Events
Policy Workshops & Roundtables
Facilitating Change
Public Lectures & Conferences
Fostering Engagement & Debate
Education & Training
Supporting the Next Generation
CJR runs a programme of events to foster debate on vital criminal justice policy issues.
Please email us to be added to our Events mailing list: Cassandra.Wiener@citystgeorges.ac.uk
Past Events
2026
The United Nations at a Crossroads: Professor Aldo Zammit Borda leads Masterclass for the Geoffrey Nice Foundation
03.07.2026
On 3 July 2026, Professor Aldo Zammit Borda, member of the Centre for Justice Reform, led a Masterclass on the contemporary role of the United Nations and international law at the Geoffrey Nice Foundation in Dubrovnik. The key question that was addressed was: has the United Nations failed us, can it be made to function better, and does the withdrawal of the United States from key UN bodies matter?
As the UN enters its ninth decade, it faces mounting doubts about its authority and relevance at the very moment when conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere test its capacity to keep the peace. The retreat of its most powerful founding member from parts of the multilateral system, alongside a Security Council frequently constrained by the veto, has sharpened long-standing concerns about whether the post-1945 order can still deliver on its founding promise to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. The day set out to examine those concerns honestly, weighing the UN’s failures against its enduring value and the realistic prospects for reform.
Participants at the Masterclass, held at the Inter-University Centre in Dubrovnik, Croatia
The day opened with Professor Rhona Smith of Newcastle University Law School, who served as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia from 2015 to 2021. Drawing on that experience, her session on post-conflict reconstruction and nation (re)building used the UN’s experience in Cambodia to ask how far the organisation can, and should, help rebuild societies after mass atrocity, with the recent Security Council framework for Gaza offering a stark contemporary parallel.
Dr Thomas Grant, Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge and counsel before the International Court of Justice, then turned to the UN at a crossroads, examining its failures, the scope for reform, and the decisive role that great powers continue to play in shaping what the organisation can achieve. Professor Rosa Freedman, holder of the inaugural Chair of Law, Conflict and Global Development at the University of Reading and a leading critic of the politicisation of the UN's human rights machinery, addressed the tension between a divided world and a body meant to unite it, asking what role the UN can realistically play in its ninth decade.
The day closed with Professor Philip Alston of New York University School of Law, formerly UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and, earlier, on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, who considered where the UN might fit within a shifting international order. Taken together, the four sessions moved the discussion from reconstruction and reform to legitimacy and the future, giving rise to important questions and debates about an institution that remains, for all its flaws, central to the multilateral landscape.
The Future of Past Trauma
07.05.2026
The Centre for Justice Reform, in collaboration with the Wiener Holocaust Library, invites you to The Future of Past Trauma, an interdisciplinary afternoon exploring how institutions engage with traumatic histories in today’s global context.
This event brings together scholars and practitioners from law, archives, history, and digital humanities to examine trauma-informed archival practice, participatory approaches to survivor narratives, and the ethical responsibilities of institutions in shaping memory and justice.
Through two seminars and a public panel discussion, the programme will explore how past harms continue to resonate in the present, and how collaborative, innovative approaches can contribute to more responsible and responsive institutional practices.
In Peace and in Conflict: Experts convene at Doughty Street Chambers to discuss forced organ harvesting
21.04.2026
In June 2021, twelve United Nations human rights experts, including eight Special Rapporteurs, raised the alarm at credible information that detainees from ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities in China were being forcibly subjected to blood tests and organ examinations without their informed consent, identifying such practices as credible indicators of forced organ harvesting. Their intervention drew attention to a subject that remains chronically understudied, frighteningly opaque, and uncomfortable to confront.
From L to R: Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, Madeleine Bridgett, Wayne Jordash KC, Rahima Mahmut, and Dr Aldo Zammit Borda.
Despite mounting evidence and the gravity of what is alleged, organ trafficking and forced organ harvesting attract only a fraction of the academic, policy and public attention given to other transnational crimes. Yet these abuses are not confined to a single country or context: they occur in peace and in conflict, in jurisdictions with functioning rule of law and in those without. In stable settings, transplant tourism and the exploitation of impoverished donors sustain a clandestine trade. In situations of civil unrest, armed conflict, and within totalitarian or authoritarian states, the collapse of oversight, the persecution of minorities and the detention of prisoners of conscience create the conditions in which the most serious abuses, including state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting, can take root.
The expert panel was moderated by Rachel Barnes KC.
To address these issues, on Tuesday, 21 April 2026 an expert panel convened by the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) met at Doughty Street Chambers in London. Dr Aldo Zammit Borda, Reader in Law at City St George’s, University of London, and a member of the Centre for Criminal Justice Reform, was one of the expert speakers. He spoke to the urgent need for far greater work to be done to raise awareness in the public consciousness of these crimes which, although they may at first sound unbelievable, are documented, ongoing, and demand a serious legal and policy response.
