The consequences of strict isolation of prisoners in ‘supermax’ prisons in America will be examined in a lecture at the University of Leicester.

As part of the Scarman Lecture Series, hosted by the Department of Criminology, Dr Sharon Shalev will give her lecture, Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: Lessons from America on Wednesday 22 May.

One of the most striking features of the American criminal justice system at the turn of the century was the mass proliferation of supermax prisons: large, high-tech prisons especially designed and specifically dedicated to the long term, strict isolation of hundreds of prisoners each.

It is estimated that, alongside older segregation units in general-population prisons across the US, supermax prisons hold as many as 100,000 prisoners in conditions of solitary confinement at any given time. But to what end, and at what cost?

The lecture will examine the supermax phenomenon and some of its consequences, and asks what we can- and should – learn from the American experience with large scale prolonged solitary confinement.

Dr Shaley, a human rights worker and a criminologist, is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, and an Associate of the International Centre for Prison Studies. She is also a Fellow of the Mannheim Centre for Criminology, London School of Economics.

She has authored various publications on the subject of the supermax, including the Sourcebook on Solitary Confinement, a practitioner’s guide to the health effects of solitary confinement and to human rights and professional standards relating to its use.

Her book, Supermax: controlling risk through solitary confinement (Willan, 2009) was awarded the British Society of Criminology’s Book Prize for 2010.  She is currently working on a pilot project entitled ‘Excluding the excluded: European practices of solitary confinement, past and present’ whilst continuing to manage the informational website http://www.solitaryconfinement.org/

Professor Yvonne Jewkes, from the Department of Criminology said: “The Department is delighted to welcome Dr Sharon Shalev. She has spent two decades researching the use of solitary confinement in American ‘supermax’ prisons, and is currently turning her attention to European practices of solitary confinement.

“At a time when ‘Titan’ prisons are once again being discussed and debated in this country, Dr Shalev’s talk promises to be timely and of relevance to anyone with an interest in justice and human rights.”

Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: Lessons from America will be held in Frank and Katherine May lecture theatre in the Henry Wellcome building at 5:00pm, followed by a wine reception.

The event is free and open to all but places must be booked in advance.
For more information and to book a place please contact Russell Knifton on 0116 252 5780 or email: rk191@le.ac.uk.

Source: The University of Leicester Press Office

A new University of Leicester awards ceremony will celebrate the achievements of students – and will honour a standout student whose achievements are a model and inspiration for others.

The first University of Leicester Student Awards will bring together all the separate awards offered to students each year into an Oscars-style awards evening.

The evening will include awards for students who have excelled at graduate internships, volunteering, student representation and the Leicester Award.

There will also be awards for best student group, best course representative, best students’ union parliament officer and best student ambassador.

The on-going ‘Superstars Award’ programme, voted for by students across the University, will also culminate at this prestigious event with awards presented to the overall winners.

To top it all off, the Vice-Chancellor’s Student of the Year Award will be given to the “best of the best” from all of the individual categories.

The awards have been jointly organised by the University of Leicester Students’ Union and the University’s Career Development Service.

Dan Flatt, Academic Affairs Officer at the University of Leicester Students’ Union, said: “In the past, there have been a number of different award programmes operating across the University and the Union and we felt that some of them didn’t get as much funding and recognition as they deserved. Also there were some areas of exceptional student endeavour that were just not getting recognised at all.

“The idea was to bring all the programmes together to form a more credible, visible and sustainable platform. The Student Awards event will be jointly funded by the Students’ Union and the University’s Career Development Service. The awards evening will be a chance for a bit of glamour and celebration.

“The Vice-Chancellor’s Student of the Year Award will celebrate the most rounded award-winner across each of the specialist categories.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess said: “This is a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of some of our outstanding students. It is by participating in activities like these that individuals will develop the skills they need to become highly employable to top graduate recruiters.”

The University of Leicester Student Awards Dinner will be held on Monday, June 17 in the Percy Gee Building (Students’ Union) from 6.30-10.30pm. For more information visit: http://bit.ly/10mUqp4

Source: University of Leicester Press Office.

For information on studying at the International Study Centre, please visit the website.

One of the country’s leading universities has reported record rises in applications to science degrees.

The biggest increase in applications at the University of Leicester has been in astronomy and physics — up by 66 per cent1, compared with a national average of 8.8 per cent in physics and decline of more than 3 per cent in astronomy.

