insight4me Sociology/Criminology: The UK Prison System With Dr Angelika Reichstein From University of East Anglia & Dr Bill Davies From Leeds Beckett University
January 22 @ 13:30 - 14:30
- University of East Anglia: Dr Angelika Reichstein is an Associate Professor in the School of Law at the University of East Anglia. She teaches Criminal Law and Medical Law and has a research interest in prisoners’ rights. In 2024, the government introduced an early release scheme for prisoners, in order to address the overcrowding in English prisons. While previously prisoners had to have served at least 50% of their sentence before being able to be considered for early release, this has now been reduced to 40%. This brings into question the purpose of imprisonment in general and of lengthy sentences in particular. In this talk, after the introduction of overcrowding in prisons, students will be introduced to the key aims of imprisonment – deterrence, retribution and rehabilitation. We will consider both the law on imprisonment, as well as criminological approaches to imprisonment to get an understanding of some of the issues surrounding our prison system and the introduction of the early release scheme. Students will have an opportunity to consider their own stance on imprisonment and whether our current prison system fulfils its criminological aims.
- Leeds Beckett University: Dr Bill Davies is Senior Lecturer in Criminology. Along with a colleague, Dr Alexandria Bradley, Bill runs a Learning Together program at HMP Full Sutton, a Category A prison outside York. In excess of 40 prisoners have gained university level academic credits as a result of this program. Bill will talk to us about Carrying out Teaching and Research in Prisons.
In this insight4me Sociology/Criminology online event for schools and colleges, University of East Anglia and Leeds Beckett University will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, interactive topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of The UK Prison System, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.
insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for Aged 16+ pre-university students. The sessions directly support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording an understanding of how these subjects continue beyond A-levels, T-levels, IB, BTEC and equivalent qualifications, and how they vary between universities.
Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.
As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.
Suitable for: Aged 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Sociology, Criminology, Law and related disciplines. Student groups, and individual students and teachers are very welcome to join us.
Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 topics and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying at university level.
The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via typed comments and questions or via a microphone if preferred. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.
Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: