University of Worcester and the Hive Rights and Justice Festival 2025

Festival schedule

8 July 2025

Time	Name	Room	Title	Speaker
10:00am	Session 1A	Meeting Room 2	Human Rights and Children’s rights: What are they and why do they matter?	Dr Michael Lane
10:00am	Session 1B	Meeting Room 3	The Not So Swinging 60s: When Britain Exiled Islanders from their Homeland	Dr Chris Monaghan
10:40am	Session 2A	Meeting Room 2	When Jurors Go Rogue	Nicola Monaghan
10:40am	Session 2B	Meeting Room 3	Colonial Legacies in Museums and the Pursuit of Narrative Justice	Dr Isabel Gilbert
11:20am	Session 3. Keynote A	Studio	The Impact of Systemic Failure on Communities of Women with Experience of Complex Disadvantage and Trauma	Dr Beverley Gilbert
12:00am	Lunch Break
1:00pm	Session 4A	Meeting Room 2	Inordinate Delays: An inmate’s Journey on Death Row	Dr Nkem Adeleye
1:00pm	Session 4B	Meeting Room 3	From Violence to Unity: A Criminological Analysis of the UK Summer 2024 Riots and the Rise of Hate Narratives	Dr Mikahil Azad
1:40pm	Session 5A	Meeting Room 2	The “American Experiment”	Dr Wendy Toon
1:40pm	Session 5B	Meeting Room 3	Ask a Judge - Does the punishment fit the crime?	HH Daniel Pearce-Higgins KC
2:20pm	Session 6A	Meeting Room 2	Family Law: Fact or Fiction?	Jenny Watkins
2:20pm	Session 6B	Meeting Room 3	Wrongs to rights: the importance of social rights to the criminal justice system	Dr Clive Sealey
3:00pm	Session 7A	Meeting Room 2	Mock Jury: You decide; Guilty or Not Guilty	Sarah Lloyd
4:00pm	Break
6:00pm	Keynote 2	Studio	International Law and Alabama's Executions by Nitrogen Gas Asphyxiation	Professor Jon Yorke
7:30pm	Close

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International Law and Alabama's Executions by Nitrogen Gas Asphyxiation

Presenter: Professor Jon Yorke

Synopsis: This talk draws upon the 2024 complaints filed in the United Nations of behalf of death row inmates in Alabama. It will reveal the curious British origin of the idea for nitrogen gas executions and details how some US states have now endorsed this method of execution. Alabama has implemented a nitrogen execution protocol, and has done so through imbedding inaccurate scientific opinions. The history of the death penalty reveals a certain resilience against rational arguments reflecting humanity and a humane world, and the story of how nitrogen has been used to kill death row inmates is no exception. Therefore, in this talk, a new methodology will be proposed for assessing how scientists contribute to the role of the state in developing capital punishment. Important illuminative methods and information are provided by scientists, but the dangers are recognised when there is a perceived omnicompetence over punishment processes which are then used to prevent transparency and thwart explanatory accuracy. We can best guard against erroneous scientific opinion being used to harm people through inter-disciplinary dialogue, but for a meaningful conversation there needs to be a fair consideration of the viewpoints of the various stakeholders. The torture imposed upon death row inmates through lethal injection has now been replaced by the option of torture through being forced to breathe in nitrogen gas. This has emerged from the great pressure and the resultant errors that the death penalty creates within the criminal justice system. Nitrogen executions have revealed a further example of how states kill through implementing bias and negligence and helps to demonstrate why the death penalty should be abolished not just in the United States, but worldwide.

Bio: Jon is Professor of Human Rights and the Director of the BCU Centre for Human Rights at Birmingham City University. He is an expert on the death penalty and international law, with a focus on the UN's universal periodic review. He is a member of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Pro-Bono Lawyers Panel, in which he advises the British government on death penalty matters. He has advised the United Nations, the European Union, and the Council of Europe, on death penalty issues. On behalf of death row inmates in different jurisdictions he has filed amicus curiae briefs and authored complaints to various UN special procedure mechanisms. He is a founding member of the International Academic Network for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, a research fellow at the Death Penalty Research Unit, Oxford University, and he has published widely on death penalty and human rights issues.

Human Rights and Children’s rights: What are they and why do they matter?

Presenter: Dr Michael Lane

Synopsis: The UK has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Child, and it should therefore uphold the rights it contains for all children in its territory. But what does this really mean for children? What rights to they have and what can we do if they’re not fulfilled? This interactive session gets participants thinking about these questions by taking them through a series of exercises to understand how children’s rights are engaged during their day-to-day activities whether that be sleeping or playing games. This session is appropriate for all, including parents and children. 

Bio: Dr Michael Lane is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Worcester. His research concerns the role of the United Nations in the UK. He is particularly interested in understanding how rights contained in international law are protected in the UK.

