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Current research

Find out more about the research projects we are currently working on.

Our current research projects are listed below. Click on the links, or use the navigation bar to the right, to access more information about the studies.

Researching the history of the Howard League

The University of Leicester, together with the Howard League as a collaborative partner, has secured funding for an ESRC Doctoral Studentship to produce the first history of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

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The persistence of the Victorian prison

In England and Wales today, more than a quarter of prisoners live in Victorian-era prison accommodation. We want to understand what these prisons are like to live and work in, and how this has changed over time.

This project explores the implications of the continued operation of Victorian-era prisons for the contemporary prison service, and aims to inform policy development.

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Hope, legitimacy and carceral citizenship

Research has shown that hope can be a driving force behind individuals’ efforts to desist from offending. However, little research has sought to understand what people on probation or released from prison hope to get from their sentence, nor how probation services might work to support people who occupy the position of ‘carceral citizen’.

This study will employ peer researchers as well as using walking and photo elicitation methodologies to generate data with people on probation, probation staff, and external stakeholders. The aim of the research is to develop our understanding of hope in this context and how this may translate into effective probation practice.

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