On the 30 May 2024, the Institute hosted the 25th Nigel Walker Lecture. Nigel Walker was a key figure in the development of criminology as an academic discipline in the United Kingdom. He made distinguished research contributions, particularly in the fields of sentencing and of policy for mentally disordered offenders. He is remembered by many former students as an outstanding teacher.
The Key note speaker for this annual event was Professor Daniel Nagin, Teresa and H.John Heinz III University of Public and Statistics. Professor Nagin presented ongoing research about guardianship and discussed the implications for policy and future research.
Guardianship, a key element of informal social control, is central to two influential theories in criminology and sociology: routine activity theory and collective efficacy. Two distinct forms of guardianship, reactive and preventative, should be distinguished.
- Reactive guardianship involves an individual or a small group responding to an ongoing criminal incident or a potentially harmful situation. People balance their prosocial motivation to help others against the safety and social costs associated with intervening.
- Preventive guardianship involves action by community members that prevent crimes from happening in the first place—the ideal outcome.
Former Directors of the Institute, joined current Director Professor Manuel Eisner, academics, students and members of the public for the lecture and reception. We also welcomed back Alumna Dr Laura Kennedy, the 2024 winner of the Nigel Walker Prize, to receive her certificate.
Delegates later enjoyed a reception at the Institute before a small group joined Professor Eisner and Professor Nagin for a dinner at Westminster College.
Please make a note in your diary to join us for the 26th Nigel Walker Lecture in May 2025, further details to be confirmed via our website and social media channels.
Nigel Walker Symposium
In a new development, the inaugural Nigel Walker Symposium was held earlier in the day. The Symposium theme was ‘criminal decision making and decision making by bystanders, community members and the police’. The Symposium provided an opportunity for PhD students from the Institute and other institutions to showcase their work, with presentations by six students.