When Jurors Go Rogue

Presenter: Nicola Monaghan

Synopsis: The jury is a highly regarded and celebrated institution which symbolises lay democracy in action. Jurors must reach a verdict on the evidence presented in court and they must not discuss the case with other people or conduct their own research or investigations into the case (including on the internet).  Criminal offences of jury misconduct are punishable by imprisonment and some jurors have been sent to prison for breaking the rules. This talk will take the audience on a journey through some of the key cases of juror misconduct and the judicial and legislative responses to this problem. It offers some reflections on whether the courts and Parliament have got it right or whether there is more that we can do to help jurors to perform their role.

Bio: Nicola Monaghan is a Principal Lecturer in Law at the University of Worcester. She has been teaching law for over 20 years and she specialises in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Evidence. Nicola’s research interests include jury misconduct and the criminal trial and she has published journal articles and edited collections on the jury. Her work has been cited widely by academics and by the Law Commission. Her most recent publication can be found here: Contemporary Challenges in the Jury System: A Comparative Perspective (Routledge, 2024)

Family Law: Fact or Fiction?

Presenter: Jenny Watkins

Synopsis: This session will be in an interactive lecture format and will give an overview of general rights in family law cases. Common societal myths about family law will be explored and the true legal position will be explained. The session is suitable for anyone who wishes to learn about general rights in family law.

Bio: Jenny Watkins is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Worcester. Jenny qualified as a Solicitor specialising in family law, particularly divorce and financial relief. After leaving legal practice, Jenny became a lecturer in 2020. Jenny has taught at the University of Worcester since September 2022.

Inordinate Delays: An inmate’s Journey on Death Row

Presenter: Dr Nkem Adeleye

Synopsis: There are currently 2092 inmates on death row in the USA awaiting the execution of their death sentences. The average time between imposition of a death sentence and execution in the USA is 12 years. Other national, regional and international courts have decided that such executions are unconstitutional, contrary to international human rights standards and inhumane. There have been calls for moratoriums and commutation of these sentences on this account, though several factors have been cited as being responsible for this delay. In this session, we will briefly explore an inmate who has been on Florida’s death row for 49 years to ascertain the causes of delay and highlight the human rights violations that could arise from such inordinate delay. 

Bio: Dr Nkem Adeleye is a Senior Lecturer in law at the University of Worcester. She has experience in teaching a wide range of law subjects including Tort Law, Equity and Trusts, International Human Rights, Public Law among others. Her research interests are on the death penalty, particularly the death row phenomenon, prisoners’ rights and modern slavery. Nkem has presented papers on her research interests in national and international conferences including the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

Wrongs to rights: the importance of social rights to the criminal justice system

Presenter: Dr Clive Sealey

Synopsis: Social rights are often an afterthought within society, with economic, political and civil rights often taking priority.  Often, they are the first rights to be removed in societies at times of uncertainty, especially economic uncertainty.  This is particularly the case in criminal justice system, where the focus is typically on punishment and crime control.  This session outlines why social rights are important to improving the outcomes of the criminal justice system, and highlighting how effective rights can both prevent crime and improve rehabilitation far more effectively than the punishment and crime control strategies of the criminal justice system.

Bio: Dr Clive Sealey is Senior Lecturer of Social Policy and Theory in the School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Worcester, UK. His interests are in social policy- related issues linked to poverty, policy and theory.  He obtained his PhD in social policy from the University of Birmingham  in 2009. His previous book publications are Social Policy Simplified (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and Social Policy, Service Users and Carers (Springer, 2022) and Applying Social Policy to Criminal Justice Practice(Policy Press, 2023).

Mock Jury: You decide; Guilty or Not Guilty

Presenter: Sarah Lloyd

Synopsis: Groups are presented with a criminal case. They are required to hear the evidence (either read out or possibly videoed) and then deliberate until they reach a unanimous decision.  Before the task, they get a brief overview of juries in England and Wales and how they are supposed to reach a verdict. Then they deliberate on a real (anonymised) criminal case. Each group will receive an ‘evidence pack’ with various statements, forensic evidence, photographic exhibits, in order to help them to make the decision. They may also use notes and will be given a routes to verdict document to help them interpret the law. At the end of the workshop, participants can fill in a brief questionnaire asking about their decision-making and how they reached the verdict as well as any influences from the group itself. I can then give a brief summary of factors that actually influence jury decision-making as well as the real verdict decision in the case to show why it is important we look at juries as a collective decision-making group.

Bio: Sarah Lloyd is a lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Worcester. Before working at Worcester, I obtained my MSc in Forensic Psychology at Birmingham City University and worked as an Assistant Lecturer predominantly on the MSc Forensic Psychology Programme. I am in the final year of my PhD which explores the collective decision-making processes of juries. I am interested in jury decision making as little is known about how the jury collectively come to a decision. Additionally, research is prohibited with real jurors which means their decision making is shrouded in secrecy. I hope to help to increase our understanding and knowledge of jury decision-making processes by replicating a real jury as closely as possible and this will lead to a fairer, more informed and transparent criminal justice system (CJS).

