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.

Publications

Jacobson, Jessica (2018) Balancing accessibility and authority: towards an integrated approach to vulnerability in the criminal courts. In: Cooper, Penelope and Hunting, L. (eds.) Access to Justice for Vulnerable People. London, UK: Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing. ISBN 9780854902675. (In Press)

Cooper, Penelope and Dando, C.J. and Ormerod, T. and Mattison, M. and Marchant, R. and Milne, R. and Bull, R. (2018) One step forward and two steps back? The “20 Principles” for questioning vulnerable witnesses and the lack of an evidence-based approach. The International Journal of Evidence & Proof , ISSN 1365-7127.

Hunter, Gillian, Jacobson, Jessica and Kirby, Amy (2018) Judicial perceptions of the quality of criminal advocacy: report of research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board. Project Report. Solicitors Regulation Authority, London, UK.

Kirby, Amy (2017) Effectively engaging victims, witnesses and defendants in the criminal courts: a question of “court culture”? Criminal Law Review 12 , pp. 949-968. ISSN 0011-135X.

Jacobson, Jessica, Kirby, Amy and Hunter, Gillian (2016) Joint enterprise: towards clarity and transparency? Criminal Law & Justice Weekly 180 , pp. 557-559. ISSN 1759-7943.

Jacobson, Jessica (2016) Joint enterprise after Jogee: implications for sentencing. Sentencing News