Charity registration number 1073154 (England and Wales)
Company registration number 03515512
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Trustees
Prof B Goldson
Dr H L Pierpoint
Dr R C Vipond
Prof A Tseloni
Prof P Davies
Prof J Treadwell
Prof S Walklate
Dr J Smith
Dr V Heap
Dr M C Duggan
Prof A E Millie
Dr J Price
Mrs G Gallacher
Dr E Miller
Dr M Bhatia
Dr C Barlow
Dr A A Nurse
Dr T Ayres
Mrs S Plimley
(Appointed 22 April 2024)
Prof L Gelsthorpe
(Appointed 11 July 2024)
Dr J Tangen
(Appointed 24 June 2024)
Dr A Meenaghan
(Appointed 1 August 2024)
Ms G V M Squire
(Appointed 7 August 2024)
Dr S E Watson
(Appointed 19 August 2024)
Mr M Soundararajan
(Appointed 10 October 2024)
Dr R E Keighley
(Appointed 6 February 2025)
Dr S Fohring
(Appointed 16 May 2025)
Secretary
Dr R Vipond
Charity number
1073154
Company number
03515512
Registered office
Suite 501
The Nexus Building
Broadway
Letchworth Garden City
Herts
SG6 9BL
Independent examiner
TC Group
Suite 501
The Nexus Building
Broadway
Letchworth Garden City
Herts
SG6 9BL
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Bankers
Barclays Bank PLC
Epsom
Leicestershire
Leicester
LE87 2BB
Bath Investment & Building Society
15 Queen Square
Bath
BA1 2HN
The Charity Bank Limited
Fosse House
182 High Street
Tonbridge
TN9 1BE
CAF Bank Limited
25 Kings Hill Avenue
Kings Hill
West Malling
ME19 4JQ
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
CONTENTS
Page
Trustees' report
1 - 13
Independent examiner's report
14
Statement of financial activities
15
Balance sheet
16
Notes to the financial statements
17 - 26
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 1 -

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Society's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015)”.

Objectives and activities

 

The Society's objectives are to advance public education about crime, criminal behaviour and the criminal justice systems in the United Kingdom. This is important for the running of civil society, to provide an educational and scrutiny role to public policy makers and ensure sufficient research evidence and education for future generations.

In this report, we want to celebrate the events and activities that our volunteers have organised with the BSC this year while acknowledging the troubling backdrop in terms of the UK Higher Education workplace context of many of our members, the continuing turbulent times for academic publishing and the wider, global context within criminal justice and social justice more broadly.

Membership

 

At the end of 2024, the Society had 994 members. This is a decrease of 15 members on December 2023. Figures included UK members with a current direct debit, institutional members, overseas members, and honorary members receiving journal subscriptions. While there is a decrease overall in membership numbers in 2024, the Society has been encouraging any member cancellations to occur in December to reduce the numbers cancelling later in the following year and creating extra costs, so this decrease may be explained by members cancelling early for 2025. The Membership and Communications Coordinator is continuing to monitor the departure of members who cite financial pressures as the main reason for withdrawing from membership. The recruitment initiative for separate group and individual options for undergraduates that began in 2020 has continued and the Society now supports around 600 students on group schemes with another 500 students to be added from an agreed student group membership with Arden University.

 

Of our members, 92% are based in the UK and 8% are based overseas. The majority of members (94%) are in the university sector, approximately 30% of these are postgraduate or undergraduate students. The other 6% of members are practitioners working in the public and independent sectors.

 

The Society is managed by its Executive Committee, consisting of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Executive Secretary of the Society, together with the Regional Groups and Specialist Networks Coordinator, chairs of Specialist Networks, and chairs of the Publications, Prizes, Public Relations, Conference, Postgraduate and Professional Affairs & Ethics Committees. The Executive Committee can have up to four members 'without portfolio', one of these would usually be the previous President of the Society. Constitutionally, the Company Secretary can also be a member of the Executive Committee and with the President, Executive Secretary and Treasurer forms the Finance and General Purposes Committee. In 2015, the AGM created a new role of Vice President to take some of the pressure of workload from the President and ensure greater continuity. The Society is governed by its Constitution, which is amended periodically via member vote at its AGM.

 

The eight committees, working electronically, have spread the burden of Society work more equitably, and increased capacity significantly. During 2024, the whole Executive Committee continued to meet mainly via Zoom taking interim decisions occasionally via email correspondence. The EC met once in person in London for the first time since 2019 but online meetings are expected to remain a regular feature of the EC meeting structure.

 

We would like to thank the trustees who have served the BSC and retired from the Executive this year and extend grateful appreciation to Carina O’Reilly, who acted as Executive Secretary. Within the Networks, we lost Suzanne Young as Learning and Teaching Network chair and David Best as Prisons Research Network chair. We are very grateful again for all members’ time and commitment recognising the increasing burden of their institutional workload expectations at this time.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 2 -
Achievements and performance

 

Professional Affairs & Ethics Committee

 

The situation of criminologists working at a number of UK universities continued to cause concern in the face of a series of announcements of the need for cuts, severance packages and, in some cases, enforced redundancies impacting the Higher Education sector in general and thankfully more rarely specifically criminologists or their departments more widely. The Society continues to intervene as requested and has been asked to write to individual Vice Chancellors in support of members – publicized letters now being felt to exacerbate already tense situations.

 

Following ‘The Theft of Criminology’ project addressing the disappearance of the discipline from drop down menu research interests, the BSC is continuing to work within HESA data to establish a disciplinary analysis of where criminology is taught, to whom and with what result in terms of degree category.

 

The BSC continues to attempt to engage with the REF29 process responding to consultations and encouraging members to put themselves forward for eventual panel and sub panel roles. This has included registering to assist in selection procedures in relevant sub panels now that learned societies are no longer involved in the nomination process. An online information and question and answer session for those interested in applying for panel roles was also organized with former panel members Anitha Sundari, Loraine Gelsthorpe and Eamonn Carrabine as well as the Chair of Main Panel C Jane Falkingham.

 

The BSC continued to work with the Academy of Social Sciences and the Society Publishers’ Coalition (a grouping of not-for-profit academic journal owners across the disciplines) on common issues and policy areas across the social sciences and academic disciplines more generally including the practicalities and impact of open access publication, the role and continued financial viability of learned societies, hybrid conferencing and inclusion and diversity.

 

Refreshed membership for the Professional Affairs and Ethics Committee was established in order to update the BSC Statement of Ethics in particular addressing research either undertaken remotely or researching online activity and issues raised by members such as student staff relationships and researchers with lived experience.

