Afternoon 14th October 2025
Professor Ben Bradford (Professor of Global City Policing at the Department of Security and Crime Science in University College, where he is Director of the Centre for Global City Policing) will be visiting University of Edinburgh on 14th October. During his visit, he has agreed to give a seminar on ‘Policing, procedural justice and mental health’:
Abstract: In this presentation I explore the association between procedural (in)justice and mental health. An emerging evidence-base within the procedural justice literature draws upon established work with victims of crime and those exposed to aggressive policing to demonstrate that police encounters experienced as unfair and demeaning damage mental health. Yet, the psychological framework underlying procedural justice theory implies that this should be a bi-directional effect. Encounters experienced as fair and restorative can have positive implications. Whether and how often this unfolds in practice is as yet unknown, but the weight of the evidence nevertheless indicates that the normative importance of procedural justice lies not only in the recognition of rights but also the avoidance of harm.
The seminar will be on the afternoon of the 14th in Edinburgh in the central campus area (either at Old College or the Edinburgh Futures Institute). The exact time and location will be confirmed as soon as possible.
Please do put this in your diaries and share this email with others who may be interested (including students). It would be appreciated if people could emnail Susan McVie on S.McVie@ed.ac.uk to book a place.
