For our last event of the this academic year The University of Edinburgh Criminology Reading Group Seminar Series 2020/2021 presents:
"Do members of the public adhere to the principles of criminal law? An exploratory study in Concepcion City, Chile"
Pablo Fuentealba Carrasco, University of Edinburgh-Universidad de Concepcion
The public adherence to the principles of criminal was the topic that Pablo Fuentealba Carrasco addressed during his master dissertation. It sought to know to what extent people believe and endorse the principles of Criminal Law (presumption of innocence, due process, humanity of punishment, etc.), which factors influence this adherence and how the adherence impacts on trust in justice (courts and police).
Pablo Fuentealba Carrasco is a Sociologist, with a MSc in Social Research and Development. Now he is an Assistant Professor at the University of Concepcion, Chile, and a postgraduate student doing a PhD in Law at the University of Edinburgh. Currently he is a co-principal investigator in a research project about gender in the Chilean judiciary. He has conducted research in the fields of fear of crime, punitiveness and the sociology of law.
"Elderly prisoners in Chile: Ageing in a time of crisis"
Daniela Mardones-Bravo, University of Edinburgh
Most countries have experienced an increase in the number of elderlies; this change has been created by a general rise in life expectancy and the increase in the duration of sentences and legal changes that favour punitiveness and criminal populism, including the so-called "war on drugs". In this way, the expectation of only having to worry about young men in prison is outweighed by the reality of the prison population's diversity. Preliminary results show that elderly prisoners are a group that is experiencing extra difficulties and added pains of imprisonment. This is qualitative research. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with elderly prisoners and practitioners that work with them in Chilean prisons. The presentation addressed the helplessness in which older men and women find themselves when they do not conform to the expectations of behaviour, mobility, and health expected of prisoners, including how the pandemic has impacted their lives, using Chile's case as an example.
Daniela Mardones-Bravo is a Chilean lawyer and criminologist, MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Edinburgh. She is a third-year PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh Law School researching elderly prisoners in Chile. Her research is focused on the sociology of punishment, penal populism and prison population in Chile, specifically centred on the characteristics and challenges of the elderly prison population in Chile. She specialises in qualitative research and digital research methods.
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