 

Conference Committee

 

The 2024 annual conference ‘Criminology in Times of Transition’ was hosted by the University of Strathclyde in July. While more than 600 delegates eventually attended the conference from all over the world to discuss the latest research and new developments in the field, registrations had to be limited mainly to presenters as the conference was oversubscribed. From postgraduate papers through to panels and plenaries, speakers explored contemporary debates. Streams and themes included border criminology; religion in prison; transitions from colonial to decolonial and counter colonial; shifting paradigms of policing; criminology, cars and climate; and policing in an era of digital justice. Plenaries explored the meaning of justice, unpacked the relationship between criminology and public problems, queried the ‘who’ of criminology, and examined criminology’s relevance in times of transition. Keynote and plenary speakers included Sarah Armstrong on exploring the scales of justice; Reuben Biller on highlighting Black freedom and the possibility for a new world; Alistair Fraser on taking criminology public; Cara Jardine on neoliberal scholars; and Kieran McEvoy on apologies, violence and the criminology of transition.

 

Following the conference, the Conference Committee issued an invitation to tender for hosting the conference in the years 2026-2028 with new criteria relating to accessibility, inclusivity and flexibility of provision. One of the initiatives discussed was a new international bursary aimed at contributing to the costs of those from low and middle income countries to come to the conference to be piloted in 2025 with the introduction of reduced delegate fees from 2026 onwards. There has also been discussion on the need for all delegates to confirm that abstracts are based on work that has received ethical clearance.

 

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 3 -

Postgraduate Committee

 

The BSC has a thriving postgraduate researcher community, which is important for sustaining the future of criminology as a discipline dedicated to the critical examination of past, present, and future issues. As usual, the postgraduate committee held a pre-event at the annual conference offering the postgraduate community the opportunity to network, present to their peers and take part in bespoke training and breakout sessions. Also as usual, the BSC offered a number of free places to postgraduate members to attend the full conference, sponsored by donations from individual BSC members as well as the bursary fund.

 

Regional Groups and Specialist Networks Committee

 

We are extremely fortunate in having dedicated teams working around the country hosting exceptional events which go to the heart of our main charitable aim. As our accounts show, the Networks particularly got back to hosting face-to-face events in 2024 but with many still offering a remote option accessible to a wider audience, not limited to the local area and providing legacy products for those not able to attend at the time of the event. Many event organisers also wrote blogs to summarise key talks and discussions for those unable to attend. The Society thanks all those who organize and speak at these events as well as those who attend and join in the discussions. Because of the larger number and activities of the groups and networks, the Society is reviewing its guidance to their steering groups with a renewed focus on accessibility, inclusivity and diversity but also administration and governance.

 

Regional events included two very different events in June:

 

BSC South West Regional Group organised ‘Crisis Reform Repeat? Evaluating change in Criminal Justice’ at the University of Plymouth with plenary speaker Travis Linnemann (Kansas State University) talking about The Police at the End of the World - a world where nothing is ever solved drawing on Nietzsche’s doctrine of eternal recurrence. This conference provided a forum for discussion on the nature of reform across all elements of the criminal justice system and beyond.

 

The BSC Northern Ireland Regional Group sponsored the 15th Irish North-South Criminology Conference back in Belfast. This year’s theme was ‘Criminology in Times of Conflict: Rights, Harms and Responsibilities’. Presenters posed critical questions about the role of criminological research in an era marked by heightened global tensions and systemic injustices. The conference included a record number of panel sessions and roundtables, as well as networking events, plenaries and of course opportunities to socialise.

 

The BSC now has 15 specialist networks increasing its potential to reach out, influence and educate with the latest, the Probation and Community Justice Network, launched this year with James Tangen, University of Nottingham, as chair, due to host its first event in early 2025.

 

2024 Specialist Network events and activities included:

 

The Crime and Justice Statistics Network (CJSN), established in 2009, and chaired by Machi Tseloni in 2024. In 2024, the network collaborated with ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) in disseminating information on justice administrative data opportunities and research at various events. It also contributed to the Crime theme at the UK Statistics and RSS Assembly and launched training for synthetic data.

 

The Prison Research Network held a one-day conference ’Prison Transitions’ in March hosted by the University of Central Lancashire. Following on from the success of the annual conference 2023, the Prisons and Probation strand of the UCLan Criminal Justice Partnership (CJP) hosted a follow-on event in collaboration with the BSC’s Prison Research Network. This was the PRN’s first face-to-face event since the pandemic and was a chance for researchers and practitioners across the UK to come together to connect, network and discuss their research and ideas. The theme was transitions into, within, and out of imprisonment. The conference aimed to encourage new ideas on the subject through vibrant discussion and the presentation of current research. Organisers welcomed broad interpretations of the conference theme and also submissions from practitioner researchers, early career researchers, postgraduate researchers and those engaged in participatory research with people with lived experience. Shadd Maruna joined with colleagues from User Voice to talk about peer and prison research.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 4 -

The Critical Criminology Network - launched in 2015 - was chaired in 2023 by Tammy Ayres (University of Leicester) with a remit to ‘breathe new life into critical criminology, encouraging critical criminologists to hatch new ideas that relate to the world as it is now’. The main activity of the network in 2024 was its collaboration with the International Conference on Global Criminology and Victimology (ICGCV) ‘Global Alliances in Indian Criminology and Victimology: Towards Building a Resilient Framework for Crime and Justice’ which took place in August at RV University, Bengaluru, India.

 

The ICGCV is a multidisciplinary event that unites scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and experts from across the globe to deliberate and exchange ideas on various facets of crime, victimisation, and justice systems globally. This particular conference was a significant milestone as the first event of its kind to take place in India showing commitment to building partnerships, collaborations and amplifying voices from the Global South and East. The conference sought to revitalise core principles by reflecting on the foundational pillars of Criminology and Victimology, ensuring their relevance and adaptability to contemporary Indian academic and law enforcement realms while also establishing international collaborations that influence and inspire students and research scholars worldwide. The conference provided a platform for researchers and practitioners to present their latest findings, share insights, and engage in meaningful discussions. The conference was attended by members of the Critical Criminology network and BSC EC members and was the subject of a blog on The BSC Blog.

 

The Historical Criminology Network (chaired in 2024 by Esmorie Miller, Lancaster University Law School) was set up in 2018 by David Churchill. As of 2024, the network membership reached 120, global in character. The Network maintains an online seminar series ‘Meet the Authors,’ attracting presenters and audiences from across the UK, Continental Europe, North America, Australia, The African Continent, and South America.

