Policy Briefings
Informal Life Imprisonment: A Policy Briefing on this Harsh, Hidden Sentence
In February 2024, the Life Imprisonment Worldwide (LIW) project, supported by the HRLC, released a new policy briefing examining the use of sentences that, whilst not formally called ‘life imprisonment’, can result in a person being detained until their death. Co-produced with Penal Reform International, with support from the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (IPPF), and written by HRLC Research and Projects Assistant, Zinat Jimada, the briefing examines informal life imprisonment globally, drawing on findings from research conducted by the project team: Emeritus Professor of Comparative and International Penal Law at the University of Nottingham, Dirk van Zyl Smit, and Dr Catherine Appleton at the Centre for Research and Education in Security, Prisons and Forensic Psychiatry, St Olavs University Hospital and the Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The briefing urges policymakers and practitioners to reflect on informal life sentences and to include within them the more general constraints that should apply to the use of all forms of life imprisonment. It also provides specific recommendations on the imposition and implementation of informal life sentences. Informal life sentences, if imposed, should be used as a last resort for the most serious crimes only, as they pose a key challenge to most criminal justice systems globally.
Policy Briefing on Incorporating Digital Rights and Principles into the Scottish Bill of Rights
In October 2023, HRLC Deputy Director, Dr Mando Rachovitsa, co-wrote a policy briefing to the Scottish government with Lauren Elrick (PhD Researcher and Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen, The Netherlands).
The evidence-based brief seeks to provide the Scottish policy and law makers with an understanding of the relevance and importance of incorporating digital rights and principles into the Scottish Bill of Rights. It provides guidance by referencing and providing concrete examples on how different legal and normative documents have already addressed digital rights and principles. The brief highlights in a selective manner certain priority areas and rights for the Scottish administration to focus on when drafting and finalising the Scottish Bill of Rights.
Read the briefing
The Role of The ICC Since its Foundation and Possible Scenarios for the Future: Political Support and Cooperation by States
In October 2021, Prof Olympia Bekou, head of the School of law and the HRLC’s International Criminal Justice (ICJ) unit, produced a policy briefing on the role of the ICC and possible scenarios for the future, specifically in terms of political support and cooperation by States, with the assistance of Jennifer Giblin (Lecturer in Law, School of Law and Criminology, Edge Hill University) and Emma Sheffield (Doctoral Candidate, School of Law, University of Nottingham).
The European Union (EU) and its Member States have consistently supported the International Criminal Court (ICC), collectively providing political, diplomatic, technical and financial assistance. The EU has shown leadership in the face of challenges such as non-cooperation and has provided staunch political support to the Court. In an increasingly hostile environment, including political attacks on the Court’s existence, the EU has a critical role in combatting contemporary and future challenges.
Taking a forward-looking approach and accounting for the outcomes of the Court’s recent Independent Expert Review process, this briefing considers how the EU’s role could be developed in relation to political support for and cooperation with the ICC. It offers recommendations to guide related future EU policy, which include enhancing the capacity of vital bodies, such as the Focal Point on the ICC, as well as engaging with States to complete cooperation agreements.