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Fergus McNeill

@fergusmcneill.bsky.social

1.5K followers 1.3K following 85 posts

Criminologist interested mainly in punishment, rehabilitation and reintegration… increasingly explored via creative methods. Also a singer-songwriter, when I can find the time.

Political science 26%

Sociology 25%

more

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, Colin Murray , and 5 more Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, Colin Murray, Fergus McNeill, Lesley A. Hall, Maria Abreu, Vaughan S. Roberts, James Connelly

The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 4d

This is a lie.

There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.

But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.

Fergus McNeill @fergusmcneill.bsky.social · 14d

Date for your diaries

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 20d

Speaking from Gaza, Manar Al Houbi told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show she was informed just days before her evacuation from Gaza that her family would not be allowed to come with her – despite the Labour Government allowing other students' families to enter the UK.

Gaza student hoping for Glasgow PhD in urgent plea as family blocked from entering UK

A student from Gaza hoping to study in Scotland has issued a plea to the UK Government urging them not to "make her choose" between her…

www.thenational.scot

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Aug 25

In her recent report, Dame Anne Owers wrote that the prison capacity crisis stems from the “irresistible pressure for more and longer prison sentences.”

Read our explainer article to understand how longer sentences have fuelled this crisis:

The Howard League | What is sentence inflation?

What is sentence inflation? An expert summary by the Howard League for Penal Reform.

howardleague.org

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Aug 20

Children in prisons in England are typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours per day and receiving less than 15 hours of education per week.

Our updated guide with IPSEA highlights an urgent need to improve education for children with special educational needs:

The Howard League | Updated legal guide highlights urgent need to improve education for children with special educational needs in custody

An updated version of the joint guide, ‘Education inside penal detention for children in England’

howardleague.org

Fergus McNeill @fergusmcneill.bsky.social · Aug 4

From the President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
opiniojuris.org/2025/08/04/i...

Is Genocide Happening in Gaza?

[Melanie O’Brien is Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Western Australia, President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and Visiting Scholar with the H…

opiniojuris.org

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Jul 31

“Prisons cannot go on like this. It is unconscionable to see the huge rise in deaths in custody, as well as continued spikes in self-harm and in assaults."

A staggering 401 people died in prison in the last year.

Read our response to MoJ's safety in custody stats: howardleague.org/news/shockin...

The Howard League | Shocking safety and prison performance figures reveal crisis behind bars

The number of people dying in prison rose by 30% in the past year, official data seen by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today (Thursday 31 July).

howardleague.org

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, Fergus McNeill, Melanie Simms , and 1 more Dave O’Brien, Fergus McNeill, Melanie Simms, Talja Blokland

Les Back @academicdiary.bsky.social · Jul 30

We have an opening for a one-year Sociology Lectureship in Glasgow focused on teaching the sociology of class. Please share it with anyone interested. www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/lecturer...

Lecturer in Sociology (LTS)

College of Social SciencesSchool of Social & Political Sciences Lecturer in Sociology (LTS)Vacancy Reference: 178793Salary, Grade 7, £40,497 - £45,413 per annum pro rata. The School of Social a...

www.jobs.gla.ac.uk

Fergus McNeill @fergusmcneill.bsky.social · Jul 30

This is what I was doing, exactly 4 years ago… youtu.be/iqAKuQBF5Qg?...

Bloodrush [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

YouTube video by Fergus McNeill

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Apr 24

PAVA spray has now been authorised against children in prison. Yet an evaluation of the use of force in prisons found racial disproportionality in the levels of PAVA use and called on officers to use "communication and de-escalation skills". 🤷‍♀️ assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/680933...

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Guardian @theguardian.com · May 12

The race to the bottom is on as Starmer delivers his great immigration reset | John Crace

The race to the bottom is on as Starmer delivers his great immigration reset | John Crace

A week after Reform cleans up at the local elections, the prime minister decides it’s time to ‘take back control’

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research @thesccjr.bsky.social · May 13

🎙️Announcing Young Warriors, a new podcast that flips the script on youth culture and street life.

