Welcome

The British Crime Historians Symposium (BCHS) meets regularly to discuss and debate original historical research on all aspects of crime, policing, punishment, law, criminal justice and social regulation in Britain and its former colonies. Since the first meeting in 2008, the BCHS has become a leading academic forum in this broad and vibrant field of research. The 2020 event had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus and will instead be hosted on the 2-3 September 2021.

For the first time in its history, it will be hosted fully online on Zoom. It will feature keynote presentations from Randolph Roth (Ohio State University) and from Pam Cox (University of Essex), Heather Shore (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Bob Shoemaker (University of Sheffield). Additionally, a plenary roundtable will assess the contribution and legacy of the late Professor Clive Emsley to the historiography of crime and policing. This year’s conference is hosted by the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies in the School of Law, University of Leeds. 

School of Law, University of Leeds

Keynote Lecture

Why Guns Are and Aren’t the Problem: The Relationship between Guns and Homicide in American History

Professor Randolph Roth - Ohio State University

Keynote Plenary

From Prosecutorial Obligation to Victims’ ‘rights’: A Critical History of Victims, 1674 to the present.

Professor Pamela Cox - University of Essex

Professor Heather Shore - Manchester Metropolitan University

Professor Robert Shoemaker - University of Sheffield

Plenary Roundtable

Clive Emsley and the Historiography of Crime and Policing: Legacies and Prospects

Margo de Koster - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Louise Jackson - University of Edinburgh

Paul Lawrence - The Open University

Mark Roodhouse - University of York