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 Home 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