The change has been attributed to Leicester’s growing reputation as a centre of academic excellence and students thinking more carefully about which degrees will offer them the best career prospects.

Academics believe that some of the increased interest in science may be due to the so-called “Brian Cox effect” – with astronomy and physics gaining popular appeal through TV programmes presented by the pop-star-turned-professor, and other celebrities.

Growing applications have forced the University to increase its entry requirements for prospective students, from three B grades at A-level to AAB or ABB.

Professor Martin Barstow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University and Head of the College of Science and Engineering, said: “In the past it was really quite difficult to recruit students to some science subjects and it was a hand-to-mouth existence for some departments. We would worry about the messages in schools about the importance of a science degree.

“But we have seen a big reversal and it is now a case of ensuring we recruit the very best applicants.

“It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why we are seeing these changes in application rates without any hard evidence, but I believe that students are becoming more discerning and are thinking ahead to how their degree might help in their future careers. Leicester also ranks highly in university league tables, and young people take notice of these.

“We are also undoubtedly seeing the Brian Cox Effect, with Professor Cox and other celebrities such as Dara O’Briain and Brian May making science more appealing and accessible to a mainstream audience.”

Other science subjects that have seen a jump in applications at Leicester including computer science, up by 28 per cent (against a national increase of 15.5 per cent), chemistry up 19 per cent (9.7 per cent nationally) and engineering with a rise of 25 per cent (15.2 per cent nationally).

Source: The University of Leicester Press Office

For more information about studying at the International Study Centre, visit the website.

Professor Douglas Tallack, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College for Arts, Humanities and Law was guest of honour and gave a presentation on  how Leicester continues to empower people to explore what they don’t know through passionate, dedicated teaching and innovative, world-changing research.

Prof. Tallack’s focused on the University’s active engagement in research where 93% of staff is research active – one of the highest in the UK – citing examples such as the discovery of DNA finger printing to pioneering space exploration, and the recent discovery of the remains of King Richard III. Agents gained an understanding of the real opportunities and benefits that students will get from being taught by academics who are pioneers in their respective fields.

Will Maciver, Study Group’s Partner Director and Prof Tallack spoke about the partnership and the success of the International Foundation Year. In 2012, 92% of the International Study Centre students who completed their programme were offered a degree programme at the University.
The highlight of the event was the launch of University of Leicester Scholarships worth up to £4500 for students from India for a range of degree programmes. International Foundation Year students who meet the progression grade to the relevant undergraduate degree can qualify for these scholarships.

The event was also attended by Ms Moneesha Gupta, British Council, representative from the Blossom High School, Namrata Anand, Study Group’s Partner Manager, and Kilenkala Longchar, Study Group’s Accounts Manager.

The Complete University Guide published yesterday (Monday 29th April 2013) shows Leicester moving up four places to 16th out of 132 institutions.

Leicester has moved ahead of universities including Edinburgh, Nottingham and King’s College London.

Leicester is currently ranked 17th by the rival Times Good University Guide and 19th by the Guardian University Guide – both of which are due to publish over the coming weeks.

Deputy Registrar Richard Taylor said: “Strong employment data, rising entrance grades and investment in student & academic services have all helped propel Leicester upwards in this table. With over 130 universities in the country it’s pleasing to see Leicester consistently rank amongst the very best.”

It is the only institution among The Times top-20 universities to meet or exceed its benchmarks for attracting students from working class backgrounds, state schools, and neighbourhoods where participation in higher education is low.

Performance indicators published on Thursday 21 March by the Higher Education Statistics Agency also  show that Leicester has met all of its benchmarks for recruiting mature students from low participation areas and students in receipt of a disabled students’ allowance.

In addition, the University continues to have one of the best course completion rates in the country.

The performance indicators show that just over a quarter (25.1 per cent) of Leicester’s full-time, young, UK undergraduates are from the four lowest socio-economic classes. Nearly nine in 10 (87.6 per cent) of the University’s young UK full-timers come from state schools and just over one in 10 (10.2 per cent) of its mature students are from low participation neighbourhoods.

Despite concern that students from less traditional backgrounds may be more likely to drop out, Leicester has one of the highest completion rates at 96.2 per cent of young full-time first degree entrants finishing their studies. Across the sector as a whole, the completion rate for such students was just 93.7 per cent.

