Nick Dent - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Nick Dent

Research paper thumbnail of Section 44: Repeal or Reform? A Home Secretary's Dilemma

Stop and Search without suspicion is a crucial measure in the prevention and deterrence of terror... more Stop and Search without suspicion is a crucial measure in the prevention and deterrence of terrorism.

Research paper thumbnail of 2014 Orienteering Australia Annual Conference and General Meeting, 6 and 7 December. Silver Room, Conference Centre, Australian Institute of Sport, Leverrier St, Bruce, ACT

Research paper thumbnail of Inappropriate Adults? A Review of the Current Use of Appropriate Adults in the Criminal Justice System

The Journal of Criminal Law, 2020

Appropriate Adults (AAs) are an important procedural safeguard for young and vulnerable people in... more Appropriate Adults (AAs) are an important procedural safeguard for young and vulnerable people in a criminal investigation. The significance of their role is recognised by Parliament in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the appending Codes of Practice, most notably Code C. However, the ability of AAs as to perform their role is being impeded by a lack of clarity around their status and the rules that they are governed by. Often at the behest of lawyers, AAs are excluded from the conversations which lawyers have with their clients as a pragmatic solution to the uncertainty in the status of AAs. This means that AAs are rarely able to properly perform their vital role. Consequently, vulnerable people are not receiving the meaningful support they should receive. This represents a missed opportunity to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. When AAs are deployed effectively and appropriately, they can empower young or vuln...

Research paper thumbnail of Appreciating collaborative service improvement – a case study on using appreciative inquiry methodology in co-production in mental health

Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of appreciative inquiry (AI) methodolog... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of appreciative inquiry (AI) methodology in enabling co-productive work within mental health service development. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of AI is described and observations on its use in mental health service improvement are considered. Findings AI is a really helpful tool in supporting service improvement and is particularly applicable in mental health discussions involving service users and carers. Many service users and carers engaging with service development discussions have had adverse past experiences which can inhibit their successful contribution to planning discussions. AI allows a more positive reflection on how services can be improved which can help achieve positive results. Research limitations/implications AI methodology is a really useful tool in supporting improvement discussions across health, and other public, services, and is particularly valuable in engaging mental health service user...

Research paper thumbnail of Reconciling Representations

The Mathematics Teacher, 2015

One student's unexpected solution led us to make sense of the problem about random triangles ... more One student's unexpected solution led us to make sense of the problem about random triangles and persevere to a solution.

Research paper thumbnail of Taking a lead from the users of mental health care services

International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the operation of a review into service user invol... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the operation of a review into service user involvement within mental health services, which was led by service users using appreciative enquiry (AE).Design/methodology/approachThe paper gives a descriptive account of the operation of the project and highlights the barriers to its success and how these were addressed. The project itself used AE methods to overcome some of the challenges to engaging service users around improvement activity. The approach was different to the conventional application of AE as people were engaged individually through interviews and their views generalised collectively by the service user team conducting the interviews.FindingsThe project findings are reported through considering the recommendations made as a result of the work but the wider aims of challenging power relationships and developing service user leadership are also discussed.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that replicating and develop...

Research paper thumbnail of Filthy Lucre and Ill-gotten Gains

The Journal of Criminal Law, 2011

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘the 2002 Act’) heralded an inventive change of direction in addr... more The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘the 2002 Act’) heralded an inventive change of direction in addressing the benefits of crime. The provisions of the 2002 Act are specifically aimed at recovering any proceeds from crime or ‘unlawful conduct’. This is clearly a popular measure for the voting public, who would no doubt like to see ‘criminals’ paying for their wrongdoing. It is also a coup for vote-courting politicians, as it provides evidence to back up the mantra of being tough on the causes of crime. The theory is straightforward: by removing the benefits of crime, crime will necessarily become less appealing. Alternatively, if the deterrent does not succeed, then the benefits of crime can be recouped to compensate for the wrongdoing. The 2002 Act introduced a regime of civil recovery, essentially allowing the Assets Recover Agency (ARA) and other bodies to sue suspected ‘criminals’. These actions, alarmingly, could be brought in the absence of a conviction and notwithstanding an acquittal. Moreover, recent developments demonstrate that civil recovery orders may well become an increasingly popular avenue for prosecutors to pursue, using them against corporations rather than just individuals. Whilst civil recovery mechanisms have become a convenient method of addressing wrongdoing and recovering financial rewards of such wrongdoing, there is a clear danger of not just an abuse of process, but, paradoxically, a preference for the convenience of fines rather than criminal convictions. The subversive argument follows that this is another example, along with control orders and ASBOs, of the government circumventing the criminal law by using the civil law in order to persecute people who have not been convicted in front of a jury.

