Crown Court clerks and women offenders:Examining and disseminating marginalised perspectives on the criminal justice system through oral history

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This fellowship offers an exciting opportunity to consolidate and disseminate my PhD research. It alsoallows me to formulate a new research project which will build upon my interests, knowledge andexperience. There are three primary aims of the fellowship. Firstly, it will help to develop my career andskills as an academic researcher. To this end, the fellowship will provide me with the time andresources to produce a publication related to my PhD research; extend my analytic and writing skills;and work alongside, and learn from a mentor with similar research interests.Secondly, throughout the fellowship I will disseminate my research findings to a wide range of academicand non-academic audiences. It is important to highlight that my doctoral project was highly original inthat it identified and helped to fill a notable absence in the academic literature about the role andfunction of a critical legal actor who has been much neglected, namely the Crown Court clerk. Mostmaterial in the field tends to focus on the perspectives of elite participants in the trial such as judges,barristers and solicitors. It is surprising that although the Crown Court clerk plays a pivotal role in trialsof the most serious criminal offences such as murder, rape and burglary, very little has been writtenabout them. My research has also uncovered previously untold accounts about radical reform to theadministration of justice in 1972, and its long-term impact upon the courts system. The shift towards amodern system of Crown Courts in the 1970s represented the most fundamental change to our legalsystem to have occurred in centuries.Within the academy, I will deliver a presentation of my PhD findings at an event hosted by the LegalBiography Project (LBP) at the LSE. I will also share and debate my work as part of a seminar seriesco-convened by the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study University of London,and the Oral History Society. In addition, I plan to co-produce a workshop on legal life writing with theOxford Centre for Life Writing, Wolfson College, University of Oxford, and feminist legal historian andbiographer, Professor Rosemary Auchmuty, where we will present our different methodological andinterpretive approaches to legal biography.Beyond the research community, I will collaborate with the National Justice Museum (NJM) and enrichtheir legal education and public engagement programmes. I will deliver professional developmenttraining to NJM staff and volunteers on different subjects related to my PhD findings. These include: thepivotal role and function of the Crown Court clerk and key changes to their work over the past 45 years;fundamental reform to the administration of justice in 1972 and its long-term impact upon the courtssystem; and oral history practice. I will extend and enrich the existing NJM Courtroom WorkshopsProgramme by designing activities for pupils that are specific to the Crown Court clerk's keyresponsibilities. More than 25,000 primary and secondary school pupils (7-18 year olds) participate inthese workshops in courts around the country each year. I will also create an educational resource forthe NJM website for teachers to download concerning the Crown Court clerk's important contribution tothe administration of justice system.Thirdly, the fellowship will provide me with the opportunity to pursue my research interests in oral historyand non-elite, marginalized and minority voices in the criminal justice system. I will develop a fundingproposal for a socio-legal research project that focuses on oral history and women offenders. This areaof scholarship builds upon research I have carried out at MA level related to telling difficult andtraumatic life stories in ways that are ethical, empowering and avoid re-traumatisation.