Courts, court users and the judicial process

ICPR has long-standing experience of conducting empirical courts-based research. Prior studies have examined sentence decision-making and public attitudes to sentencing; the quality of criminal advocacy; and what it is like to attend the criminal courts as a defendant, witness or victim. Current work includes research into what it means to 'participate' in criminal, family and tribunal proceedings; the values shaping deliberation in the Court of Protection; and the preparation of witness statements for the Employment Tribunal.

Current projects

Diverse Disabilities: Accessibility and Justice in the Tribunal

Lived experience of the law: A research and policy project

Completed projects include:

Enhancing problem-solving practice in the Youth Court

Inside Crown Court

Joint Enterprise

Judging Values and Participation in Mental Capacity Law

Judicial perceptions of criminal advocacy

Language Barriers in the Criminal Justice System

Participation in Courts and Tribunals

Public engagement with justice: Evidence review

Taking and Making a Statement: An exploratory study analysing through the lens of research the production of witness statements by lawyers and litigants in person (MAS)

The quality of legal advice and representation in the Youth Justice System

The Youth Proceedings Advocacy Review

Voicing loss: Meanings and implications of participation by bereaved people in inquests

Publications

Jacobson, Jessica, Hunter, Gillian and Kirby, Amy (2015) Structured mayhem: personal experiences of the Crown Court. Project Report. Criminal Justice Alliance, London, UK.

Jacobson, Jessica, Hunter, Gillian and Kirby, Amy (2015) Inside Crown Court. Bristol, UK: Policy Press

Gibbs, P. and Kirby, Amy (2014) Judged by peers? The diversity of lay magistrates in England and Wales. Working Paper. Institute for Criminal Policy Research, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.

Kirby, Amy, Jacobson, Jessica and Hunter, Gillian (2014) Effective participation or passive acceptance: How can defendants participate more effectively in the court process? Working Paper. Howard League for Penal Reform.

Hough, Mike, Bradford, B., Jackson, J. and Roberts, J.V. (2013) Attitudes to sentencing and trust in justice: exploring trends from the crime survey for England and Wales. Ministry of Justice Analytical Series. London, UK: Ministry of Justice.

Body-Gendrot, S., Hough, Mike, Kerezsi, K., Levy, R. and Snacken, S., eds. (2013) The Routledge handbook of European Criminology. Routledge International Handbooks. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.