Rehabilitating sex offenders maybe controversial – but it is the need of the hour

November 13, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

exual violence and the fear of sexual abuse can have a profound and devastating effect on not only individuals but entire communities. Public outrage often leads to more punitive measures towards combatting sexual violence wherein keeping convicted sex offenders in prison for longer may seem appealing but in reality, this doesn’t contribute towards reducing the risk of reoffending. There are many factors associated with reoffending such as social and emotional isolation, unemployment or not having something meaningful to do in life[1]. While it is a bitter pill to swallow for the public when it comes to rehabilitating sex offenders, the hardest fact that we must face is that the vast majority of sex offenders will one day be released and we need to provide support for their reintegration in order to avoid reoffending and reduce future victimization.

A Green Recovery will fail without rebuilding local capacity to deliver

October 22, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The Covid-19 pandemic and related social and economic crises have prompted calls for governments to catalyse a green recovery. This blog aims to complement these proposals, drawing on a recent article written with Aidan While about the differential capacity to act on low carbon goals across people and places.

Gambling in Britain: Analogue Legislation in a Digital Age

June 24, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Gambling Related Harm’s Final Report into the Online Gambling Sector, which was published earlier this month, presents a roadmap for government, the Gambling Commission and industry to develop a safer and fairer gambling environment, and limit gambling-related harm in Great Britain. Writing in 2014, I noted how the rise in online gambling had made gambling opportunities more readily available to large swathes of the population, whilst simultaneously undermining many of the restrictions, player protection measures and responsible gambling strategies typically found in land based establishments. Over the last decade, online gambling has been a key propellant of citizens’ gambling expenditure, industry profits and state taxation revenues, with citizens losing £5.3 billion gambling remotely in 2019 alone.

Killing in a time of Covid-19: How do we communicate when we can’t breathe?

June 12, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The importance of communication is never more apparent than at times of significant events. From the UK leaving the European Union, to Harry and Meghan stepping away from British monarchy, it is through communication that our realities materialise. Indeed, as scholar Daniel Nelson reflects, it is a truism that ‘wars start and end with words’. It is no surprise then that a deep-rooted concern with getting communications ‘right’ lays at the heart of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic. From government messaging to public health advice, from media debate to conversations with our families, our awareness of the need for successful communications ripples through our consciousness as we try to overcome this disease.

Proposals, Packages, Priorities: why Universities need support during C-19

May 13, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Universities have proved their worth in the COVID-19 crisis, responding at speed not simply to their own students and research partners’ changed demands, but to the communities and the national effort. But there is a clear sense that the skies will darken once the immediate crisis abates. The concerns include a precipitous fall in international students and constrained local mobility, student retention and progression to university, and the impact of a prolonged economic recession on research and development budgets. These concerns led Universities UK – the umbrella body for the country’s 137 universities, of which I am a Board member, to develop a proposal to government for a systematic programme of support.

Without ‘Home’ and Away from Children: Homelessness & Motherhood during Covid-19

May 6, 2020December 23, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Dr Emma Bimpson and Dr Kesia Reeve discuss the unique and profound challenges that COVID-19 is likely to pose to mothers experiencing homelessness.

Last year we completed a research study exploring the experiences of homeless mothers for the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and Sheffield Hallam University. Now that we are all adjusting to a life spent entirely at ‘home’ we have had cause to think about the mothers who participated in that research. It is difficult to imagine what the domestic circumstances described by those women – in the lead up to their homelessness and then afterwards – would look like in the context of COVID-19.

A Positive Strategy For Engaging Older Prisoners

November 8, 2019 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

BY NICHOLA CADET, SENIOR LECTURER IN CRIMINOLOGY, SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY Nearly one in five prisoners in England and Wales are now aged over 50. Reasons include increases in average prison sentence lengths; people ageing as they serve multiple sentences, and a greater proportion of those convicted for historic (often sexual) offences. This third category means … Continue reading A Positive Strategy For Engaging Older Prisoners

Are Sheffield Teachers Prepared for New Sex Education Guidelines?

September 30, 2019October 1, 2019 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools and Relationships Education (RE) in primary schools will become compulsory from September 2020 in England. UK Government guidance for schools was issued in February 2019 and much welcomed by academics, teachers, regulatory bodies (e.g OFSTED) and young people who had criticised current provision, delivery and content of … Continue reading Are Sheffield Teachers Prepared for New Sex Education Guidelines?