Criminology and Law

Overview

Criminology and law are closely linked subjects focused on understanding the foundations and operation of justice in society. The approach to law taken is socio-legal which, with criminology, emerged from a critique of purely formal analysis of legal doctrine. Each of these subjects brings social science methods to bear on concrete problems of law and justice, as well as the framing of and response to human behaviour by the state. Each subject generates impact through reform of areas such as legislation, sentencing policy, policing strategies, and civil society mobilization. This orientation is sustained by a shared theoretical repertoire including studies in legal consciousness, actor-network theory, governmentality, and labelling theory.

We offer a cross-Wales scholarly community with the pathway made of up Bangor University, Cardiff University, Swansea University and University of South Wales. Within these institutions, the pathway is supported by research centres including Places of Climate Change Research Centre (Bangor), Crime and Security Research Institute, Wales Governance Centre, Centre for Law and Society Social Data Science Lab (Cardiff), Legal Innovation Lab Wales (Swansea) and Centre for Criminology, International Centre for Policing and Security (South Wales). Partnerships across the pathway are encouraged.

Environment for doctoral research and training

Staff on the pathway have relationships with a wide variety of organisations outside of academia that can be drawn upon for partnership in future projects. Recent partners have included Equality and Human Rights Commission for Wales, Law Centres Network, National Appropriate Adults Network, Public Health Wales, Public Law Project, Royal United Services Institute, South Wales Police Cybercrime Unit, Tech Against Terrorism, Senedd Cymru, and Wales Restorative Justice Partnership.

There are a range of advanced training opportunities available across the pathway. This includes digital social research, interaction analysis, participatory action research quantitative and qualitative methods, and research impact for public policy and social change. Specialised training includes empirical and quantitative methods for socio-legal research, ethnographic and mixed methods, international security theory and methods, methods and ethics in research on cybercrime and terrorism, and practice-based legal research.

Knowledge exchange and careers

Skills acquisition and career development will be promoted within and across institutions on the pathway. There are discussion groups and study groups with opportunities for students to share knowledge and scaffolding to provide peer support. Workshops and conferences are held with students encouraged to present their work to the wider academic body. Internships and placement opportunities are available to students as they progress, including outside the pathway and in non-academic contexts.