Justin is a part-time PhD student, supervised by Professor Stephen Case. His first degree in 1993 was in Classical Languages and History and he completed an MSc in Forensic Psychology and Criminology in 2012. He trained as a teacher and for most of the past 25 years (apart from a brief spell in Local Government) he has taught Classics and Humanities to students of all ages from KS2 to Sixth Form.
Justin’s research focuses upon youth justice legislation. His thesis is a historical study of five pieces of youth justice legislation enacted between 1847 and 1998. It uses a process or figurational approach to examine each Act in its historical context, concentrating on the various actors and influences that led to legislation being passed in a particular form at a particular point in time. In doing so it establishes a trajectory for youth justice legislation that helps make sense of its present situation. Justin presented papers outlining aspects of his research at the Howard League Conference in 2018 and the BSC Historical Criminology Conference in 2019.
- Brett, J (2018) ‘Learning from history by seeing it differently: Frameworks for understanding the socio-historical development of youth justice.’ Howard League ECAN Bulletin 1(37): pp.34–39.