School of Law

Dates: October 2010 - June 2012

Increasing the involvement of the third sector (voluntary, charitable and non-governmental organisations) in the provision of criminal justice services is a key aspect of government policy. Third sector organisations (TSOs) are perceived to be independent, flexible, innovative and cost-effective, and contribute to broader agendas of increasing community participation in public services.

However, little evidence exists to support the ability of the third sector to provide effective services, and the expansion of TSOs' involvement in core criminal justice services presents arange of challenges for TSOs as well as legal, ethical and ideological concerns about TSOs taking on quasi-punitive and formal enforcement roles and their compatibility with service provision and campaigning objectives.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are funding a series of seminars designed to bring together TSOs, criminal justice agencies, policy makers and researchers to critically explore third sector involvement in the criminal justice system and consider how it might develop infuture. The seminars also aim to encourage interdisciplinary research and contribute to evidence-based policy making in this area.

Full details of the aims of the seminar series.