The panel included a keynote from Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, and leading experts Wayne Jordash KC, Madeleine Bridgett, and Rahima Mahmut. It was moderated by Rachel Barnes KC. Speakers considered pathways for accountability, prevention and victim-survivor protection, alongside the responsibilities of states, businesses, international organisations and civil society in confronting these violations. The evening reaffirmed a shared conviction: that silence is itself a form of complicity, and that the legal community carries both the tools and the responsibility to ensure that organ trafficking and forced organ harvesting are no longer crimes the world prefers not to see.
Closing the gap: What challenges do asylum seekers face in North London?
25.03.2026
Drawing on an ongoing partnership between City St George's and Citizens UK, this event will discuss the challenges facing asylum seekers and refugees in North London and how these problems impact local communities.
We will bring together government, community leaders, and academic researchers to discuss how to build solidarity in our community.
The International Coercive Control Conference 2026
Session 3, Track 2:
Evan Stark's 'Liberty Crime' and the Transformative Paradigm of Coercive Control
10.04.2026
- Speaker: Cassandra Weiner
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York.
Facing decades in prison: on the criminalisation of migration and solidarity
27.01.2026
The Centre for Justice Reform and Border Criminologies hosted a panel discussion on 27th January 2026, examining the increasing use of criminal sanctions to deter migration and restrict humanitarian efforts. The panel was moderated by Dr Hallam Tuck, Lecturer in Criminology at City St George’s.
Seán Binder, an activist and former search-and-rescue volunteer, reflected on his prosecution in Greece after participating in humanitarian operations on the island of Lesbos. Arrested in February 2018, Binder was charged with offences including people smuggling, money laundering, and membership of a criminal organisation, carrying a potential sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. He spent three and a half months in pre-trial detention, at one point handcuffed to a double-murderer, and remained on bail for seven years alongside 23 co-defendants, before being acquitted on 15 January 2026. Binder argued that such prosecutions aim less to secure convictions than to deter civilian search-and-rescue activity, and acknowledged that the comparatively high visibility of his case, turned into a cause célèbre by Amnesty International, likely influenced its outcome – an experience which contrasts with that of most migrants.
A refugee from Turkey, speaking anonymously as ‘E’ shared his own migrant experience travelling irregularly across Europe after persecution by the Turkish regime. In 2020, while attempting to reach the UK to reunite with his family, he took control of a small boat carrying 65 passengers, when the original driver was unable to steer safely and the boat almost capsized 6 times. Identified by UK authorities as the driver, he was charged with facilitation, carrying a maximum sentence of 28 years. E’s initial legal representation entered a guilty plea without his consent only 4 days before his trial. Following intervention by Human Rights Solidarity, E was acquitted by a jury in Liverpool, where he now resides with his family as a self-employed business owner. E’s harrowing and emotional testimony was a salient reminder of the human beings and personal stories that lie behind the headlines and statistics.
Dr Vicky Taylor, a researcher with Captain Support UK, provided legal and political context to Sean and E’s testimonies. Various governments have legislated to restrict and criminalise migration, but these policies often fail to deter people from making the journey. Since 2022, 600 people have been convicted in the UK of illegal arrivals, but Taylor argues these prosecutions mostly target vulnerable individuals who are forced to captain the vessels, rather than the organisers or facilitators of crossings.
The discussion concluded with questions from the audience on improving access to justice for refugees, as concerns were raised that defendants – many of whom have ongoing asylum claims – are often advised to plead guilty without necessarily having to do so. Questions were also posed as to whether the UK and EU’s migration policies were in breach of obligations under the Refugee Convention.
The panel demonstrated the fundamental importance of dialogue, especially between those who disagree on this contentious and politically-charged subject.
Launch of Rook and Ward on Sexual Offences
22.01.2026 - The City Law School
Rook & Ward’s seminal ‘Sexual Offences Law and Practice’ has covered the whole of criminal justice process from investigation to trial, sentence and post sentence for over thirty years. It continues to provide the only fully comprehensive up to date analysis of the issues that arise in the prosecutions of sexual offences, and is relied on by the judiciary, academics and practitioners across England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Centre for Justice Reform was honoured to host the launch of the seventh edition in the Atrium at the City Law School on 22 January on 22 January. Deputy Dean Professor Mark O’Brien opened the event, and HH Rook KC, Dr Cassandra Wiener, Prof Katrin Hohl and Robert Ward KC (Hon) discussed some of the topical issues affecting the prosecution of sexual offences, before we had drinks and light refreshments in the atrium.