The HESA data, based on the student intake for 2011/12, measures performance against benchmarks for the proportion of students from state schools or poorer backgrounds that each university should be recruiting.  The benchmarks are drawn up on the basis of the profile of each university, taking into account size, subject spread and location, and also entry qualifications of students.

Commenting on the results, Leicester’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess said: “These figures show once again that Leicester is the only top-ranking university that can truly claim to be ‘elite without being elitist’.

“At a time when there has been a great deal of debate about the role of universities in enhancing social mobility in this country, it is encouraging to see that Leicester continues to lead the way in providing access to a high quality education to students from all backgrounds.

“Our very healthy continuation rates also show that we look after our students once they are here, providing the best support as well as some of the best education in the country to those who may need additional help and guidance.”

Source: University of Leicester Press Office

For information on studying at the University of Leicester International Study Centre, please visit the website.

Shortlisted for the AGR’s annual Development Awards alongside graduate employers like BskyB, National Grid, Accenture and IBM, the University was ‘highly commended’ for its pioneering ‘no prep, no entry’ approach and the support it delivered to almost 4,000 students in a five week period.

Leicester beat off stiff competition from Universities across the UK to be shortlisted for the awards held last week, and judges were particularly impressed with the feedback employers gave about the quality of conversation students were able to have. Data gathered by the Career Development Service also highlighted that:

•       86% of the employers attending the Festival of Careers rated the conversations they were having with students as either good or excellent;
•       100% employers identified students they wanted to see an application from ; and
•       65% of employers identified more than 20 students they spoke to and wanted to see an application from.

Following the announcement Bob Athwal, Director of University’s Career Development Service, said:

“This is a great start. And the fact we were shortlisted by employers and other Universities makes our commendation even more significant. The most important thing though is that this support is helping our students stand out to graduate employers. The figures above tell us that 83% of students attending the Festival had a conversation strong enough to influence their employability prospects and highlights why the University took this bold approach. This impact is something everyone in the Career Development Service worked hard to achieve and what really excites me is what we’re doing to take students’ employability even further in the coming year.”

Source: University of Leicester Press Office.

For information on studying at the University of Leicester International Study Centre, please visit the website.

For information on studying at the University of Leicester International Study Centre, please visit the website.

• Wealth of evidence, including radiocarbon dating, radiological evidence, DNA and bone  analysis and archaeological results, confirms identity of last Plantagenet king who died over 500 years ago

• DNA from skeleton matches TWO of Richard III’s maternal line relatives.  Leicester genealogist verifies living relatives of Richard III’s family

• Individual likely to have been killed by one of two fatal injuries to the skull – one possibly from a sword and one possibly from a halberd

• 10 wounds discovered on skeleton – Richard III killed by trauma to the back of the head.  Part of the skull sliced off

• Radiocarbon dating reveals individual had a high protein diet – including significant amounts of seafood – meaning he was likely to be of high status

• Radiocarbon dating reveals individual died in the second half of the 15th or in the early 16th century – consistent with Richard’s death in 1485

• Skeleton reveals severe scoliosis – onset believed to have occurred at the time of puberty

• Although around 5 feet 8 inches tall (1.72m), condition meant King Richard III would have stood significantly  shorter and his right shoulder may have been higher than the left

• Feet were truncated at an unknown point in the past, but a significant time after the burial

• Corpse was subjected to ‘humiliation injuries’ –including a sword through the right buttock

• Individual had unusually slender, almost feminine, build for a man – in keeping with contemporaneous accounts

• No evidence for ‘withered arm’ –as portrayed by Shakespeare – found

• Possibility that the individual’s hands were tied

• Grave was hastily dug, was not big enough and there was no shroud or coffin

The University of Leicester has confirmed that it has discovered the remains of King Richard III.

At a specially convened media conference, experts from across the University unanimously identified the remains discovered in Leicester city centre as being those of the last Plantagenet king who died in 1485.

Rigorous scientific investigations confirmed the strong circumstantial evidence that the skeleton found at the site of the Grey Friars church in Leicester was indeed that of King Richard III.

University of Leicester researchers have revealed a wealth of evidence – including DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating and skeletal examination – proving the identity of the skeleton.

University of Leicester archaeologists co-director Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the Search for Richard III, said: “It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in August 2012 is indeed King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England.