 

The year 2024 marked the third iteration of the historical criminology conversation series, organizing thematic, cross-disciplinary discussions. Members reflected on what the historical criminological lens can reveal about the links between inequalities in knowledge development and continuities of marginalization. The series is part of Error in formula ->#HCNet<-’s efforts to draw together leading scholastic and activist voices in criminology and beyond enriching research-led teaching and community engagement.

The infrastructure of the network continued to develop with Ciara Molloy (University of Sheffield) managing Network social media. The Network has a strong relationship with other historical criminology networks globally. Both the BSC Conference and ESC Conference (Bucharest 2024) saw an increased number of historical criminology panels. The next developmental aim is to expand the number of network events, with a look towards BSC cross network collaborations and a co-chair.

 

The 2024 seminar series alongside our historic conversations can now be found on the Network’s YouTube Channel. 2024 speakers included:

 

▪ Tahaney Alghrani who works closely with Liverpool University and University of Central Lancashire looking at ‘Imperial Criminology: The attempts to establish Juvenile institutions in parts of the Empire, highlighting decolonisation of Criminology.’

▪ Emma Watkins is a lecturer in criminology in the Department of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham. Emma’s presentation looked at ‘The criminalisation and control of the poor: A look at nineteenth-century Tasmanian Pauper-Emancipists.’

▪ Ciara Molloy is a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Law at the University of Sheffield. Ciara’s presentation looked at ‘The Devil's in the Details: Teds, Mods and Irish 'Youth' Subcultures, 1945-2020.’

▪ Leah Cleghorn is a Lecturer in Criminology within the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, at Nottingham Trent University. Leah’s presentation looked ‘Exploring colonial penal system in the Anglophone Caribbean: Engaging in Archival Research.’

▪ Julian Molina is a lecturer in Public Policy, in the School for Policy Studies, at the University of Bristol. Julian’s presentation looks at ‘Tinker, Tailor, Statistician, Spycop: Infrastructures of British Criminology and Undercover Policing in 1981.

▪ Roberto Catello is a Lecturer in Social Science at Liverpool Hope University, United Kingdom. Roberto’s presentation looked at ‘The Place of History in Critical Criminology—Lessons from the Berkeley School.’

▪ Alice Neikirk is a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Law and Social Justice at The University of Newcastle, New South Wales. Alice’s presentation looked at ‘Matrons and Murderesses—Women Guarding Women in Gladstone Gaol’.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 5 -

Historical Criminology Network chair Esmorie Miller is also working with other network members on a major research project ‘Lives of Crime: Oral Histories of UK Criminology since 1968’, having submitted an application for funding to the Arts and Humanities Research Council with the BSC as project partner.

 

Set up in 2018, the Hate Crime Network is chaired by Rachel Keighley (University of Leicester). The BSC Hate Crime Network is intended to provide a forum for those who are researching/working in the field of hate crime. In 2024, the Hate Crime Network organised a variety of activities including: Podcasts, PGR and ECR online events, webinars, an annual in-person conference, the second iteration of launch of the ‘Sophie and Sylvia Lancaster Prize’, online writing groups and a newsletter, which provides a bi-monthly update on the latest news and events regarding the Network, alongside a brand-new mailing list.

 

Podcasts included:

 

• ‘A conversation with Sasie Rehka on Sex Trafficking in Indonesia’ Sasie shared insights into this work, including a book series detailing the lives and post-trafficking experiences of sex trafficking victims and their families, a book chapter on forensic science in Indonesian human trafficking cases, and another chapter examining the human trafficking crisis in Myanmar. The latter focuses on the impact on indigenous communities, encompassing historical, cultural, economic, political, social, and environmental perspectives. This work underscores the need for a comprehensive and culturally sensitive approach to tackle human trafficking issues.

• ‘A conversation with Mark Walters on Criminalising Hate: Law as Social Justice Liberalism’. This podcast explores insights from Mark’s book, Criminalising Hate: Law as Social Justice Liberalism, which won the British Society of Criminology Hate Crime Network Sophie and Sylvia Lancaster Book Prize 2023. It sets out a new theory for understanding the harms of hate crime and provides the first global analysis of hate crime laws.

 

The Hate Crime Network also held a series of PGR and ECR online events including:

 

• ‘Transphobia, Trans-Misogyny, TikTok and Twitter’ - Sophie Geppert (Birmingham City University).

• ‘"It’s just so hostile”: Exploring disabled people’s everyday encounters in accessible parking spaces’ - Vera Kubenz (University of Birmingham).

• Researcher Workshop: Discussion, Ideas and Directions – Leah Burch, David Wilkin, Jon Garland (Hate Crime Network committee members).

• ‘Critical Hate Studies - Jen Neller (Manchester Metropolitan University)

• ‘Disablist hate crime: towards a new typology?’- Valerie Houghton (Edinburgh Napier University).

• ‘How and Why Hate Crimes occur in Scotland’ - Rania Hamad (University of Edinburgh).

• ‘Exploring Men’s Perspectives on Making Misogyny a Hate Crime’ - Ellie Buxton (Loughborough University).

 

The Hate Crime Network also held a series of research webinars including:

 

• ‘The experiences of Deaf prisoners, inside prison and after release’ with Laura Kelly-Corless, University of Central Lancashire and Daniel Mcculloch, Open University.

• ‘Ethnicity, Care Experience and Criminalisation: Using Admin Data to Interrogate Youth (In)Justice in England’ with Katie Hunter, Manchester Metropolitan University.

• ‘Black Women in Prison and The Pains of Impression Management’ with Angela Charles, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Northampton University.

• Hate Crime Network Book Launch: Understanding and addressing anti-LGBTQI online hate. This book launch looked at the recent publications of Rachel Keighley and her book, Researching Hate as an Activist: Exploring LGBTQ+ Online Hate, Its Impacts, and Our Responsibility Towards Equality and Piotr Godzisz's book, Global Queer Politics.

• 'Exploring barriers to justice for people with learning disabilities/neurodiversity who have experienced sexual violence' with Alison Jobe, Associate Professor in Sociology and Criminology, Durham University and Dr Helen Williams, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Sunderland.

 

The Hate Crime Network annual conference, co-hosted with the BSC Green Criminology Network, explored animal abuse as hate crime, hosted at the University of Southampton. The papers included:

 

• Elliot Doornbos – Human Wildlife Conflict and Hate: An exploratory study in motives of hippo violence relating to HWC.

