Social rights are often an afterthought within society, with economic, political and civil rights often taking priority. Often, they are the first rights to be removed in societies at times of uncertainty, especially economic uncertainty. This is particularly the case in the criminal justice system, where the focus is typically on punishment and crime control. This session outlines why social rights are important to improving the outcomes of the criminal justice system, and highlighting how effective rights can both prevent crime and improve rehabilitation far more effectively than the punishment and crime strategies of the criminal justice system. 

Dr Clive Sealey is Senior Lecturer of Social Policy and Theory in the School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Worcester. His interests are in social policy-related issues linked to poverty, policy and theory. He obtained his PhD in social policy from the University of Birmingham in 2009. His previous book publications are Social Policy Simplified (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), Social Policy, Service Users and Carers (Springer, 2012) and Applying Social Policy to Criminal Justice Practice (Policy Press, 2023).