Follow criminologist Ali Fraser @crmnlgy.bsky.social as he delves into street culture and learns about the power of youth-led change across the UK.

open.spotify.com/show/1KLXLNF...

Reposted by Fergus McNeill, Paul Reilly

Dr Emiline Smith @dremilinesmith.bsky.social · May 19

Great to see this out - in this article I elaborate on passive and active academic facilitation of #illicittrade in cultural objects, taking Mary Slusser and Emma Bunker as examples #returnthegods @saa-aap.bsky.social‬ @thesccjr.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Scholarly Facilitation of the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects: Providing a Veneer of Legitimacy | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core

Scholarly Facilitation of the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects: Providing a Veneer of Legitimacy

www.cambridge.org

Reposted by Fergus McNeill, Clare McGlynn

Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research @thesccjr.bsky.social · Jun 18

🗣️ Please share/take part in our survey on: Women musicians' experiences of sexual violence & harassment in the Scottish folk scene.

We've heard many conversations about ongoing challenges and hope to help develop better understanding and awareness, and pathways to change.

✍️ bit.ly/UofG-Survey

Reposted by Tim Newburn, Fergus McNeill

Michelle S. Phelps @michellesphelps.bsky.social · Apr 23

I was delighted to win the Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction at the MN Book Awards last night. Being with book nerds for an evening was a balm. May all the nominated books bring us some truth and beauty.

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

Les Back @academicdiary.bsky.social · Jul 20

Congratulations Satnam www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/fellows/satn... @uofgsociology.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social

Professor Satnam Virdee FBA

Satnam Virdee is Professor of Sociology, School of Social and Political Sciences at University of Glasgow. He has held the position since 2005. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of ...

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Jul 7

"Observations from Howard League members in Lowdham Grange prison"

A new blogpost on letters we have received from members living in one of the most troubled jails in the country: howardleague.org/blog/observa...

The Howard League | Observations from Howard League members in Lowdham Grange prison

Tim Kerr blogs about comments received from Howard League members in Lowdham Grange prison.

howardleague.org

Reposted by Fergus McNeill, Martin Tomko, Daniel Aaron , and 1 more Fergus McNeill, Martin Tomko, Daniel Aaron, Stefan Kirchner

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · Jul 3

NEW: SCOTUS shoots down a federal judge’s effort to protect eight men from being expelled—without due process—to South Sudan, where they face torture and death.

Dissenting, Sotomayor says the court’s “indefensible” decision makes it complicit in “lawlessness.” www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

SOTOMAYOR, J., dissenting
adjudicating this case. But if this Court wishes to permit the Government to flout the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Due Process Clause, it cannot avoid accountability for that lawlessness by tasking the lower courts with inventing a rationale. The Court's continued refusal to justify its extraordinary decisions in this case, even as it faults lower courts for failing properly to divine their import, is indefensible.
*
"In a democracy, power implies responsibility. The greater the power that defies law the less tolerant can this Court be of defiance. As the Nation's ultimate judicial tri-bunal, this Court, beyond any other organ of society, is the trustee of law and charged with the duty of securing obedience to it." Mine Workers, 330 U.S., at 312 (Frankfurter,
J., concurring in judgment). This Court continues to invert those principles. Today's order clarifies only one thing:
Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial. Respectfully, I dissent.

Reposted by Stephen Farrall, Fergus McNeill

Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research @thesccjr.bsky.social · Jul 1

📖 Book Talk: 'Desistance, Resistance, & Normalcy' with Tea Fredriksson & Robin Gålnander is now on our YouTube page.

@spookademic.bsky.social @robingalnander.bsky.social @stockholm-uni.bsky.social @fergusmcneill.bsky.social @margueritesch.bsky.social

youtu.be/UYT-YytzY-c?...

Book Talk: Desistance, Resistance, and Normalcy

YouTube video by The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Jun 30

How will the sentencing review recommendations be turned into operational reality?

With new legislation expected any day now, this blogpost from our Director of Campaigns, @andrewjamesneilson.bsky.social, looks at what the future may hold: howardleague.org/blog/how-wil...

The Howard League | How will the sentencing review recommendations be turned into operational reality?

