Sentencing, Public Opinion, and Criminal Justice: Essays in Honour of Julian V Roberts

This volume celebrates the achievements of Julian V Roberts KC (Hon), Emeritus Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford, over forty years of scholarship. To mark his extraordinary influence on sentencing and criminal justice on the global stage, the contributors--a mix of international scholars and members of the judiciary--present a collection of themed essays in his honour.

Roberts is a leading academic authority on sentencing theory, policy, and practice in common law jurisdictions and his work has made a landmark contribution to the analysis and development of sentencing worldwide. His work is innovative and inspired, known for identifying core challenges and defining research needs before they become central to criminal justice agendas. A distinguished group of authors engage in an interdisciplinary appreciation of Roberts’ work in three distinct domains: fundamentals of sentencing and penal theory, sentencing policy and penal practice, and public opinion and criminal justice.

Drawn from seven jurisdictions, the authors offer fresh insight into Robertsâ past accomplishments as well as the future of the field that he continues to shape. Together, they demonstrate a collective commitment to advancing Roberts’ lifelong project of normative, comparative, and empirical engagement with questions of crime and justice.

Marie Manikis, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University, Gabrielle Watson, Chancellor’s Fellow, School of Law, University of Edinburgh

Marie Manikis is an Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar at the Faculty of Law, McGill University. She is also an advisor to the Sentencing Academy (England and Wales) and a Research Associate at the Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford and the International Centre for Comparative Criminology. She completed her doctorate in law at the University of Oxford in 2014 and has published her work in leading peer-reviewed journals. She has won several awards for her scholarship and has been cited by various courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.

Gabrielle Watson is a legal scholar specializing in sentencing and criminal justice. She holds the Chancellor’s Fellowship at Edinburgh Law School for excellence in interdisciplinary research and innovation and is the author of the award-winning Respect and Criminal Justice (OUP 2020). Gabrielle was formerly based at the University of Oxford, where she read for her doctorate and was subsequently Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Faculty of Law and at Christ Church and Shaw Foundation Fellow in Law at Lincoln College. She is Advisor to the Sentencing Academy and in 2024 was appointed to the Criminal Courts Rules Council by the Lord Justice General of Scotland.