• Jennifer Maher – Who pays the price for Luxury? Wildlife Trafficking and Cruelty to Animals through Luxury Products

• Pete Bungay & Mandy Johnson – Hostility: The harmful impacts on guide dog partnerships.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 6 -

• Rachel Dunn Animal Abuse Linked to Perceptions of Non- Sentience/Speciesism Based Hate Crime?

 

In 2024, the Hate Crime Network continued its monthly online writing groups for academics, PhD students, early career researchers and anyone with writing goals. The writing groups are held on Microsoft Teams every month. The events include dedicated time for writing, followed by a discussion, allowing attendees to talk about what they are writing, and receive support. The writing groups continue to draw international attendees, including from Denmark, Hong Kong and the USA.

 

The Race Matters Network was launched in 2019 chaired by Coretta Phillips (LSE) and Pamela Ugwudike (University of Southampton). In 2024, it was chaired by Monish Bhatia (University of York). The aim of the Network is to foster greater attention to the dynamics of race and racism in criminological projects and practice, including in the wider work of the BSC; offer support, solidarity and academic development to Black and minority ethnic scholars in criminology, as well as those working within the subfield of race and criminology; engage with local communities, practitioners and policy makers to influence, listen and inform around questions of race and racism; and to foster wider recognition of the contribution of Black and minority ethnic scholars to criminology, historically, nationally and internationally.

 

In 2024, the Network held another substantial online seminar series including:

 

• ‘On the peculiar absence of race from zemiology’ with speaker Ed Wright

• ‘Status Enforcing Criminal Laws’ with speaker Jamelia Morgan, Director of the Centre for Racial and Disability Justice, Northwestern University (Chicago).

• ‘Bringing Order to Border’: Liberal and Illiberal Racism, Technocracy, and Postcolonial Borders in the English Channe’l. Speaker(s): Lucy Mayblin, Thom Davies, Arshad Isakjee, Joe Turner, and Tesfalem Yemane.

• ‘The Law of Racial Resentment’ with speaker Yuvraj Joshi (Brooklyn Law School, New York) with discussant Aaron Winter (Lancaster University, Sociology Department).

• ‘Spitting Truth(s) to Power: Rap Music as Evidence of Racial Injustice’ with speaker Dr Lambros Fatsis (City, University of London). This was the first lunchtime seminar, the Network changed its timings to within traditional working hours to improve inclusively, and the move immediately increased the numbers of students attending.

• ‘Destination UK: Asylum Destination Factors as Technologies of Subjectivisation‘ with speaker Tesfalem Yemane, University of Liverpool.

• ‘Understanding the Coloniality of Justice at the Pre-trial Stage in Brazil’ with speaker Omar Phoenix Khan, University of Bath.

 

The Green Criminology Research Network, was also set up in 2019, by James Heydon, was chaired in 2024 by Angus Nurse of Anglia Ruskin University. The network has approximately 160 members on its mailing list and 38 followers on its Eventbrite page. Its primary activities are its webinars which run every other month on the last Wednesday of the month, its annual conference (this year co-hosted with the BSC Hate Crime Network as above) and its panels at the BSC annual conference and collaborative/co-sponsored panels at the European Society of Criminology conference.

 

The webinars run via Teams and consist of either one speaker presenting for 40 minutes with 20 minutes for questions and discussion or two speakers (one ‘established’, one early career) each presenting for 20 minutes with 10 minutes for questions.

 

Webinars for 2024 were as follows:

 

• ‘Progressing Space Criminology in an Era of Technological Transition’, Jack Lampkin, York St John University.

• ‘Environmental crimes and the challenges of war: the Ukrainian perspective’. Anna Markovska, Anglia Ruskin University, Oleksii Serdiuk (Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs) and Iryna Soldatenko (IPPPRI researcher and Karazin Kharkiv National University).

• ‘The Barriers to Whale Shark Fin Enforcement’, Elliot Doornbos, Nottingham Trent University.

• ‘War crimes and crimes against humanity: A nonspeciesist understanding of the violence(s) of war and armed conflict’, Stacy Banwell, University of Greenwich.

 

The network sponsored two panels at the BSC Annual Conference:

1. The Politics of Environmental Harm (Chaired by Network Chair Angus Nurse)

2. Criminology and Nonhuman Animals: New Perspectives on nonhuman animal harm (Chaired by Steering Group Member Melanie Flynn).

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 7 -

The BSC Vulnerability Research Network (VRN) was established in 2019 by Harriet Pierpoint, Roxanna Dehaghani, and Chris Bath from the National Appropriate Adults Network. In 2025, the network was co-chaired by Professor Pierpoint and Dr. Dehaghani, and its activities co-ordinated by a steering group.

 

The VRN is dedicated to:

 

1. Critical Exploration: Serving as a platform for both members and non-members of the BSC to critically examine and debate the use of the term 'vulnerability,' its meanings, and implications.

2. Research Sharing: Promoting opportunities to share diverse perspectives, research findings, and professional experiences from academic, policy, and practice fields.

3. Advancing Understanding: Stimulating discussions and enhancing comprehension of vulnerability within the realms of research, policymaking, and professional practice.

4. Teaching Inclusion: Advocating for the integration of vulnerability topics into criminological teaching and academic curricula, including benchmarks for educational programs.

5. Collaboration Opportunities: Facilitating knowledge exchange among stakeholders such as researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations, and the general public to foster innovative approaches.

6. Service User Engagement: Actively involving individuals with lived experience in discussions and research on vulnerability to ensure their perspectives are reflected in academic and professional discourse.

7. Scholarly Development: Creating avenues for researchers and students to collaborate on funding bids, form academic networks, and access studentship opportunities.

 

As of the most recent report, the VRN has grown to 175 members, comprising: 15% international members, representing diverse global perspectives. And 20% members from policy and practice roles, demonstrating strong engagement outside academia.

 

The network maintains an active social media presence managed by Jayne Price to share insights and updates and publishes newsletters on an ad hoc basis (edited by Sam Weston), keeping members informed of key developments and opportunities.

 

Key Activities in 2024 were:

 

• PhD Network Webinar - jointly organised with the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre PhD Network, the webinar ‘Northern Ireland: Intermediaries, Vulnerability and the Criminal Justice System’ focused on issues surrounding vulnerability and policing research. With speakers Jenny Humphreys and John Taggart.

• VRN Learning Lunch Series - co-ordinated by. Lindsey Rice and Harriet Pierpoint and comprising Microsoft Teams presentations followed by interactive discussions. The 2024 event was ‘Reproducing Vulnerability in Police Interviews: An Interactional Perspective’ with speaker Emma Richardson and co-authors.