Andrew Neilson blogs about new sentencing legislation, which is expected to be introduced soon.

howardleague.org

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

Les Back @academicdiary.bsky.social · Jun 25

Critical piece of research on sexual violence in the Scottish folk music scene, please share. www.sccjr.ac.uk/news_item/se...

Sexual violence and harassment in Scottish folk music: Opportunity to participate in research. - SCCJR

We are seeking the views and experiences of women musicians on sexual violence and harassment in the Scottish folk music […]

www.sccjr.ac.uk

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Jun 24

Here are some of the members of a working group we convened to explore ways to end the IPP scandal. Have you read their recommendations yet?

The report was launched last night in the House of Lords, and you can read it here: howardleague.org/publications...

📸 @andyaitchison.bsky.social

Eight people face the camera in front of a Howard League banner, in a committee room in the House of Lords. A woman with brown hair holds a copy of the report.

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Jun 22

"James Timpson, the prisons minister and Labour peer, should accept this workable and detailed plan and seek to close this shameful chapter in the history of British criminal justice."

www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

Keir Starmer must end the injustice of indefinite sentences today

Editorial: There are thousands of people in prison in Britain with no release date, serving sentences that were abolished in 2012

www.independent.co.uk

Fergus McNeill @fergusmcneill.bsky.social · Jun 19

Please share this far and wide… esp if you are part of the Scottish folk music scene.

Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research @thesccjr.bsky.social · Jun 18

🗣️ Please share/take part in our survey on: Women musicians' experiences of sexual violence & harassment in the Scottish folk scene.

We've heard many conversations about ongoing challenges and hope to help develop better understanding and awareness, and pathways to change.

✍️ bit.ly/UofG-Survey

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

University of Glasgow College of Social Sciences @uofgsocsci.bsky.social · Jun 17

🎉We are delighted that two of our academics have received @erc.europa.eu Advanced Grants- out of five prestigious awards made across @uofglasgow.bsky.social.

Well done @fergusmcneill.bsky.social @thesccjr.bsky.social and Prof Ruth Dukes @uofglaw.bsky.social

More: www.gla.ac.uk/news/headlin...

Reposted by Fergus McNeill, J. Adam Carter

University of Glasgow @uofglasgow.bsky.social · Jun 17

Five Professors have been awarded @erc.europa.eu Advanced Grants – the most the UofG has ever received in one round.

Congratulations @jadamcarter.bsky.social, @sabrewster.bsky.social, @fergusmcneill.bsky.social, Ruth Dukes and Simon Hanslmayr!

More: gla.ac/4lb3FIl

#ERCAdG

Photos of the five professors awarded ERC grants - Professor Steve Brewster, Professor Adam Carter, Professor Ruth Dukes, Professor Fergus McNeill and Professor Simon Hanslmayr.

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Fergus McNeill, Sarah Joseph

Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · Jun 14

We have entered the "The police is saying that if the police is at your door you are not safe call the police immediately" stage of making America great again

Reposted by Fergus McNeill, Jennifer Thomson

Dani Garavelli @danigaravelli.bsky.social · Jun 11

Peter Krykant kept the lives being lost to drugs in the public eye & shamed the Scottish gov into action. His van prevented overdoses & and continues to so as, without it, The Thistle wouldn’t exist. It was a privilege to know him. I hope he’s at peace. www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/peter-k...

Peter Krykant dies suddenly as tributes paid to pioneering Scots drugs reformer

Krykant, who battled addiction issues, was found dead at home in Falkirk. He inspired many to regard addiction as a health issue and paved the way for state-backed safe drug consumption areas

www.dailyrecord.co.uk

Reposted by Fergus McNeill

The Howard League @thehowardleague.bsky.social · Jun 9

The media often try to draw battle lines between us, but when it comes to fixing the prisons crisis, we and the POA agree that sensible action to reduce the number of people behind bars is an important first step.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/head...

Head of the prison officers’ union: we should halve the prison population

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) and its national chair Mark Fairhurst have a reputation for always wanting prisons to be more secure and more punitive. So it was a surprise when Fairhurst told ...

www.spectator.co.uk

Fergus McNeill @fergusmcneill.bsky.social · Jun 8

Strange Island.