Professor Pete Rushton
Since the REF, Pete Rushton has returned to an earlier project on ‘threatening the state’, exploring the pre-modern forms of criticism of, and rebellion against, the British state. Both sedition (speaking against the government in a threatening way) and treason (plotting against both government and institutions) have their modern equivalents in anti-terrorist legislation. Free speech has never been an uninhibited right in English law, and interpretations of what constitutes the kind of statement that threatens social peace or the political system have always been contested. More serious, the crime of treason remains on the statute book – though the death penalty was abolished in 1998 – and the idea of trying people for activities against the British state, even if committed abroad, remains one given serious consideration in recent years. Working with his longstanding collaborator, Dr Gwenda Morgan (University of Newcastle), the aim is a book-length study of the legal suppression of opposition in Britain and its colonies before 1800.
Recent publications:
[solo] ‘The Rise and Fall of Seditious Words, 1650-1759’, Northern History, 52 (1) (2015), 68-84
[with Gwenda Morgan], ‘Arson, Treason and Plot: Britain, America and the Law, 1770-1777’, History, 100 (341) (2015), 374-91
Dr Faye Cosgrove
Faye is currently involved in a qualitative research study of volunteer special constables and the contemporary significance of their role and function within the wider police workforce at a time of fiscal constraint. In an era when police officer numbers are declining as central funding reduces, special constables offer an attractive, more cost effective means of delivering policing services, specifically in satisfying neighbourhood policing and public calls for service. However, there is limited research available that documents their current activities or how austerity measures have affected them. The broad aims of this project are to explore national directives and differences in force strategic priorities and practices, improvements in recruitment and training, and to consider the individual experiences of special constables in fulfilling their role and their integration into the police organisation. Findings from the study are expected to further the understanding of how and in what ways special constables support the operational needs of the wider police workforce and to document the impact of efficiency savings on the management, deployment and functions of special constables.
Recent publications:
Cosgrove, F. and Ramshaw, P. (2015) It is what you do as well as the way you do it: the value and deployment of PCSOs in achieving public engagement, Policing and Society, 25, 1, 77-96.
Cosgrove, F. (forthcoming) I wannabe a copper: The engagement of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) with the dominant police occupational culture’. Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Professor Catherine Donovan
• The ESRC funded Coral Project exploring the abusive behaviours of partners in LGB and/or T relationships continues to be the focus of my research having produced a very large data set of over 800 survey respondents and 36 interviewees who were recruited through the survey; 23 interviews with practitioners of perpetrator programmes and 8 focus groups with a range of practitioners. With my colleague Dr Rebecca Barnes at Leicester University we have one article under review for Sexualities, and two chapters being considered for edited collections.
• Related to the above Rebecca and I are also currently editing a special edition of Sexualities on LGBT Domestic violence and abuse. We are hoping to submit the articles to Sexualities at the end of September for publication in 2016.
• I, along with Matt Durey, Kate Butterworth and Catriona Hugman have recently submitted two evaluation reports for Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland.
• The Northern Rock Foundation commissioned me and Pete Rushton to design and coordinate a third international seminar series on intimate partner violence which launches in September 19th (please email Alison.perrett@sunderland.ac.uk to register for this free event. The first seminar focuses on building strong partnership relationships in times of austerity. Jude Towers, the co-author of Measuring the impact of cuts in public expenditure on the provision of services to prevent violence against women and girls (2012) will be speaking.
• With Matt Durey we are co-authoring a chapter for the new CASS edited collection on the impacts of austerity on policy and practice. Our chapter will consider the impacts of austerity for services to minoritised survivors of DVA using LGB and/or T services as a case study.
• With Nicola Ballantyne, Kate Tudor and Matt Durey we are involved in a research project intended to survey experiences of and enactment of violence and abuse on campus including bullying and harassment, homo-bi-trans phobia, racist and faith hate incidents and violence against women. We have been working this academic year to identify key stakeholders in the university who might have an interest in the work and be part of a steering group to oversee the design of the study, the findings, and importantly the dissemination of the findings; and we have piloted a survey with third level students of a violence and gender module in order to get feedback on its design, question order, wording etc. We are currently re-designing the survey and intend to launch it after Easter 2016.
• As a result of the above, I am now on the University’s Student Safety and Welfare working group focussing on the feasibility of introducing a bystander intervention course for students and key members of staff to promote a university community that looks after each other.
• The Ace Project which was a project focussed on raising awareness of child sexual exploitation and young lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans young people has seen a raised profile since the Tim Leeson, Project Manager of the National Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Action Plan circulated the Ace Project Agenda for Change. We have sent out over 50 copies of the dvd, They Loved Me? They Loved Me Not to police units, CSE projects and LGBT organisations across England and Wales.
Recent publications:
Donovan, C. & Barnes, R. (2015) ‘Making sense of abusive behaviour in LGBT intimate relationships’ in Safe The Domestic Abuse Quarterly, Spring, 52: 13-17