Law, Society and Vulnerable People Research Hub events

Upcoming events

Legal Implications of Artificial Intelligence 

The UK is hoping to become a science and technology powerhouse by 2030. Therefore, harnessing AI’s advantages and staying at the forefront of cutting-edge technology is essential. However, with new technology becomes new challenges and this raises questions to whether existing legislation can address these challenges.

Join us at this event where we will explore the legal dimensions of AI with experts from around the globe. Delve into the latest perspectives on AI governance, its applications in the UK, legal analysis of the EU AI Act, the EU approach to AI regulation, and a legal examination of AI's impact on intellectual property.

This is an online event and will take place on Wednesday 28th February 15:00 - 18:00 GMT.

Register with Eventbrite here.

Legal Dimensions of AI

AI is becoming increasingly used in the healthcare sector. While there are many benefits, we need to be aware of the risks and to ensure it used ethically and safely.

Join us at this thought-provoking exploration of the legal dimensions of AI in healthcare. This event will delve into the critical aspects of AI governance, legal issues arising in healthcare applications and effective dispute resolution and mediation strategies to address challenges encountered in the use of AI in healthcare. Gain insights from the experts in the field where there will be a range of different talks throughout the day.

This is an online event and will take place on Wednesday 21st February 14:00 -17:00 GMT

Secure your spot with Eventbrite here. 

Seeing and Treating Neurodiverse Individuals in the Criminal Justice System  

This event explores distinct legal issues in the criminal justice system for adults, children, and young persons through a neurodiversity lens.

The event seeks to bring interdisciplinary perspectives together in one place to discuss their vulnerability in criminal trials, neurodivergence, ostracism in the criminal justice system, legal assistance in the police station and disability. There will be contributions from the USA, New Zealand, Europe, Africa and the UK.

This is an online event.

The event will take place on Thursday 14th March 2024, 09:15 -16:30 GMT

Register with Eventbrite here.

Past events

Migrants, the Media and Human Rights Panel

The impact of the media on migrants and migration.

This panel event will bring together academics, practitioners, journalists, and other community workers.

The panel will consider some of the key questions around human rights and the regulation of media sources, and ask what we can all do on a personal level.

The event will take place on the 21st November 2023, 5-8pm

On campus at Prospect Building 007 Lecture Theatre

Prevent, Surveil and Protect: The fight against terrorism (27th March 2023)

We brought together academics, practitioners and civil servants from different disciplines to examine the effects of terrorism and how countries remain vigilant in fighting it.

Since the 9/11 attacks, many countries and their citizens have been significantly impacted by global terrorist movements and groups. Terrorism is no longer a rare occurrence, and international judiciaries and Governments have reacted by introducing strict laws to combat terrorism (Laquer, 2017; White, 1991; Silke, 2008).

This event explored the impact of terrorist attacks and responses to preventing surveilling and protecting nations from terrorist movements/groups. It also examined distinct procedural and evidential issues in policing, the courtroom and policy for Governmental bodies, Parliament, the judiciary, victims and defendants around the globe.

Keynote Speaker: Dr Jessie Blackbourn, Durham University

For the full programme of events and bookings please visit out eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/prevent-surveil-and-protect-the-fight-against-terrorism-tickets-472494633167?aff=ebdsoporgprofile 

Methods and Methodologies workshop with Professor Elaine Hall (26th January 2023)

Professor Elaine Hall (Northumbria University) visited the Hub via teams to discuss all things on method and methodology providing some very useful advice to members of our team in all different stages in their research journeys.

Differing Perspectives on Roe v Wade: A wrong turn or opportunity for reform? (27th October 2022)

A dig at Dobbs…

On the 27th of October, the Law, Society and Vulnerable People Research Hub at the University of Sunderland hosted their first research event, ‘Differing perspectives on Roe v Wade; a wrong turn or opportunity for reform?’ This panel event drew together 85 registered law students, academics, midwives, medical students, and many others affiliated with the University of Sunderland.

The evening was designed to explore the legal, medical, ethical, and religious implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v Jackson (United States of America), which criminalised a woman’s right to abortion. The event began with Chris Howson, University Chaplain, who explained the religious and fair-right political undertones that led to the reversal of the 1970 Roe v Wade decision that gave women abortion rights, more specifically, access to medical treatment to terminate a pregnancy and the autonomy to make freely informed decisions about their reproductive health. Chris expertly gave his opinions on the impact of Dobbs in the US, the UK and for years to come. Sadly, Chris could not join the event live in person, so he pre-recorded his introduction.

The remaining panel members were Dr. Chloe Romanis, Assistant Professor in Law at Durham University and Research Fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy and Biotechnology at Harvard University; Dr. Lynsey Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in Law from Strathclyde University and Zoe Tongue, Lecturer in Law at the University of Leeds. Each of our speakers shared unique insights into the impact of the Dobbs decision through different, albeit liberalist, research lenses and experiences.

Each speaker presented their position on the Dobbs ruling and its subsequent implications in the USA and globally, followed by questions from the audience. Dr. Romanis joined the event live via Teams from Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Her research interests focus on the provision of telemedicine, which has been deeply affected by the Dobbs decision. Indeed, Dr. Romanis began by saying she had written a book on the subject but that it had become outdated following the Dobbs decision. She highlighted the wider impact of the criminal sanctions in the USA now faced by women seeking an abortion. Many women are travelling across state lines to access medical treatment and fear being arrested in medical centres by staff or at state lines. Medical practitioners who wish to assist them are also frightened that they may be targeted by the police and prosecuted for providing medical treatment. Dr Romanis remarked that this had seen a dramatic increase in the number of men having a vasectomy, a surgical procedure for male sterilisation.

Dr. Mitchell examined the potential UK ramifications following Dobbs as a leading authority on abortion rights in Scotland who has strongly advocated for the decriminalisation of abortion in Scotland. Dr. Mitchell acknowledged that Scotland, England and Wales are not that different to the USA because abortion remains illegal in the UK and that many women who access telemedical services here in the UK are unaware this is a crime. Whilst she recognised that most citizens of the UK might feel that the Dobbs decision is far removed from their lives because it was a ruling across the Atlantic, the fact of the matter is that some of past Supreme Court decisions, which pertain to Northern Ireland are indeed quite conservative and antiliberal. Dr. Mitchell ended her talk by calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in the UK.

Last, we heard from Zoe Tongue, who examines the need to recognise abortion as an international human right for women. Like her panellists, Zoe discussed the impact of the Dobbs decision in the USA and, more specifically, explored the curtailing access of women to abortion medications such as misoprostol. Since the Dobbs decision, Zoe explained, there have been significant socioeconomic, racial and ethnic inequalities amongst women (in particular, African Americans) in the USA, and these divides will continue to grow without legal intervention. She disclosed that several pregnant women in Poland, which has also decriminalised abortion, are dying because they can only access an abortion as a life-saving measure. Zoe remarked that in the future, we would also see significant numbers of pregnant women in the USA dying because they might be prohibited from accessing an abortion during the earlier stages of pregnancy due to stringent laws.

Afterwards, the Research Hub hosted the in-person speakers and audience members for refreshments and drinks. During this element of the event, there was much ongoing discussion of issues exposed in the Q&A. Many networks were made, and the panel members were much sought after for their expertise. Overall, the event successfully presented and discussed this key development for women's rights and launched the Research Hub and its activities.