Academic Advisers
Black Box Research & Consultancy
Dr Laura Higson-Bliss
Having completed her Ph.D on the use of the criminal law to govern online behaviour, Laura is able to offer workshops examining the legal consequences of irresponsible social media usage; including, though not limited to, criminal, employment and civil law repercussions. She is completing a British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association funded project exploring police attitudes to social media complaints.
Laura is a Lecturer at Keele University and has widely shared her work on the implications of irresponsible social media usage, including media articles, radio interviews and appearing twice on the BBC’s “The Big Questions”.
Publications
Higson-Bliss, L., (2019) 'The Protection from Harassment Act 1997: Failures by the Criminal Justice System in a Social Media Age', The Journal of Criminal Law, 83(3), pp. 217-228.
Higson-Bliss, L., (2017) 'The Crown Prosecution Guidelines and Grossly Offensive Comment: An analysis', Journal of Media Law, 9(2), pp. 173-188.
Dr Robert Hesketh
Dr Robert Hesketh is a Lecturer at the School of Justice Studies, Liverpool John Moores University.
He was previously an academic at the Department of Social & Political Science at Chester where he carried out research into street gang culture. Robert has also carried out research for Mersey Care NHS involving evaluating risk assessment policies focusing on sex and violent offenders.
Publications
Hesketh, R., (2021) 'Its scouse soldier's lad init! An examination of modern Urban street gangs on Merseyside', Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 7(4), pp. 355-372.
Hesketh, R., and Robinson, G., (2019) 'Grafting: "the boyz" just doing business? Deviant entrepreneurship in street gangs', Safer Communities. ISSN 1757-8043.
Dr Yusef Bakkali
Dr Yusef Bakkali is a Legacy In Action Fellow at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre.
His recent research includes an article for the Sociological Review on the every-day experiences of young people involved in London "road life". Earlier in 2021 he wrote for the International Sociological Association on the ways in which Bourdieusian forms can be mobilised by those in "street" settings for the purpose of advancement both in street spaces and beyond.
Publications
Bakkali, Y., (2021) 'Road capitals: Reconceptualising street capital, value production and exchange in the context of road life in the UK', Current Sociology.
Bakkali, Y., (2019) 'Dying to live: Youth violence and the munpain', The Sociological Review, 67(6), pp. 1317-1332.
Adam Pendlebury
Adam Pendlebury is Associate Head of Department at Edge Hill University. His research interests include sport's related violence and anti-doping measures.
Adam is an editorial board member of the UK division of LawInSport. He has also worked as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire and Blackburn College.
Publications
Pendlebury, A., (2016) 'The Regulation of on-the-ball Offences: Challenges in Court' , The Entertainment and Sports Law Journal 10(3), p. 3.
Parrish, R., and Pendlebury, A., (2013) 'Sports Justice in England', European Sports Law and Policy Bulletin 1/2013.