The “American Experiment”

Speaker: Dr Wendy Toon

Synopsis: On 4 July 1776, “Independence Day”, the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence from the British Crown. Independence required more than just a Declaration, however, and it had to be literally fought for in the Revolutionary War. “No More Kings” was an essential aim but how would the new republicbe created? How would rights and justice be secured? With hindsight the “great experiment” of the United States of America was a success, and ultimately established the fundamental rights enjoyed by Americans today. This talk considers the challenges and opportunities of inventing a self-governing nation, particularly one that idealized liberty.

Bio: Dr Wendy Toon is an historian of the United States of America. Her research focusses on modern American History especially World War II, Propaganda, Sports History, highlighting sports’ inherent Americanness, and Women's History concentrating on women and war. Her most recent publication is: ‘“Probably the Most Perfect Symbol of Our Democracy”: The Army, Sports, and the Re-education of German Youth during the Early American Occupation of Germany, 1945-1946’.

The Not So Swinging 60s: When Britain Exiled Islanders from their Homeland

Speaker: Dr Chris Monaghan

Synopsis: This interactive talk will look at the legal dispute between the UK and Mauritius and the mistreatment of the Chagossian islanders. The Chagos Islands were originally administered as part of the then British colony of Mauritius. In 1965 Mauritius (still then a colony) agreed to the UK removing the islands from Mauritius and creating a new colony, the British Indian Ocean Territory. The islanders were removed from their homeland and sent to live in exile. Since the 1990s the Chagossians have been arguing through the British courts for the right to return home. Mauritius has called for the return of the Chagos Islands to Mauritian control and is currently negotiating with the United Kingdom. The talk will be interactive and encourage public engagement with the themes raised by the Chagos dispute, such as colonialism, racism, exploitation, access to justice and sovereignty.

Bio: Dr Chris Monaghan is Director of the Constitutions, Rights and Justice Research Group at the University of Worcester. He has published extensively on the Chagos Islands legal dispute and has been interviewed about Chagos on BBC Scotland and BBC Five Live. His most recent book is Challenges and Prospects for the Chagos Archipelago (Routledge 2025), which he co-edited with Prof Laura Jeffery and Dr Mairi O’Gorman.

Colonial Legacies in Museums and the Pursuit of Narrative Justice

Speaker: Dr Isabel Gilbert

Synopsis: In claiming to represent ‘history’ in any objective sense, museums face a particular, ongoing challenge. For each institution, and each intervention carried out therein, a narrative is constructed which may represent a period, event or movement in history. However, such work is inevitably influenced by the privileges, experiences and knowledge of those responsible for its creation. Colonialism and the violence which underpins much of its legacy is strongly connected to the construction of narratives which ultimately glorify the white, European cultural hegemony. In addition, such stories are frequently told through the display and interpretation of objects which have been taken from originating communities through exploitation and subjugation. In almost all cases, the heritage sector has therefore been complicit in the perpetuation of harmful practices and narratives which further embed colonial attitudes and centre whiteness. This paper asks how museums and heritage sites can facilitate the presence of diverse, indigenous voices within the sector in the pursuit of narrative justice.

From Violence to Unity: A Criminological Analysis of the UK Summer 2024 Riots and the Rise of Hate Narratives

Speaker: Dr Mikahil Azad

Synopsis: The UK summer 2024 riots, triggered by the Stockport stabbings, saw a surge in targeted violence and inflammatory rhetoric against Muslim and ethnic minority communities. This talk critically examines these events' socio-political and criminological dimensions, exploring the factors that fuelled the backlash, including the role of media, political discourse, and historical prejudices. It assesses the aftermath, considering legal, policy, and societal responses, and reflects on the broader global context of rising extremism and reactionary violence. Finally, this discussion offers pathways toward fostering resilience, inclusion, and collective action to challenge bias, prejudice, and discrimination, ensuring such unrest does not become a recurring pattern in an increasingly polarised world.

Ask a Judge - Does the punishment fit the crime?

Speaker: His Honour Daniel Pearce-Higgins KC

Synopsis: This talk focuses on sentencing and attendees will be able to ask Daniel Pearce-Higgins their questions about sentencing during the second half of the session.

Bio: Having switched to law from philosophy and politics, Daniel joined Middle Temple in 1971, winning a Blackstone Scholarship.  His varied common law practice for 30 years led to the circuit bench on the Midland Circuit, doing serious crime, civil and family work in Worcester and Birmingham.  He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1995, a Recorder in 1999, a Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal in 2000 and a Circuit Judge in 2004. He was appointed the Designated Civil Judge for Hereford and Worcester in 2009 before he retired as a judge.