2025
Justice for All: Strengthening the Justice Response to Economic Abuse
18.11.25 - The Global Summit on Economic Abuse
Speaker: Cassandra Wiener
The Law Commission Homicide Review
14.10.25
The Centre for Justice Reform and the Legal Practice Hub hosted a well-attended panel discussion at City Law School examining the Law Commission’s forthcoming review of homicide law. The panel brought together experts from academia, political advocacy, and practice: Dr Andrea Preziosi of the Law Commission, Harriet Wistrich, founder and CEO of the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), and Alex Benn, barrister at Red Lion Chambers and Senior Lecturer at University College, Oxford. Dr Cassandra Wiener and Professor Peter Hungerford Welch chaired.
Public Lecture.- Leveson Review: Fostering Engagement & Debate
07.10.25
The centre for justice reform and the Legal Practice Hub hosted a successful panel at the City Law School looking at the implications of the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, which was led by Sir Brian Leveson. The initial report makes wide-ranging — and sometimes controversial — proposals for reform of the Criminal Justice System, and we had a full house in the moot room looking at some of these proposals in depth.
The Executive Dean, Professor Richard Ashcroft opened the event, and Dr Cassandra Wiener as Chair introduced the panel. Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch set the tone for the evening by giving us a helpful overview of the reforms, distinguishing those which he thought were controversial and those that were uncontroversial (the panel did not always agree with these distinctions, which made for an interesting debate).
Dr Hannah Quirk set the Review into its sociolegal context, explaining the limitations of Sir Brian Leveson’s original brief and tracking the resultant shortcomings. His Honour Peter Rook shared his thoughts on the importance of juries, in particular in relation to the serious sexual offences trials, explaining why he thought these trials should not be treated differently.
Dr Wiener then led an interesting discussion from the floor. The discussion, which was lively, included some ad hoc empirical research conducted by HHJ Angela Rafferty, presenting the students in the room with a crime scenario and asking them if they would elect to be tried by a judge or a jury. Helen Churcher, Senior Research and Policy Officer for The Howard League for Penal Reform, challenged the panel to consider some of the implications of the overuse of remands in custody prior to trial. J-P MacNamara shared some thoughts about an event at Middle Temple the previous evening, where Sir Brian Leveson had spoken about his proposals. Some of the comments that Sir Brian had made sparked further questions and debate. The conversation continued over wine and light refreshments.
The Brian Leveson Independent Review of the Criminal Courts
07.10.25
The Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, which was led by Sir Brian Leveson, makes wide-ranging — and sometimes controversial — proposals for reform of the Criminal Justice System, Among them is the suggestion that the right to a jury trial could be removed in certain circumstances. Join us for a robust panel discussion exploring these proposals and their implications. This is an in-person event. It will take place in TG14 in the City Law School.
Panel members:
- Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch (City Law School)
- HHJ Peter Rook KC
- Dr Hannah Quirk (KCL)
- Chaired by: Dr Cassandra Wiener (City Law School)
The Report of the Independent Sentencing Review
19.06.25
The Report of the Independent Sentencing Review, led by the Right Hon. David Gauke, was published on 22 May 2025. It makes a number of far-reaching recommendations on sentencing, principally to reduce the prison population by reducing the current over-reliance on custodial sentencing.
Join us on Thursday, 19 June, from 17:00-18:30 (with light refreshments afterwards) for a panel discussion at The City Law School about the Gauke recommendations and the Government's initial response to those recommendations. Panel members:
- Professor Julian Roberts
- Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe
- Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch
- Chaired by: Dr Gemma Birkett
Ending the unfair criminalisation of victims of coercive control
25.06.25
An invitation-only ‘in person’ expert roundtable at which we will explore the links between coercive control and victims’ criminalisation, and reforms needed to ensure victims are treated fairly.
Public lecture: Responding to the Law Commission's Consultation on Criminal Appeals
15.05.25
The Law Commissioner for Crime, Penney Lewis, introduced the Law Commission's wide-ranging proposals to reform all aspects of criminal appeals, with a particular focus on the work of the CCRC.
2024
Conference: Section 60, 30 years on
24.10.24
Launch of the StopWatch report arguing for the scrapping of section 60 of the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 on human rights grounds, 30 years on from the power coming into force.
Public lecture: Evan Start: Memorial, Celebration and Legacy
23.07.24
A celebration of the life and work of Professor Evan Stark who framed the concept of ‘coercive control’ and persuaded governments to pass laws making it an offence.
Workshop: Global Freedom Scholars Network - Building Connections
23.05.24
The UK launch of the Global Freedom Scholars Network (established by Incarceration Nations Network) intended to build strong connections across our network to create channels of support for people studying during or after prison.
