The first book of its kind for a decade has been written by three ENU lecturers
The first book in a decade to focus entirely on Scotland’s criminal justice system has been
published.
Written by three criminology lecturers from ENU’s School of Applied Sciences – Dr Jamie Buchan (top profile picture), Dr Sarah Anderson (middle) and Dr Katrina Morrison (below) – Criminal Justice in Scotland gives an overview of the key institutions of Scottish criminal justice, how they work and some of the key controversies surrounding them.
The textbook has been inspired by the authors' experience of teaching criminology, and the difficulties students face in finding the information they need about Scotland's distinctive criminal justice – as many UK-wide equivalents confine discussion of Scotland to a single chapter, if they mention it at all.
Criminal Justice in Scotland includes critical questions, structured further reading and reflections on key contemporary issues, such as the debate around the rule of corroboration in Scottish courts.
It also includes a chapter on Scotland's unique position with respect to transnational policing and crime control, as well as the first textbook chapter dedicated to Scottish financial penalties since 1999.
Although primarily aimed at university students in Scotland, the book is intended to be of wider use to members of Scotland's legal and criminal justice community and to anyone seeking an up-to-date guide to Scottish criminal justice.
A formal launch event for the book is planned for the autumn.
Co-author Dr Jamie Buchan said: “From social work to the courts, and from prisons to policing, Scotland’s justice system is distinct from the English and Welsh model often assumed to apply to the entire UK. We believed it deserved its own comprehensive textbook.
“While this is primarily aimed at students in one sense, we also believe it has wider interest, as the first book in a decade to focus on the distinct characteristics of Scotland’s criminal justice system.
“The last ten years or so have seen many significant developments across Scottish criminal justice and beyond, such as the abolition of child imprisonment in Scotland, the 2016 Brexit referendum and the Covid-19 pandemic. So it’s a good time to pull it all together.”
The book builds on Edinburgh Napier University’s strong track record of criminology research.
It follows last year’s publication of The Barlinnie Special Unit, a collection of reflections on a radical approach to rehabilitation taken by the prison in Glasgow, which was edited by ENU’s Dr Kirstin Anderson.
ENU will host Scotland’s only Policing Academic Centre of Excellence, which will be launched in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs' Council later this year.
Criminal Justice in Scotland co-author Dr Katrina Morrison is also involved in ongoing research funded by the Chief Scientist Office to investigate the effects of Scotland’s justice system on public health – focusing on key areas of prisons and policing.
Anyone interested in studying criminology at Edinburgh Napier University can find out more here.