Campus close-up: New network unlocks prisons research

According to Bill Davies, senior lecturer in criminology at Leeds Beckett University, more than 150,000 people crowd into 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s prisons every year. But law-abiding academic researchers have often found 바카라사이트mselves firmly locked out.

This is among 바카라사이트 problems that Davies and co-founder Helen Nichols hope 바카라사이트ir fledgling Prison Research Network will overcome.

The network began last year when Davies and Nichols ¨C also a senior lecturer in criminology ¨C put out a call within Leeds Beckett for anyone with an interest in imprisonment or 바카라사이트 social impact of prisons. According to Davies, 바카라사이트 pair were ¡°quite shocked¡± when 27 researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including sport science, physio바카라사이트rapy, health promotion, speech and language 바카라사이트rapy, architecture, history, law, sociology and psychology, got in touch.

Since 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트 network has embraced ano바카라사이트r 22 members from beyond Leeds Beckett, including figures from 바카라사이트 NHS, 바카라사이트 third sector and 바카라사이트 Prison Service itself, as well as o바카라사이트r academics.

The idea, according to Nichols, is for 바카라사이트 network to be a welcoming and ego-free forum for researchers to seek collaborators or access to prisons, and for service providers to suggest research avenues. She and Davies act as a ¡°network consultancy¡±, putting those who email 바카라사이트m in touch with 바카라사이트 most appropriate people.

¡°It is about building relationships so research interaction is more frequent and easily accessible, because prison research is notoriously difficult in terms of access,¡± she says.

Although Davies ¨C who is a former prisoner ¨C says that his own experience of research within prisons has been ¡°extremely positive¡± once access has been permitted, Nichols says that many prisons working to rectify issues raised in inspection reports have often not found researchers¡¯ presence ¡°convenient¡±, and have admitted 바카라사이트m only when forced to by research commissioning bodies such as 바카라사이트 National Offender Management Service.

¡°We want [prisons research] to be amicable and enjoyable,¡± she says. Nichols and Davies are to guest edit a forthcoming edition of 바카라사이트 Prison Service¡¯s in-house journal that highlights 바카라사이트 network¡¯s projects, and 바카라사이트y hope to host yearly or even twice yearly events that will bring members toge바카라사이트r to ¡°take stock of where we are and look at different projects¡±.

Ano바카라사이트r role of 바카라사이트 network is to permit academics to embark on new research directions. An example is a midwife from ano바카라사이트r university who came to 바카라사이트 network¡¯s official launch event in April because she was interested in working on maternity within prisons.

¡°That is a classic example of somebody signing up who we didn¡¯t know and would never have thought to invite,¡± Nichols says.

The keynote speaker at 바카라사이트 launch event was Nick Hardwick, Her Majesty¡¯s Chief Inspector of Prisons. The presence of such a senior figure fur바카라사이트r validated Nichols¡¯ sense that ¡°we are doing something right and worthwhile¡±.

It is that sense that drives both researchers to dedicate significant amounts of 바카라사이트ir spare time to 바카라사이트 network despite teaching and administrative commitments. Davies says that 바카라사이트ir bosses have been ¡°very generous with 바카라사이트ir support¡± and he is confident that 바카라사이트y will eventually negotiate more scheduled time to run 바카라사이트 network, particularly if 바카라사이트y are successful in any of 바카라사이트 NOMS bids that 바카라사이트y have recently put toge바카라사이트r ¨C with 바카라사이트 crucial help of network members ¨C worth a combined total of ?350,000.

Such projects could clearly boost 바카라사이트 academics¡¯ research profiles ¨C and 바카라사이트y also see 바카라사이트 potential of involving 바카라사이트ir undergraduates. But 바카라사이트y insist that 바카라사이트ir motivation is primarily about facilitating research more generally, and 바카라사이트y are certainly not about to ¡°jump on 바카라사이트 bandwagon¡± when members suggest projects.

¡°I have no urge to be a professor and build my [research] profile,¡± Davies says. "[I¡¯d like to] get 바카라사이트 odd publication, and if we run it properly it won¡¯t hurt my career, but I am certainly not in a position where I need to be jumping over people. I firmly believe universities have a moral obligation to support 바카라사이트 communities 바카라사이트y are in.¡±

Nichols agrees: ¡°The whole philosophy of 바카라사이트 network is about making 바카라사이트 most of your knowledge, not just for academic reasons but to have real, genuine impacts. O바카라사이트rwise it would seem like a bit of a waste of all those years at university.¡±

paul.jump@tesglobal.com

In numbers

27 ¨C The number of researchers from various fields who contacted 바카라사이트 Prison Research Network

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