• Vulnerable Accused online Work-in-Progress Seminar series organised and chaired by John Taggart, Sam Fairclough and Roxanna Dehaghani showcases ongoing research projects on vulnerability as it relates to accused people.

 

2024 sessions included:

 

• Katie Maras and Ralph Bagnall (University of Bath) – ‘Overview of survey/qual study on Special Measures and autism’

• Maria Gomez Bedoya (University of East Anglia) – ‘Rapport in interpreted-mediated police interviews’

• Roseanna Peck (Law Commission of England and Wales) – ‘Defences for victims of domestic abuse who kill their abusers’

 

A panel on vulnerability research arranged by Harriet Pierpoint at the BSC annual Conference featured diverse research topics including; ‘Defining and Measuring Vulnerability’; (Presenter: Harriet Pierpoint); ‘Barriers to Intermediary Appointments for Defendants with Mental Health Conditions or Learning Disabilities’ (Presenter: Edmore Masendeke); ‘Role of Literacy in Criminal Justice’ (Presenter: Vickie Barritt) and ‘Intellectual Disability in Ireland’s Criminal Justice System’ (Presenter: Bláithín O’Shea).

 

A Criminal Law Review Special Issue was published in 2024 from papers from the Vulnerable Accused Conference 2023 edited by Roxana Dehaghani, Samantha Fairclough and Harriet Pierpoint.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 8 -

The VRN has introduced an annual prize to honour the best journal article significantly contributing to vulnerability studies, co-ordinated by Dr Lindsey Rice and sponsored by SAGE with the first Prize Announcement: During the BSC Conference 2025 in Portsmouth.

 

The growth in specialist networks in the last few years has represented a considerable increase in Society activity, improving the discipline of criminology’s research visibility and hence impact. Most of the networks have not just JISC mail lists of members – which are open to everybody not just BSC members – but also separate websites and blogs and X or other social media accounts to engage with the wider world. The BSC welcomes expressions of interest for new specialist networks.

 

Prizes Committee

 

In 2024, the Society awarded its Outstanding Achievement Award to Tim Newburn, Professor of Criminology and Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, for a four-decade career across practical and academic criminology.

 

Professor Newburn’s research has spanned a wide range of areas including policing and security, restorative justice, youth offending, drugs and alcohol, comparative policy making and urban violence. He led on Reading the Riots, the prize-winning research with The Guardian on the 2011 disorder, and, with Professors David Downes and Paul Rock, is currently working on the immense Official History of Criminal Justice.

 

Professor Newburn is author, co-author or co-editor of 49 books, 56 articles, 18 official reports and 72 chapters in books introducing pioneering textbooks and handbooks including the popular ‘Criminology’ (3rd edition, Routledge, 2017) and Criminology: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2018).

 

Professor Newburn was the founding editor of the British Society of Criminology’s journal Criminology & Criminal Justice and is General Editor of Routledge’s Key Ideas in Criminology series, and a series editor of Key Thinkers in Criminology. He was President of the British Society of Criminology from 2005-2008.

 

The annual book prize, sponsored by Routledge, was awarded to Kate Herrity for her book ‘Sound, Order and Survival in Prison’.

 

This book provides a powerful and persuasive application of interdisciplinary theory to articulate the importance of sound in the prison environment. The author draws on other disciplines to develop criminological theory of sound while also significantly developing the concepts of power and legitimacy, highlighting the ways in which sound pervades these concepts in the prison environment and our social worlds more broadly. Innovative methodologies included using creative writing in fieldnotes, and encouraging a senior manager in prison to be interviewed in the cell to first-hand experience the ‘sound’ of prison life and centralizing the importance of listening and reflection.

 

The National Award for Excellence in Teaching Criminology and Criminal Justice Team award sponsored by Sage Publishing is intended to highlight and celebrate outstanding practice and innovative teaching in Criminology by a team from a UK HEI. This year’s winners are Jo Dawkins from the University of Leicester and Alex Hathway from Derbyshire Constabulary. The award recognises their innovative work on their Criminal Investigations module and application of problem-based learning to blend theory and practice.

 

The National Award for Excellence in Teaching Criminology and Criminal Justice Outstanding individual contribution award recognises an outstanding individual contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning in criminology and criminal justice by a BSC member. This year’s winner is Kelly Stockdale from Northumbria University. The award recognises the significant contribution Kelly has made to criminological scholarship in key areas such as co-creating teaching and decolonising the curriculum, and supporting the development of colleagues in learning and teaching.

 

The Hate Crime Network ‘Sophie and Sylvia Lancaster Prize’ 2024 was won by Neil Chakraborti and the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester for their film, Revisiting the Harms of Hate. A decade on from the original film, ‘Revisiting the Harms of Hate’ features the voices of people typically considered as members of ‘hard-to-reach’ groups, or perhaps more pertinently ‘easy to ignore’. Four victims share their experiences of hate and harassment and explore how they have been affected by the events of a decade where hate crimes have escalated. The film is available to view on YouTube.

 

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 9 -

We congratulate all of our 2024 prize winners.

 

Publications Committee

 

The editorial team from Southampton and Cambridge Universities Loraine Gelsthorpe, Anita Lavorgna and Pamela Ugwudike continued as editors-in-chief of the Society’s journal Criminology & Criminal Justice. As always, we would like to thank the editorial team and also the reviewers for their prompt, rigorous and thoughtful reviews. The journal performed well across many metrics with a 2023 Impact Factor (the latest available at time of writing) of 1.6, 5-Year Impact Factor of 2.1 and Citescore 4.4.

 

The most downloaded article in 2024 was, as in 2023, ‘Like mother, like child? Sex differences in the maternal transmission of offending among a Scottish cohort of pre-adolescent children’ by Babak Jahanshahi, Susan McVie, Kath Murray which received 27,489 downloads in 2024, followed by ‘The effectiveness of restorative justice programs: A meta-analysis of recidivism and other relevant outcomes’ by Lindsay Fulham, Tanya Rugge, Julie Blais, Elizabeth A Schultheis which received 15,133 downloads in 2024.

 

The top Altmetric score was for the article ‘Prohibition, privilege and the drug apartheid: The failure of drug policy reform to address the underlying fallacies of drug prohibition’ by Stuart Taylor, Julian Buchanan and Tammy Ayres.

