Lecture Series
The Howard League organises two series of public lectures in the Spring and Autumn of each year. Details of the Autumn 2005/2006 Lectures are given below. Links will be added to summaries of the lectures when these are available.
The League also co-operates with the Sutherland Trust in the organisation of occasional lectures and seminars on subjects of mutual interest. To see details of the most recent of these click on this link.
Lectures are generally held in the University of Edinburgh Law Lecture Theatre (LT175), Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh. The Drummond Hunter Memorial lecture is held in the Edinburgh University Playfair Library in old college by courtesy of the Principal.
All HLS lectures are FREE and open to the Public. (The Sutherland Trust charge a modest fee to cover overheads for the joint lecture with the HLS.)
There is a discussion at the end of each lecture, followed by refreshments.
Previous Lecture Series can be viewed:
2005/2006 Lecture Series
Scotland is facing change in its Criminal Justice system at a rate never previously encountered as the Scottish Executive instigates an ever lengthening programme of reform. But will such reform bring about the improvements Scotland needs, politicians forecast or the public deserves? The HLS has asked the speakers for this year's lectures to consider what measures each of them would wish to see in a manifesto for the next Scottish Administration to tackle the problems that concern them most and we have invited Cathy Jamieson, the Minister for Justice, to present in the Drummond Hunter Memorial Lecture her ideas on the key elements to improve our penal system
Wednesday 12th October 2005, 6:00pm
'Philosophizing Disgrace'
The Limitations of Penal Reform in England and Wales
Professor Joe Sim is a Professor of Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University. Among other things he is the author or Medical Power in Britain, with Mike Fitzgerald the co-author of British Prisons with Phil Scranton and Paula Skidmore the co-author of Prisons Under Protest.
Lecture Theatre 175, Old College, Edinburgh
Wednesday 9th November 2005, 6:00pm
'Conformation and Consolidation'
Punishment and Disadvantage in Scotland Today
Roger Houchin is Co-Director for the study of Violence at Glasgow Caledonian University and former Governor of Barlinnie Prison.
Royal Procurator's Library, Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow
Roger Houchin's Powerpoint presentation which accompanied his lecture is now available.
Wednesday 7th December 2005, 6:00pm
'A Sporting Chance'
Mel Young launched the Big Issue in Scotland with Tricia Hughes in 1993 and is currently the President of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) and is Editor-in-Chief of New Consumer magazine. He also co-founded the Homeless World Cup in 2003 and is also co-founder of Senscot, the Social Entrepreneurs Network Scotland.
Lecture Theatre 175, Old College, Edinburgh
Wednesday 18th January 2006, 6:00pm
'The Drummond Hunter Memorial Lecture'
The Challenge of Reform
Cathy Jamieson MSP Minister for Justice
The Minister's lecture notes can be downloaded here in MS Word format
Playfair Library, Old College, Edinburgh
Wednesday 15th February 2006, 6:00pm
'Breaking the Habit?'
Paradoxes in helping women recover through criminal justice interventions
Margaret Malloch is a Research Fellow in the Social Work Research Centre at Stirling University, working predominantly on women offenders and drug users in the Scottish Criminal Justice system. She has been involved in evaluating the Glasgow drug court and more recently, the holistic and therapeutic approaches to women's imprisonment in Canada.
Margaret's Talk is available now as a MS Word Document or as a PDF file.
Tolbooth Arts Centre, Stirling
Wednesday 15th March 2006, 6:00pm
'Drug Courts - the Scottish & International Experience'
Sheriff Brian Donald is a resident sheriff at Kirkcaldy who in recent times has played a very substantial part in the Drug Court pilot at Dunfermline.
Note that the HLS AGM will precede this lecture at 5:30pm, and that the AGM is open to members only
Lecture Theatre 183, Old College, Edinburgh
Wednesday 19th April 2006, 6:00pm
'The Trilemma of Penal Reform'
Richard Sparks is a Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh University, and a committee member of the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland.
Listen to Richard's talk by downloading this MP3. Please note that this is large file (11Mb), but that may browsers will allow you to stream this audio file.