The Crime Research Centre brings people together from a variety of disciplines, focused on research into ‘crime’ broadly conceived. This includes experts from law, sociology, criminology, politics, psychology, international development, and beyond. The Centre provides a forum for researchers to share ideas and develop collaborations, as well as a platform for influencing external debate and reform.
Sussex has a long history and reputation for excellence in criminal law and criminal justice research. The Crime Research Group was extremely active in this area for a number of years, and in August 2016 was awarded the status of University Research Centre. This has reflected a significant expansion of research expertise in areas such as criminal law/ evidence, criminology, new forms of criminality, corruption and socio-legal research, to name but a few.
Crime research at Sussex is multi- and inter-disciplinary, with expertise from law, sociology/ criminology, politics, psychology, neuroscience, business, international development, and beyond. The research expertise within this field ranges from doctrinal analysis (eg criminal law; evidence), theories of crime (eg the structure and limits of crime), criminological theories (eg sociology of violence; victimisation; cultural criminology), psychological insights (understanding of hate crime; secondary victimisation; procedural fairness); neuroscience and law (eg impact of drug addiction; understanding judicial sentencing decisions) and regulation theory (eg alternative approaches to criminalisation and punishment). This inter- and multi-disciplinary motivation is a core feature of crime research at Sussex.
The focus of the Centre is outward-looking. Centre members have developed sustained relationships with academics, policymakers, NGOs, and other stakeholders at a local, national, and international level. Members of the Centre have a history of engagement and knowledge exchange with, for example, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½Ó°ÊÓ Office, National Crime Agency, Cabinet Office, as well as national and international charities.
If you are interested to know more about the Centre, or would like to become a member, please contact our co-directors:
- Dr Paul McGuinness P.McGuinness@sussex.ac.uk
- Dr Nicholas Sinclair-House N.Sinclair-House@sussex.ac.uk