 

The BSC, together with our co-owners Sage, are monitoring the impact of Open Access policies on our potential journal subscriptions and publishing milieu while exploring how to extend the journal’s reach in terms of readership and contributors. The costs of printing and posting printed copies of journals have been increasing dramatically in the last two to three years and the BSC is discussing how to address this in terms of online alternatives and differential subscriptions from 2026 with its publisher partners.

 

There were two BSC Newsletters in 2024 – the summer Newsletter was a tribute to former BSC President Maureen Cain with tributes from family, friends and colleagues compiled by Publications Committee chair Marian Duggan and Lystra Hagley-Dickinson from the Open University who counted Maureen as a mentor from PhD supervision onwards.

 

The winter newsletter brought together an incredibly diverse mix of articles on the theme of Imagining Brighter Futures including articles:

 

•‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – it’s been 43 years and yet…’ Sofia Graca, Canterbury Christ Church University

‘The Church of England (CofE) as a closed community: Complicity and child sexual abuse’, Kirsty Teague, Centre for Criminology and Social Policy, University of Derby. Ian Mahoney, Centre for Crime, Offending, Prevention and Engagement, Nottingham Trent University.

‘Applying a Criminological Imagination to the Problem of Techno-Solutionism in Policing’, David Lydon, Canterbury Christ Church University.

‘Zombies and penal reform: Unlearning and relearning future possibilities’, Gemma Buckland, Do It Justice.

 

The online Papers from the British Criminology Conference was also published. This year’s journal offered a selection of panel papers alongside one from a postgraduate member. Articles included a theoretical exploration of evolutionary criminology by Evelyn Svingen, who argues that criminology’s rich multidisciplinary nature constitutes a strong foundation upon which to advance contemporary evolutionary ideas. This was followed by Dacia Leslie’s literature-based observational analysis of developments in Caribbean penology and its positioning within mainstream criminology. Next, Maria Kaspersson addressed infanticide in Sweden, drawing from a collection of transcripts to illustrate the complexities of current legislative frameworks, arguing for the retention of the soon-to-be repealed child manslaughter section of the Swedish legislation. Finally, Nicola Coleman’s paper presented findings from a project exploring the skills-based benefits of experiential learning for criminology students. Our postgraduate paper was provided by Amrik Singh, who explored disparities in apportioning guilt and sentencing practices in mock juror trials involving transgender victims.

 

The bi-monthly member bulletin was sent to 99.5% of all members and the average ‘open rate’ was 48% which is well above the industry standard for Membership Organisations (23%) and Education (23% open rate). The average open rate for all industries in 2024 was 21.7% (source: Mailchimp).

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 10 -

The BSC blog: https://thebscblog.wordpress.com/ continued to attract authors and readers, we received a number of very good quality submissions during 2024. During the year we published 1 article per month and there were around 14,000 visitors.

 

The BSC’s Summer and Winter Newsletters and the Conference Proceedings (Online Journal) were sent to 99.5% of members via Mailchimp. The ‘open rates’ were:

 

Summer Newsletter – 54.9% (50% in 2023)

 

Winter Newsletter – 54.5% (54.3% in 2023)

 

Conference Proceedings – 68.1% (52.9% in 2023)

 

The 2024 editions of the Newsletter and Conference Proceedings were viewed approx. 600 times each within the BSC’s website (however, each edition is also subdivided into multiple articles that can also be viewed separately so the number of views is likely to be much higher).

 

Public Relations Committee

 

As in previous years, in 2024 the Society gave advisory information to a number of journalists. We tend to average one media enquiry per month. If these enquiries cannot be addressed immediately by the office staff, they are referred to chairs of respective BSC Networks, members of the Executive Committee or individual members who are listed in the Society's 'Knowledge bank'.

 

The regular social media programme has continued in a bid to keep members and wider society informed of Society activity and criminological events and issues. Our X (formerly Twitter) following stood at 25,000 (December 2024), a slight decrease in followers compared to 2023.This was expected as some BSC members and other followers have been moving away from X to other platforms. The possibility of the BSC doing the same was discussed during a number of Executive Committee meetings in 2024 and a decision to explore developing the BSC’s presence on another social media platform (such as Bluesky) was agreed.

 

Our website receives an average of 20,000 visits per month (majority UK but also in order of size, USA, Australia, China, Canada, India, Pakistan, and others). The BSC conference page continued to be the most visited page during the year.

 

We have also continued our monthly draw for free books in partnership with the main criminological publishers. This initiative, started in 2016, has proved popular with members (both early career and significantly more established).

Financial review

 

The Society's reported fund balances increased in 2024 from £209,251 as of December 31 2023 to £236,484 at the end of 2024, a level in keeping with the Society's regular expenditure plans and its reserves policy (see below). The increase is due to continued savings made in venue hire, travel and subsistence due to the ongoing influence of changes in working practices due to the pandemic, which has overset a reduction in income and increased costs relating to two of our income streams – membership and our journals.

 

We worked hard to maintain memberships achieving subscription revenue of £76,810 (compared to £81,055 in 2024, the highest ever recorded). Alongside long-term members we have a 25% flux and make continued efforts to attract and retain members in the face of increasing costs and financial uncertainty, introducing schemes to attract undergraduate and other groups. We also received £27,025 in profit share from our annual conference held at the University of Strathclyde.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 11 -

We should also report the ongoing financial success of our Journal Criminology & Criminal Justice which saw the Society receive £39,854 in royalty income – only a very slight decrease from 2023 in another very challenging year for academic publishing. Together with our publishing partner Sage, we continue to carefully monitor the impact on our finances as subscriptions pass from pay to read to pay to publish as a result of the government’s open access publishing agenda. Of equal concern going forward are the increasing costs of printing and posting print issues. In 2024, it cost £30,120 (including the renegotiated reduced unit cost) to print member copies of the British Journal of Criminology (a form of support for this prestigious journal to which the Society has historical links) and £13,660 for Criminology & Criminal Justice, a figure which is projected to increase by a third going into 2026. This will likely necessitate a move to online or increased subscriptions from 2027. The Trustees will be assessing the short and midterm impacts of this on other spending plans.

 

In summary, the finances throughout 2024 have remained healthy. The Society continues to improve its educative, research and policy-related interests and, while ensuring the financial security of the Society, wishes to continue to develop a project-based long-term strategy to ensure that funds are spent wisely to ensure the health of the discipline of criminology, for the benefit of our members and wider society (see below).

 

As ever, we would like to thank our Executive Director Charlotte Harris and Membership and Communications Coordinator Steven Rawlings for their excellent work in continually improving the Society’s infrastructure and administration while progressing policy and wider interests. Particular efforts this year have again centered on the conference experience and ensuring the future of our journal support and membership offer.