“It has been an honour and privilege for all of us to be at the centre of an academic project that has had such phenomenal global interest and mass public appeal. Rarely have the conclusions of academic research been so eagerly awaited.”

University of Leicester geneticist Dr Turi King confirmed that DNA from the skeleton matches that of two of Richard III’s family descendants – Canadian-born furniture maker Michael Ibsen and a second person who wishes to remain anonymous.

Dr King, of the University’s Department of Genetics, said: “The DNA sequence obtained from the Grey Friars skeletal remains was compared with the two maternal line relatives of Richard III. We were very excited to find that there is a DNA match between the maternal DNA from the family of Richard the Third and the skeletal remains we found at the Grey Friars dig.”

Skeletal analysis carried out by University of Leicester osteoarchaeologist Dr Jo Appleby showed that the individual was male and in his late 20s to late 30s. Richard III was 32 when he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

The individual had a slender physique and severe scoliosis – a curvature of the spine – possibly with one shoulder visibly higher than the other. This is consistent with descriptions of Richard III’s appearance from the time.

Trauma to the skeleton indicates the individual died after one of two significant wounds to the back of the skull – possibly caused by a sword and a halberd.

This is consistent with contemporary accounts of Richard being killed after receiving a blow to the back of his head.

The skeleton also showed a number of non-fatal injuries to the head, rib and pelvis – believed to have been caused by a wound through the right buttock – which may have been caused by ‘humiliation injuries’ after death.

Dr Appleby’s analysis is backed up by radiological evidence carried out by University of Leicester forensic pathologists and forensic engineering experts.

Dr Appleby, of the University’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History, said: “The skeleton has a number of unusual features: its slender build, the scoliosis and the battle-related trauma. All of these are highly consistent with the information that we have about Richard III in life and about the circumstances of his death. Taken as a whole, the skeletal evidence provides a highly convincing case for identification as Richard III.”

The verdict also drew from circumstantial evidence at the dig site, radiocarbon dating, genealogical evidence and comparison with historical sources.

The University of Leicester, in association with Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society, led the Search for Richard III.

The Search for Richard III is also the subject of a Channel 4 documentary made by Darlow Smithson Productions.

The documentary makers had exclusive access to the search team during the archaeological dig and during the scientific tests to determine the skeleton’s identity.

Their documentary, Richard III: King in the Car Park, can be seen on Channel 4 On Demand.

More information about Channel 4’s Richard III: King in the Car Park documentary can be found at: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/richard-iii-the-king-in-the-car-park/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

The public can find more information about the University of Leicester’s Search for Richard III at: www.le.ac.uk/richardiii

Source: University of Leicester press office.

Choosing to study in another country can be a daunting prospect, but a brave one too. Here at the Study Group University Fair, we think you should study abroad and we think the UK should be your first choice.  Here are our top 10 reasons why the UK is one of the best places in the world to receive your education.

1.    Arts and Culture: as a student in the UK, new experiences will be just around the corner. Museums and art galleries will be on your doorstep and you can make the most of the vibrant music scene.
2.    British culture has been very influential on the world. Some of our brightest stars of the last century include The Beatles, J.K. Rowling, Kate Moss, Adele, and Damien Hirst to name a few.
3.    Britain has a fascinating and complex history and people from all over the world come to visit our iconic historical sites.
4.    In the UK, we’ve contributed more than our fair share to the scientific world and, as a student here, you can expect university faculty to be leaders in this field, producing some ground breaking research.
5.    Studying in the UK puts you at the heart of one of the world’s best education systems. Our universities are both innovative and dynamic providing stimulating and challenging environments in which to learn.
6.    88% of UK graduates were in work or further study within 6 months after graduation (HESA).
7.    Britain is a diverse and multicultural nation that welcomes people from all over the world. We are sure you will enjoy interacting with many international students while immersing yourself completely in British life.

The Study Group University Fair is here to help you make that decision to study in the UK. It is completely free to attend and we will have expert advisers to talk to you about what life is like living here and how to prepare for your arrival, so that taking that brave step to move to Britain is made as easy as possible for you.

Join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter and let us know what excites you about learning in Britain!

The Study Group University Fair is the No.1 university fair for international students. The University of Leicester International Study Centre will be there, along with over 75 other highly ranked UK universities.  It will take place on the 9th February at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in London, from 12-4pm. Visit the website for more information and details on how to register.