Public event: Launch of the Innocence Project
20.06.24
Launch of City Law School’s Innocence Project, a new pro bono service where students will support victims of miscarriages of justice in drafting applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) under the supervision of qualified criminal lawyers.
Conference: Race, juries and wrongful conviction
08.05.24
Addressing the question: "Do majority verdicts represent reasonable doubt?". Speakers opened the black box on jury deliberations.
Roundtable: Domestic homicides and suicides of Black and minoritised women
28.03.24
Dr Omar Phoenix Khan presented a paper titled 'Judges as Agents of Coloniality: Understanding the Coloniality of Justice at the pre-trial stage in Brazil.'
Roundtable: The Racialised 'Gang' as a Conviction-Maximising tool in 'Joint Enterprise'
21.03.24
Nisha Waller presented a paper exploring the punitive function of the 'gang' in the context of joint enterprise, contending that young black male defendants face inherent disadvantages when they are indicted as a secondary party.
Public lecture: Policing Empires: Race, Imperialism and Police Militarization in the UK and Britain
04.03.24
Professor Julian Go, University of Chicago.
Workshop: Selective Decarceration, run in partnership with the Howard League
January-March 2024
These seminars covered pressing criminal justice topics such as Remand, Recall and Imprisonment for Public Protection, and featured a range of talks from researchers, practitioners and campaigners working in these areas
Conference: Human Trafficking for the Purpose of Organ Harvesting: Strengthening Identification, Investigation and Prosecution by UK Policing and Key Partners
18.01.24
This unique joint conference was held on the subject of human trafficking for organ harvesting
2023
Public lecture: ‘Stop Criminalising Survivors’ film launch
05.12.23
A collaborative event between the Centre for Women's Justice and the CJHR to launch a new short film and accompanying resources to raise awareness about the unjust criminalisation of victims/survivors of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls, and to encourage action by policy makers and practitioners to achieve reforms in law and practice.
Workshop: Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP)
17.10.23
Discussing IPP - one of the Howard League’s priority areas for their new strategy. The Howard League are working to find a resolution to the ongoing incarceration and recall of people serving the abolished IPP sentence.
Education & training: PhD Symposium on criminal justice research methods
13.10.23
A half-day PhD event featuring criminal justice research methods workshops, PhD presentations and feedback sessions, and a keynote talk from Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Goldsmiths. Criminal Justice and Human Rights Methods Symposium
Public lecture: Letters from Prison - Lifting a Lid on a System in Crisis
14.09.23
Andrea Coomber KC, Executive Director of the Howard League. This lecture reflected on letters and insights from prison that capture the current crisis in the prison system.
Public lecture: The Yazidi Genocide and the Missing 2,700 Women and Children
19.07.23
Part of the Parliamentary Series 'The Genocide Convention at 75: lessons learned or not'
Conference: Official Launch of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CJHR)
17.07.23
Conference: Howard League Commemorative Event for Martin Wright
12.07.23
An event organised by the Howard League to celebrate the work and life of Martin Wright, Director of the Howard League in 1971-1972, and one of the early proponents of restorative justice
Roundtable: Sentencing of women who kill their abuser and effectiveness of defence
10.07.23
A co-organised event with the Centre for Women’s Justice and the Criminal Justice and Human Rights Centre at City
Conference: Domestic Violence and Criminal Law Network (DVCLN)
03.07.23
An event bringing together leading UK academics working on domestic violence abuse (DVA) and criminal law.
Book Launch: Cyberbullying and Online Harms Preventions and Interventions from Community to Campus
31.05.23
Dr Carrie-Anne Myers (City) and Professor Helen Cowie (Surrey) spoke about their recent publication.
Conference: Police Misconduct and Violence Against Women and Girls: Exploring Research and Practice
17.05.23
A one-day conference hosted by City University, the British Society of Criminology Policing Network, and the British Society of Criminology Women, Crime and Criminal Justice Network.
Book Launch: Coercive Control and the Criminal Law
23.03.23
This event launches the book "Coercive Control and the Criminal Law" by Dr Cassandra Wiener", with an introduction by Professor Evan Stark. Followed by a screening of Walking on Eggshells - Coercive Control in the UK with an introduction by documentary directors Rosie Jarvis and Annie La Vespa, a talk by David Challen on 'Framing Coercive Control as a Criminal Office' and an introduction to ‘Healing with Creative Expression’ by Antonia (Amja) Lee Wilmot.
Public lecture: Criminal Justice in Crisis
14.03.23
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, opened the Centre of Law and Criminal Justice Research
Workshop: Current Issues in Sentencing Policy and Research
13.01.23
A one-day seminar.
