I aim to understand the impact of punishment on the ability of prisoners to successfully engage with rehabilitative activities such as higher education.

Hi, my name is Stephen Akpabio-Klementowski and I am a sixth year part-time PhD candidate in Criminology at The Open University.

My research is a question that stems from my personal experience of the criminal justice system, namely, how likely can rehabilitation be achieved in an environment designed to deliver punishment? I aim to understand the impact of punishment on the ability of prisoners to successfully engage with rehabilitative activities such as higher education (HE), something the Ministry of Justice acknowledges can reduce reoffending.

There are two aspects to my research. First is a series of semi-structured interviews with 18 serving and former prisoners engaged in higher level learning which I conducted over 24 months. I sought to understand both the barriers to, and enablers of HE in prisons. The second aspect is theoretical, engaging with criminological debates about what prisons are for.

I acknowledge this key question is unlikely to be answered conclusively by this exploratory study however, it will provide a basis for future studies into the role of prison HE in reducing recidivism.

Read an interview with Stephen in The Guardian from January 2021.

I immediately liked the environment which encourages and supports you throughout your studies.

My name is Jana Macfarlane-Horn, and I'm currently finishing the first year of my PhD, funded through the Grand Union DTP/ESRC in Criminology.

My research focuses on corporate crime. Corporate crimes are actions and omissions punishable by criminal, civil, regulatory, and administrative laws, a topic I am very passionate about.

Primarily my research is centred on how podcasts and documentaries frame three recent corporate crime cases. These include the BP oil rig explosion of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, The Dhaka factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 and The Barclay's LIBOR manipulation of 2012.

I believe my research can shed light on the new genre of 'true crime'. It examines whether podcasts and documentaries offer an alternative approach and viewpoint to mainstream media, one that is more balanced and has the potential to challenge existing widespread knowledge about corporate crimes.

I chose to do my research degree at The Open University specifically as I became familiar with their way of conducting things through my husband's undergraduate degree. I immediately liked the environment which encourages and supports you throughout your studies, is flexible to your needs, and is open to your contributions and opinions.

Samples of Jana's research interests can be found in her blog post for the British Society of Criminology Blog.