02 May 2007

UCC Hosts Conference on Criminal Justice and Human Rights

The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR), Faculty of Law, UCC will host the first postgraduate conference on criminal justice and human rights in UCC tomorrow Thursday, 3 May 2007.

This one-day international conference will attract postgraduate research scholars whose work pertains to criminal justice and human rights. In addition to exploring topics specific to the scholarship of criminal justice or human rights, the conference aims to consider the intersections of both fields. The conference will serve as a forum for discussion and debate among researchers within both fields and between the two fields of study themselves. Papers will be presented by over 30 scholars in areas such as gender and human rights immigration and asylum law, policing, criminal law and criminal justice, punishment and penal policy and transnational justice.

The CCJHR was founded in 2006. Dr  Siobhan Mullally, Co-Director of the CCJHR, commented "The study of crime, justice and human rights raises complex and often challenging questions for lawyers and policy makers. The debates surrounding the Criminal Justice bill in Ireland, the proposed 'rebalancing of the criminal law', ongoing concerns at human rights abuses in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay and the practice of extraordinary rendition, are just some of the issues that go to the heart of the intersection between criminal justice and human rights. CCJHR seeks to contribute to national and international debates on these questions, through the promotion of critical legal research and innovative programmes of legal education and training." She added "The Centre is now home to a growing number of postgraduate students, researching on key issues of criminal justice and human rights, at the cutting edge of their fields. This research community provides an increased pool of expertise that will feed into law reform and policy proposals, strengthening the links between legal education and the practice of law."

The keynote speaker for the event is Mr Mark Kelly, Director, Irish Council for Civil Liberties. Mr Mark Kelly, Director of the ICCL noted that  "The political urge to pander to populist sentiment is never stronger than in relation to criminal justice issues.  In the scramble for votes, it is far too easy for genuine fears of crime to be whipped up into a kind of moral panic. Legislative measures such as the Criminal Justice Act 2007 fall squarely into this category, presenting wholly unproven measures as a panacea for serious crime".

"By contrast, advocating that criminal justice policies comply with international human rights standards can provide a solid anchor in these constantly shifting seas", he added.

The Conference takes place on Thursday, 3 May in G1 , Kane Building (Science Building), UCC. See www.ucc.ie/en/ccjhr for more details.  

For more information on the conference and for press registration please contact Liz Campbell on e.campbell@mars.ucc.ie

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