Howard League Scotland: Drummond Hunter Lecture 2026 - Dr Hannah Graham
Lecture Theatre 213, St Andrew's Building, Glasgow, G3 6NH
Wednesday 25th November 2026
Favour the Brave: Diversion, Decarceration, and Different Futures
We are pleased to announce that this year's presenter will be Dr Hannah Graham, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) at the University of Stirling. Tickets to this event, which is free to Howard League Scotland Members, can be ordered through this link.
In this public lecture, criminologist Dr Hannah Graham will consider examples and strategies aimed at reducing imprisonment and shifting towards communities. These will be explored in an illuminating, accessible way, whether they are local or international. High incarceration rates and prison overcrowding are not inevitable. Yet nor are there just simple fixes.
Pragmatic attention will be paid to things like the importance of culture and context, the risks of net-widening, the need for foresight on how reforms may affect workforces and lived experiences, and the need to promote fairness, accountability, and trust to avoid a crisis of credibility.
Moral courage and bravery are threaded through Scotland’s story over time. It takes courage to change. Some brave and difficult decisions are required to reduce our record high prison population and to change criminal and social justice for the future. The time for putting off those decisions is over.
Dr Hannah Graham joined Stirling University after working as an academic at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Hannah is an Editor of the European Journal of Probation (SAGE). She is a member of the national Council of the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending (SASO).
Hannah has written or edited four books, published internationally by Routledge: ‘Rehabilitation Work: Supporting Desistance and Recovery’ (Graham, 2016); ‘Innovative Justice’ (Graham and White, 2015) and ‘Working with Offenders: A Guide to Concepts and Practices’ (White and Graham, 2010). She is an editor of the ‘Routledge Companion to Rehabilitative Work in Criminal Justice’ (2019). Hannah is an Editor of the European Journal of Probation (SAGE).
Over the years, Hannah has made regular public contributions in the press and in parliamentary and policy forums. While working as a criminologist, Hannah has held several public appointments
at a national level. In 2025-2026, she was a Commissioner in the independent Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, tasked with making recommendations to reduce the high prison population and transform Scottish Justice for the future. The Commission’s final report, Justice That Works, was published in February 2026.
Between 2019 to 2024, Hannah completed a five-year term as a member of the Scottish Sentencing Council, an independent advisory body. In terms of research, she is working on a five nations comparative study of probation and justice social work, ‘Penal Supervision in Comparative Context’ (Leverhulme funded, led by Prof Nicola Carr), in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
We are pleased to announce that this year's presenter will be Dr Hannah Graham, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) at the University of Stirling. Tickets to this event, which is free to Howard League Scotland Members, can be ordered through this link.
In this public lecture, criminologist Dr Hannah Graham will consider examples and strategies aimed at reducing imprisonment and shifting towards communities. These will be explored in an illuminating, accessible way, whether they are local or international. High incarceration rates and prison overcrowding are not inevitable. Yet nor are there just simple fixes.
Pragmatic attention will be paid to things like the importance of culture and context, the risks of net-widening, the need for foresight on how reforms may affect workforces and lived experiences, and the need to promote fairness, accountability, and trust to avoid a crisis of credibility.
Moral courage and bravery are threaded through Scotland’s story over time. It takes courage to change. Some brave and difficult decisions are required to reduce our record high prison population and to change criminal and social justice for the future. The time for putting off those decisions is over.
Dr Hannah Graham joined Stirling University after working as an academic at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Hannah is an Editor of the European Journal of Probation (SAGE). She is a member of the national Council of the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending (SASO).
Hannah has written or edited four books, published internationally by Routledge: ‘Rehabilitation Work: Supporting Desistance and Recovery’ (Graham, 2016); ‘Innovative Justice’ (Graham and White, 2015) and ‘Working with Offenders: A Guide to Concepts and Practices’ (White and Graham, 2010). She is an editor of the ‘Routledge Companion to Rehabilitative Work in Criminal Justice’ (2019). Hannah is an Editor of the European Journal of Probation (SAGE).
Over the years, Hannah has made regular public contributions in the press and in parliamentary and policy forums. While working as a criminologist, Hannah has held several public appointments
at a national level. In 2025-2026, she was a Commissioner in the independent Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, tasked with making recommendations to reduce the high prison population and transform Scottish Justice for the future. The Commission’s final report, Justice That Works, was published in February 2026.
Between 2019 to 2024, Hannah completed a five-year term as a member of the Scottish Sentencing Council, an independent advisory body. In terms of research, she is working on a five nations comparative study of probation and justice social work, ‘Penal Supervision in Comparative Context’ (Leverhulme funded, led by Prof Nicola Carr), in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Available on Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 9:00AM
Price
Ticket price
£0.00
