Dr Thomas Hawker-Dawson

Tom’s research interests lie in communicative aspects of punishment and criminal law. His ESRC-funded PhD research was entitled 'Punishment and communication: perceptions of penal messages in sentencing’. This empirical project involved observations of sentencing and interviews with Crown Court judges. Tom explored how sentencing can be used as a 'teachable moment', and what that might mean for ‘censure’ theories of punishment, with a view to enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of sentencing. The project was supervised by Professor Nicola Padfield and Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe. Tom previously taught Criminology undergraduates at Anglia Ruskin University, and supervised M.Phil students and residents of HMP Grendon in Criminology on the 'Learning Together' course. He has also worked with the Texas Defender Service (a non-profit organisation working to combat systemic flaws in the Texas death penalty system).

Teaching Responsibilities

Tom is the Director of Studies in Law for first year students at Girton College. He supervises undergraduates across the collegiate university studying Criminal Law, and 'Criminology and Criminal Justice in Context' (formerly 'Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal System'). He also teaches on the M.St in Applied Criminology, Penology and Management.

Select Publications

Hawker-Dawson, T. (2020) Book review of Beyond Punishment by Hoskins, Z. Oxford: OUP (2019). Cambridge Law Journal 79(3): 623-6

Padfield, N and Hawker, T. ‘Editorial: Sentencing via video link’ [2017] Crim. L.R. 8: 585

Hawker, T. (2016). Book review of Punishment by Brooks, T. Abingdon: Routledge (2012). Howard Journal of Crime and Justice 55(3): 365-7.

Research centres: Cambridge Centre for Criminal Justice (CCCJ)