criminologists together with crime authors and actors from the stage and screen will descend on Portsmouth today (3/7/12) as the city's University hosts an international conference by the British Society of Criminology.
The University's Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) is organising the conference which will be attended by criminology experts from around the world. Numerous research to be presented cover topics from youth justice, gang violence and prisoners right to vote, to cyber crime targeting online pornography and tackling Chinese organised crime in the UK. There will be a special theme examining research about sexual violence. Many of the university's own experts will be discussing their specialist areas of research.
Guests include New York University's, David Garland, one of the world's leading criminologists, who has written on subjects including The American Death Penalty; the legal institutions of punishment and control.
The University's Chancellor, Sheila Hancock, will join fellow actors Amanda Redman and Antony Calf from the BBC crime drama series, New Tricks, to give readings from a selection of crime fiction including Conan Doyle, Dickens and even Shakespeare. Veteran crime authors, Graham Hurley, Pauline Rowson, June Hampson, Linda Regan and Peter Lovesey, will join debut novelist and University of Portsmouth criminology lecturer, Diana Bretherick, whose historical crime thriller is published next year.
The University's Institute of Criminal Justice Studies is one of the largest University criminology departments in the UK and its Director, Professor Steve Savage, said that he was delighted to be hosting the prestigious four-day event.
He said: "The aim of the conference is to share knowledge and ideas, to improve our understanding and to inform the criminal justice system. Academics work closely with the police and criminal justice organisations and our research is reflected in their operations at every stage of the process.
"We're extremely privileged to have a range of high profile speakers from around the world with expertise in almost every aspect of criminology. And we're pleased to welcome our guests who specialise in portraying the fictional world of crime."
