Criminal Justice and Human Rights Centre

Dr Aldo Zammit Borda is a Reader in Law at City, University of London. He previously served as Director of the Centre for Access to Justice and Inclusion at Anglia Ruskin University. His research focus lies in the area of International Criminal Justice.

Alexia Zimbler is a Senior Lecturer in Law and Assistant Dean for Student Recruitment (Postgraduate and Professional Programmes) at City Law School.She practised at the bar for 25 years, specialising in Criminal Law, Advocacy and Vulnerable Witnesses.

She started her practice on the Western Circuit at 2KBW, then to Broad Chare (now Dere Street) Chambers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before returning to the South-East where she continued to practice, specialising in criminal defence work at the highest level. She also practiced Family Law specialising in Public Law children cases.

Andrew Choo is Professor of Law at The City Law School. His research interests include evidence and procedure, especially criminal evidence. His published work has been cited in decisions of various appellate courts, including the House of Lords, the UK Supreme Court, the Privy Council and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Dr Cassandra Wiener is an Academic in Law at The City Law School. She is passionate about domestic abuse law reform and regularly acts as advisor to the Home Office and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner's office, among others. She played a key role in the drafting of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, successfully campaigning for a clause enhancing the criminal law protection of survivors of coercive control.

She is regularly consulted by governments and activists around the world who are considering following the UK's lead and criminalising coercive control, most recently appearing before the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control in New South Wales, Australia.

Professor Emmeline Taylor is a professor of Criminology and nd Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise) in the School of Policy and Global Affairs. nd Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise) in the School of Policy and Global Affairs. Emmeline has completed empirical research in a number of sociological and criminological areas including; surveillance and the societal impact of new technologies, armed robbery, residential burglary, retail crime, crime and security in education, and several evaluations of criminal justice initiatives in England and Australia.

Professor Eugene McLaughlin is Professor of Criminology at City, University of London. His current research concentrates on: the policing challenges of multi-pluralist, risk societies; the news-media, crime and criminal justice policy; the politics of law and order and new developments in criminological theory

Dr Gemma Birkett is a senior Lecuturer in Criminology at The City Law School. As such, she has extensive experience of working on criminal justice consultations and legislation, speech-writing and briefing on political issues. Gemma continues to undertake research and consultancy work for several criminal justice charities.

Dr Jessica Corsi is a Senior Lecturer for the School of Policy and Global Affairs at City, University of London. Jessica's work focuses on how the law can prevent and alleviate violence and foster substantive and transformative equality. Her approach spans public international, regional, and domestic law, and combines theory, data, traditional legal research methods, and social science research methods.

Dr Jonathan Ilan is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at City, University of London. He has a strong interest in ethnographic research methods, providing advanced training internationally. He also keenly follows and contributes to debates in Cultural Criminology. He is a member of the editorial board of the British Journal of Criminology.

Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch is a Professor Law and Associate Dean at The City Law School.His teaching includes modules on the Bar Vocational Studies (BVS) and Master of Laws (LLM) programmes, and supervision of dissertations on those programmes. He is a regular contributor to the Criminal Law Review and is the Cases Editor for that journal.

Andrea Comber is Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform. Andrea was appointed Queen's Counsel (Honoris Causa) in 2022 for making a major contribution to the development of the law in England and Wales. She joined the Howard League in 2021, having previously worked at JUSTICE, INTERIGHTS, at the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva and at the South Asia Documentation Centre in New Delhi. She is qualified as a barrister and solicitor in Australia.

Dr. Natalie Byrom is Director of Research at The Legal Education Foundation where she leads work to build the evidence base for what works in helping individuals to secure their rights. She sits on the Administrative Justice Council and the Litigants in Person Engagement Group of the Civil Justice Council.

Lord Ponsonby. Frederick Matthew Thomas Ponsonby is a current member of the House of Lords. He is a Labour Party spokesperson for Justice and Home Affairs.

Professor Betsy Stanko, OBE, was formerly head of evidence and insight in the Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime. She is now Visiting Professor at UCL’s Department of Crime Science and Security and City University London’s Sociology Department, and Emeritus Professor of criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London. She is Strategic Advisor And Academic co-lead at the Home Office funded Operation Soteria Bluestone.

Professor Julian Roberts was a member of the Sentencing Council of England and Wales from 2008-2018. He is currently Executive Director of the Sentencing Academy, a London-based institute which links scholars with practitioners, and promotes greater public understanding of sentencing in England and Wales.

Anand Doobay is a Partner and Lawyer at Boutique Law LLP. He is a Council Member of Justice and is on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office pro bono panel.

Sir David Hanson is Member Board of Trustees at Nacro and Denbighshire council for voluntary services. He is a retired Labour MP, and former Home Office Minister.

Richard Garside is the Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Prior to joining the Centre, Richard worked in communications at Nacro, and, before that, at Survival International. He appears regularly in national print and broadcast media as a commentator on crime and criminal justice.

Liz Hogarth OBE is former Ministry of Justice lead on women in the criminal justice system. She was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to women offenders. Now retired, she continues to advocate for the reforms called for by Baroness Corston, working in a voluntary capacity.

Roma Hooper OBE is the founder of Prison Radio Association and Make Justice Work.  She is also currently chairperson at Clinks, which supports, promotes and represents the voluntary sector working with people in the criminal justice system and their families.

Andrea Simon is Director at End Violence Against Women. Andrea was formally EVAW’s Head of Public Affairs, focussing on leading the organisation’s work influencing legislation, and policy across multiple government departments to improve responses to women and girls at risk of and experiencing VAWG

Sir Geoffrey Nice KC is a British barrister and judge. He took part in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and was lead prosecutor at Slobodan Milošević's trial. He is chair of the China Tribunal and the Uyghur Tribunal, which have investigated human rights abuses in China

Hamid Sabi is a London-based human rights lawyer who has served the Iran Tribunal, China Tribunal and on-going Uyghur Tribunal.

Lord John Thomas is a British judge. He served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2013 to 2017.

Professor Jonathan Doak is Professor of Criminal Justice and Associate Dean for Research in Nottingham Law School. Jonathan is a member for the Centre of Rights and Justice, the Centre for Advocacy and the Centre for Mediation and Dispute resolution.

Nicholas Vetch is co-founder of the Big Yellow Self Storage Company, was awarded a CBE for his work with The Big Yellow Foundation which provides support to vulnerable members of society including refugees.

Vian Dakhil is an Iraqi parliamentarian and is one of two Yazidis currently serving in Parliament. She is known for speaking out against the Yazidi genocide currently being carried out by ISIS and for advocating for humanitarian assistance on their behalf.