Our Criminal Past: Representing Penal Histories: Displaying and Narrating the Criminal Past

This inspiring, well organised, and well attended day was the third and, sadly, the last of three excellent research networking events, each organised by Dr Heather Shore (Leeds Metropolitan University) and Dr Helen Johnston (University of Hull ), and supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. As such, it was the third opportunity for scholars, archivists and those engaged in an educational and heritage capacity in museums and prisons who are interested professionally and academically in Our Criminal Past and its future, to gather and hear excellent papers. As usual, and held in a particularly appropriate setting - the Galleries of Justice, Nottingham - the event was attended by over fifty established and newer members of the network all interested and involved, in particular for this event, in displaying and narrating our criminal past. The day was split into four sessions: session one was concerned with displaying our penal heritage; session two was concerned with new directions research in crime history is taking; after lunch, the penultimate session was concerned with representing and presenting penal and policing histories. The day was brought to a close by the fourth and last session which took the form of a roundtable of final thoughts and discussions