Class and Criminal Justice: A Courtroom Ethnography

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This project will explore the impact of class status on defendants' experiences and outcomes in thecriminal justice system. The proposed six-month ethnography of the Magistrates' Court would enableextensive observation of criminal cases affording the opportunity to analyse class dynamics at length. Ialso intend to conduct interviews with defendants, professionals and other court users on theirperceptions of class and its impact. Categorical data collection on class indicators and outcomes wouldenable cross-referencing of statistical trends against the qualitative data.Drawing on Bourdieu's (1986) theory of social class, Becker's (1963) work on 'deviance', empiricalconsiderations of class dynamics (Carlen, 1976) and the impact of neoliberal reforms (Newman & Welsh,2019), this project would examine the performance of class theory in the courtroom. Few empiricalstudies consider both class and reforms and therefore, this project could make an original contribution tothe field.