 

Policy for holding reserves

 

The BSC has set its reserves at a level at least equivalent to three months’ operational expenditure and has done so having regards to its manner of operation and likely funding streams. The reserves level includes staff salary and pension costs and other general running costs on average based on median year-on-year increases, together with the potential for each of its regional groups and specialist networks to draw on the £1,000 annual budget agreed as policy, while acknowledging that many of them do not. The figure does not include the £5,144 designated funds which belong to the Youth Criminology/Youth Justice and Learning and Teaching Networks from sponsorship and profit from paid for events. The reserves amount also recognizes the imbalanced payment-due dates of some of its main payments – i.e. the printing costs of journals both fall due in the early months of the calendar year.

 

The Society’s main income streams are variable in nature with fluctuation in membership subscriptions and particularly annual conference income demonstrated in accounting records from previous years (this is in part deliberate as while the Society wishes to host its conference in all parts of the UK it recognises that some geographical areas are more intrinsically attractive, especially to overseas delegates, than others). Conference income is even more unpredictable in the current climate, with considerable uncertainty as to delegates’ ability to procure conference attendance off employers and the off-putting prospect of the major cost implication of almost all truly hybrid options. Royalty income is also unpredictable in the next few years as the effects of the Government’s Open Access policy become apparent. The trustees will review the amount of reserves that are required to ensure that they are adequate to fulfil the charity’s continuing obligations on a quarterly basis at their executive meetings.

 

Future of the Society

 

The Society relies on three main income streams – membership subscriptions, journal royalties and annual conference income – and each must be reviewed to ensure the continued financial health of the charity. This is said acknowledging that some of the current financial health of the society is linked to reduced expenditure in terms of Executive Committee meetings and events being more regularly online. These savings are likely to be offset in coming years by the hugely increasing costs of printing and posting journal issues, a member benefit for almost all membership types.

 

The Society has moved to a more proactive membership strategy. A membership recruitment drive was begun in 2016 reaching out to those who attend or speak at events and new groups such as undergraduates and practitioners. Increased numbers of members will both increase income but also make the Society more relevant and impactful in its dealings with policy and outfacing groups. We have negotiated with our partner publishers re online-only membership options thus reducing print costs to those who really want a print copy of either our journal Criminology & Criminal Justice, or the British Journal of Criminology. We have also further streamlined new joiner payments to avoid publication back copies expenditure.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 12 -

We are continuously striving to improve our annual conference experience and make the BSC attractive in the face of competition in this field. The Executive Committee is very aware of the costs of attending the Society’s conference and has been pursuing new ways to reduce fees and thereby increase access particularly to those who are deterred from attending by cost alone while also addressing the needs and expectations of potential delegates in other respects to ensure the conference is intellectually stimulating with innovative sessions. While we may increase attendance and increase revenue in this way, while exploration is undertaken, this may have a negative impact on income levels.

Structure, governance and management

The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:

 

Prof B Goldson
Dr H L Pierpoint
Dr R C Vipond
Prof A Tseloni
Prof P Davies
Prof J Treadwell
Prof S Walklate
Dr J Smith
Prof D Best
(Resigned 22 April 2024)
Dr V Heap
Dr M C Duggan
Prof A E Millie
Dr J Price
Mrs G Gallacher
Dr H Bows
(Resigned 28 May 2025)
Dr S Young
(Resigned 1 August 2024)
Dr E Miller
Dr I Zempi
(Resigned 24 January 2025)
Dr M Bhatia
Dr G A Birkett
(Resigned 24 January 2025)
Dr C Barlow
Dr C A O'Reilly
(Resigned 29 October 2024)
Dr A A Nurse
Dr T Ayres
Mrs S Plimley
(Appointed 22 April 2024)
Prof L Gelsthorpe
(Appointed 11 July 2024)
Dr J Tangen
(Appointed 24 June 2024)
Dr A Meenaghan
(Appointed 1 August 2024)
Ms G V M Squire
(Appointed 7 August 2024)
Dr S E Watson
(Appointed 19 August 2024)
Mr M Soundararajan
(Appointed 10 October 2024)
Dr R E Keighley
(Appointed 6 February 2025)
Dr S Fohring
(Appointed 16 May 2025)

The directors have conducted their own review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. Significant external risks to funding have led to the development of a strategic plan, which will allow for the diversification of funding and activities. Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures of authorization of all transactions and projects and to ensure consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the Society. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the Society.

 

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 13 -

Each of the trustees has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is relevant to the audit, but of which the auditor is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the auditor is aware of such information.

The trustees' report, including the strategic report, was approved by the Board of Trustees.

Dated: 29 July 2025
Prof P Davies
Trustee
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
- 14 -

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of British Society of Criminology (the Society) for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the Society (and also its directors for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the Society are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the Society’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Society as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.

2

the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

3

the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4

the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

Scott Rouse FCA
TC Group
Suite 501
The Nexus Building
Broadway
Letchworth Garden City
Herts
SG6 9BL
Dated: 4 August 2025
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 15 -
Unrestricted
Designated
Total
Total
funds
funds
2024
2023
Notes
£
£
£
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
649
-
649
747
Charitable activities

Conference income

27,025
-
27,025
23,678

Subscriptions

76,810
-
76,810
81,055

Journals income

4
(9,926)
-
(9,926)
(6,428)

Post-grad bursary scheme

-
-
-
1,500
Investment income
5
4,842
-
4,842
2,513
Total income
99,400
-
99,400
103,065
Expenditure on:

Raising funds

-
-
-
-
Charitable activities

Regional groups' spending

6
1,859
-
1,859
870

Prizes and sponsorship

6
347
-
347
117
Support and governance costs
7
64,688
-
64,688
62,051

Network expenses

6
5,273
-
5,273
4,821
Total charitable expenditure
72,167
-
72,167
67,859
Total resources expended
72,167
-
72,167
67,859
Net income for the year/
Net movement in funds
27,233
-
27,233
35,206
Fund balances at 1 January 2024
209,251
5,144
214,395
179,189
Fund balances at 31 December 2024
236,484
5,144
241,628
214,395
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT
31 DECEMBER 2024
31 December 2024
- 16 -
2024
2023
Notes
£
£
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
11
174
-
Current assets
Debtors
13
1,037
18,564
Cash at bank and in hand
256,861
200,122
257,898
218,686
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
14
(16,444)
(4,291)
Net current assets
241,454
214,395
Total assets less current liabilities
241,628
214,395
Income funds
Restricted funds
15
5,144
5,144
Unrestricted funds
236,484
209,251
241,628
214,395

The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 29 July 2025
Prof P Davies
Trustee
Company Registration No. 03515512
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 17 -
1
Accounting policies
Company information

British Society of Criminology is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Suite 501, The Nexus Building, Broadway, Letchworth Garden City, Herts, SG6 9BL.

