About the Justice Policy and Practice Group (JPPG)

Based within the Centre for the Study of Crime, Criminalisation and Social Exclusion, the Justice Policy and Practice Group (JPPG) will pursue its overarching aims by working towards the achievement of the following operational objectives:

Objective 1: Advancing fair and impactful justice

Purpose: To critically examine the structures, policies, and practices that shape criminal justice outcomes.

Direction: Conduct interdisciplinary research that identifies barriers to fairness and equity and proposes evidence-based solutions.

Objective 2: Fostering co-production and dialogue

Purpose: To create inclusive spaces for dialogue between academics, practitioners, and those with lived experience.

Direction: Host workshops, roundtables, and collaborative projects that centre co-production and amplify diverse voices in justice reform.

Objective 3: Bridging research and practice

Purpose: To strengthen the relationship between research and professional practice in criminal justice.

Direction: Develop practitioner-facing outputs (for example briefings, toolkits), support professional development, and embed research into teaching and training.

For external partners, the Justice Policy and Practice Group (JPPG) is committed to supporting the development of their capacity to critically reflect on policy and practice. Through collaboration with us, partners are encouraged to build confidence in engaging with, supporting, and co-producing research that advances the delivery of criminal justice practice.

For LJMU staff, the JPPG works both individually and collectively to strengthen colleagues’ engagement with research. This includes support for publishing, grant applications, collaboration with external organisations, and supervision of Postgraduate Research and Professional Doctorate students.

Across both internal and external engagement, the Group maintains a consistent focus on generating knowledge outputs that inform teaching and training, while fostering dialogue with the sector to promote fairer and less harmful justice outcomes.

Key strengths of the Justice Policy and Practice Group

Interdisciplinary and inclusive

  • Encourages diverse perspectives and methodologies Values lived experience and practitioner insight.
  • Supports collaboration across academic and practice boundaries.

Co-productive and dialogic

  • Values lived experience and practitioner insight.
  • Positions the group as a facilitator of mutual learning.

Practice-engaged and impact-oriented

  • Focuses on real-world relevance and utility.
  • Builds practitioner confidence and capacity in using research.

Pedagogically enriching

  • Enhances curricula with current, evidence-informed content.
  • Connects research to student learning and professional training.

JPPG measures of esteem

  • Teaching and training provision – JPPG members worked with LJMU colleagues to secure the major PQiP Contract for the North-West and Grater Manchester (2022-2026; Ragonese, Moorhead, Millings) and now lead on the delivery of the programme (Ragonese; Moorhead; Erlam; Kent; Atkins; Aspinall; McClelland)
  • Apprenticeship provision – JPPG members worked with LJMU colleagues to secure the major Level 3 Apprenticeship Contract for ‘Lot 1’ (2025-2031; Ragonese, Moorhead, Millings) and now lead on the delivery of the programme (Ragonese; Moorhead)
  • External visibility - JPPG researchers are, by virtue of their subject matter expertise, members of the Probation Institute’s Research Advisory Group (Moorhead) and Academic Advisory Panel (Millings)
  • External visibility – JPPG researchers are part of the Advisory Group for the Rhodes Foundation Scholarship (Ragonese) and have mentored Scholars in the completion of their Scholarship (Millings)
  • Research activity – JPPG researchers have secured major research funding from the ESRC for the Devolving Probation Services (2014-2015; Millings) and Rehabilitating Probation (2022-2025; Millings) projects; from the Probation Institute and Forces in Mind for the Journeys to Harmful Behaviour (2019-2022; Moorhead, Ragonese); and Alcohol Research UK for a PhD Scholarship concerned with the Role of Alcohol in the Violent Offences of Military Veterans (2015-2019; Moorhead, Millings)
  • Research impact – JPPG researchers drew on the findings and demonstrable evidence of policy change from QR Funded research into the Delivery of Resettlement Services in HMP Liverpool to shape a REF Impact Case Study in REF21 (Millings, Ragonese)
  • Research supervision – JPPG researchers are involved in supervising practitioner-led PhD projects concerned with the rehabilitative potential of unpaid work (Millings)
  • Research outputs – JPPG researchers have, for the last decade or more, published frequently in peer-reviewed and discipline leading journals that include the British Journal of Criminology, the Probation Journal, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Policing and Society, and International Journal of Law and Justice. The group have written features in the practitioner-facing Probation Quarterly and have delivered in-person and virtual sessions at Probation Institute, British Society of Criminology, European Society of Criminology and Regional Events with Criminal Justice partners.

Indicative Group Leads and Roles

Justice Policy and Practice Group

People

Justice Policy and Practice Group

People