Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown explains how her specialist court works I have seen the positive differences Forfar problem-solving court can make to people’s lives. It provides extra support and supervision through a specialist court hearing that can really improve someone’s opportunity of rehabilitation through community sentences. I am the sheriff who currently presides over the court…
The gentle art of nudging – Dame Laura Lee
What everyone can learn from the way Maggie’s treats people and nudges them towards healthier behaviour Our chief executive Karyn McCluskey recently talked about how we should look at how cancer patients are treated when trying to help people battling addiction: Scotland’s drug-death crisis: How treating addicts as well as cancer patients would make a…
11 Books for the Smart Justice Generation
To celebrate the launch of the #SmartJusticeGeneration hub, we’ve teamed up with brilliant book blogger Rebecca Brown AKA That Bloody Woman Reads to curate this (mostly Scottish!) list of suggested reading for those interested in social justice. The list is deliberately varied; a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, essays, short stories and poetry. Follow Rebecca on…
Why we need to help everyone understand our justice system – Student blog
To mark the launch of #SmartJusticeGeneration – a FREE online resource for students – Katy Ramage, a third-year law student at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, gives her view on why we need to put people at the heart of the system ‘I applied to study law at university because I have a genuine thirst for…
5 things Netflix doesn’t teach you about criminal justice
Community Justice Scotland’s Digital Marketing Officer Tash Pile reflects on the ways in which depictions of criminal justice on TV can often be misleading. Barely a week goes by when there isn’t a new true crime documentary trending on Netflix. Making a Murderer; I Am a Killer; The Devil Next Door… the list goes on….
Complex processes to bitesize chunks: How to use the CJS digital justice map
Community Justice Scotland’s new projects officer Victoria Guthrie shares her positive experiences of using the digital resource. I have worked in or around the justice system since 2011 as a researcher and lecturer and perhaps the most striking thing I have learnt, is that it is a complex and somewhat confusing landscape. There are so…
Restorative Justice: repairing harm in Scotland
Restorative Justice officer Rachael Moss explains how she wants to get people talking about the process that’s helping people heal from harm. I’m keen to raise awareness and understanding about Restorative Justice across Scotland and how it could help people recover from the harms of crime. Restorative Justice (RJ) is a process that offers safe…
A call for people, not processes at the heart of our justice system
Julia Clarke, former Research Officer, Community Justice Scotland “However well you know the system, it can still work against you.” These were the words of a professional I met last year, who had recently found herself in the shoes of the clients she worked with day in, day out. Events in her personal life had…
A week from Karyn McCluskey’s diary
There’s nothing typical about a working week in the life of our chief executive Karyn McCluskey. Many think she works exclusively under the justice remit – but her role is much wider. Here Karyn shares her diary from a recent week before the tightened lockdown restrictions came into force. Sunday I run 5km for the…
How vital domestic abuse work has continued during the pandemic (2/2)
In the second part of our #TalkingJustice blog series on the Caledonian System, national trainer and advisor Gill McKinna explains how the team has adapted to the pandemic Working with men who abuse their partners is fundamental in keeping women and children safe. Restrictions around the pandemic have made intervention work especially challenging in this…