1.1
Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Society's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)". The Society is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

 

The Society has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.

The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Society. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

1.2
Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Society has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

1.3
Charitable funds

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.

Designated funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

1.4
Incoming resources
Income is recognised when the Society is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.

Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the Society has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Conference income is recognised in the period in which the conference takes place.

Membership subscriptions are recognised in the period to which the subscription relates,

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
1
Accounting policies
(Continued)
- 18 -
1.5
Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

 

Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Resources expended are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis.
1.6
Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

Computers
Straight line over 3 years

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.

1.7
Impairment of fixed assets

At each reporting end date, the Society reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).

If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in income/expenditure for the year, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

 

Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply.

1.8
Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
1
Accounting policies
(Continued)
- 19 -
1.9
Financial instruments

The Society has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

 

Financial instruments are recognised in the Society's balance sheet when the Society becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

 

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Impairment of financial assets

Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through income and expenditure, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting date. Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected.

 

If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.

 

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.

Derecognition of financial assets

Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the Society transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.

Basic financial liabilities

Basic financial liabilities, including trade and other payables, accruals, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

 

Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Accounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade payables are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Derecognition of financial liabilities

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the Society’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
1
Accounting policies
(Continued)
- 20 -
1.10
Taxation

The company is exempt from corporation tax, it being a company not carrying on a business for the purposes of making a profit.

1.11
Employee benefits

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

 

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the Society is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

1.12
Retirement benefits

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

2
Critical accounting estimates and judgements

In the application of the Society’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

 

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

3
Income from donations and legacies
Unrestricted
Unrestricted
funds
funds
2024
2023
£
£
Donations and gifts
649
747
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 21 -
4
Charitable activities

Journals income

Total
Total
2023
£
£
£
SAGE journal and other royalty receipts
39,854
39,854
40,765
Amounts payable to SAGE for printing
(13,660)
(13,660)
(12,148)
Amounts payable to OUP for printing
(30,120)
(30,120)
(29,045)
Amounts payable to CCJ editing team
(6,000)
(6,000)
(6,000)
(9,926)
(9,926)
(6,428)
Analysis by fund
Unrestricted funds
(9,926)
(9,926)
(6,428)
5
Income from investments
Unrestricted
Unrestricted
funds
funds
2024
2023
£
£
Interest receivable
4,842
2,513
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 22 -
6
Charitable activities

Regional groups' spending

Prizes and sponsorship

Member services

Network expenses

Total
Total
2023
£
£
£
£
£
£

Prizes and sponsorship

-
347
-
-
347
117

Travel and refreshments

1,859
-
-
-
1,859
870
Network expenses
-
-
-
5,273
5,273
4,821
1,859
347
-
5,273
7,479
5,808
Support costs (see note 7)
-
-
58,719
-
58,719
56,501
Governance costs (see note 7)
-
-
5,969
-
5,969
5,550
1,859
347
64,688
5,273
72,167
67,859
Analysis by fund
Unrestricted funds
1,859
347
64,688
5,273
72,167
1,859
347
64,688
5,273
72,167
For the year ended 31 December 2023
Unrestricted funds
870
117
62,051
4,821
67,859
870
117
62,051
4,821
67,859
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 23 -
7
Support costs
Support costs
Governance costs
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
Staff, training and office costs
54,110
-
54,110
54,513

Travel expenses

1,491
-
1,491
17

Insurance

510
-
510
503

Printing, postage and stationery

80
-
80
374

Meeting venue hire

811
-
811
-

Telephone and fax

411
-
411
357

Subscriptions

742
-
742
595

Sundry expenses

477
-
477
142
Depreciation
87
-
87
-
Accountancy
-
3,937
3,937
3,885
Legal and professional
-
1,587
1,587
1,164
Bank charges
-
445
445
501
58,719
5,969
64,688
62,051

The vast majority of time and expenditure relates to the provision of services to the society's members. It is therefore reasonable to allocate all support costs and governance costs to that activity as shown in note 6.

8
Trustees
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year.
9
Employees

The average monthly number employees and consultants during the year was:

2024
2023
Number
Number
Administration
2
2

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the Executive Director. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £33,057 (2023: £31,949).

There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000.
10
Taxation

The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 24 -
11
Tangible fixed assets
Computers
£
Cost
Additions
261
At 31 December 2024
261
Depreciation and impairment
Depreciation charged in the year
87
At 31 December 2024
87
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2024
174
12
Financial instruments
2024
2023
£
£
Carrying amount of financial assets
Debt instruments measured at amortised cost
257,261
200,522
Carrying amount of financial liabilities
Measured at amortised cost
16,444
4,291
13
Debtors
2024
2023
Amounts falling due within one year:
£
£
Trade debtors
400
400
Prepayments and accrued income
637
18,164
1,037
18,564
14
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2024
2023
£
£
Trade creditors
12,034
-
Accruals and deferred income
4,410
4,291
16,444
4,291
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 25 -
15
Restricted funds

The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.

At 1 January 2024
At 31 December 2024
£
£
5,144
5,144
Previous year:
At 1 January 2023
At 31 December 2023
£
£
5,144
5,144
16
Unrestricted funds

The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.

At 1 January 2024
Incoming resources
Resources expended
At 31 December 2024
£
£
£
£
General funds
209,251
99,400
(72,167)
236,484
Previous year:
At 1 January 2023
Incoming resources
Resources expended
At 31 December 2023
£
£
£
£
General funds
174,045
103,065
(67,859)
209,251
17
Analysis of net assets between funds
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds
Total
£
£
£
Fund balances at 31 December 2024 are represented by:
Tangible assets
174
-
174
Current assets/(liabilities)
236,310
5,144
241,454
236,484
5,144
241,628
BRITISH SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 26 -
18
Related party transactions

No guarantees have been given or received.

During the year the Trustees received expenses amounting to £1,084 (2023: £17). These expenses were reimbursed to cover travel and subsistence costs to attend Executive Committee meetings and run the committees and networks.

 

In addition, V Heap, R Vipond, G Gallacher and P Davies received free registration to the annual conference.

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