Research paper thumbnail of Section 44: Repeal or Reform? A Home Secretary's Dilemma

Stop and Search without suspicion is a crucial measure in the prevention and deterrence of terror... more Stop and Search without suspicion is a crucial measure in the prevention and deterrence of terrorism.

Research paper thumbnail of 2014 Orienteering Australia Annual Conference and General Meeting, 6 and 7 December. Silver Room, Conference Centre, Australian Institute of Sport, Leverrier St, Bruce, ACT

Research paper thumbnail of Inappropriate Adults? A Review of the Current Use of Appropriate Adults in the Criminal Justice System

The Journal of Criminal Law, 2020

Appropriate Adults (AAs) are an important procedural safeguard for young and vulnerable people in... more Appropriate Adults (AAs) are an important procedural safeguard for young and vulnerable people in a criminal investigation. The significance of their role is recognised by Parliament in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the appending Codes of Practice, most notably Code C. However, the ability of AAs as to perform their role is being impeded by a lack of clarity around their status and the rules that they are governed by. Often at the behest of lawyers, AAs are excluded from the conversations which lawyers have with their clients as a pragmatic solution to the uncertainty in the status of AAs. This means that AAs are rarely able to properly perform their vital role. Consequently, vulnerable people are not receiving the meaningful support they should receive. This represents a missed opportunity to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. When AAs are deployed effectively and appropriately, they can empower young or vuln...

Research paper thumbnail of Appreciating collaborative service improvement – a case study on using appreciative inquiry methodology in co-production in mental health

Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of appreciative inquiry (AI) methodolog... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of appreciative inquiry (AI) methodology in enabling co-productive work within mental health service development. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of AI is described and observations on its use in mental health service improvement are considered. Findings AI is a really helpful tool in supporting service improvement and is particularly applicable in mental health discussions involving service users and carers. Many service users and carers engaging with service development discussions have had adverse past experiences which can inhibit their successful contribution to planning discussions. AI allows a more positive reflection on how services can be improved which can help achieve positive results. Research limitations/implications AI methodology is a really useful tool in supporting improvement discussions across health, and other public, services, and is particularly valuable in engaging mental health service user...

Research paper thumbnail of Reconciling Representations

The Mathematics Teacher, 2015

One student's unexpected solution led us to make sense of the problem about random triangles ... more One student's unexpected solution led us to make sense of the problem about random triangles and persevere to a solution.

Research paper thumbnail of Taking a lead from the users of mental health care services

International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the operation of a review into service user invol... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the operation of a review into service user involvement within mental health services, which was led by service users using appreciative enquiry (AE).Design/methodology/approachThe paper gives a descriptive account of the operation of the project and highlights the barriers to its success and how these were addressed. The project itself used AE methods to overcome some of the challenges to engaging service users around improvement activity. The approach was different to the conventional application of AE as people were engaged individually through interviews and their views generalised collectively by the service user team conducting the interviews.FindingsThe project findings are reported through considering the recommendations made as a result of the work but the wider aims of challenging power relationships and developing service user leadership are also discussed.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that replicating and develop...

Research paper thumbnail of Filthy Lucre and Ill-gotten Gains

The Journal of Criminal Law, 2011

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘the 2002 Act’) heralded an inventive change of direction in addr... more The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘the 2002 Act’) heralded an inventive change of direction in addressing the benefits of crime. The provisions of the 2002 Act are specifically aimed at recovering any proceeds from crime or ‘unlawful conduct’. This is clearly a popular measure for the voting public, who would no doubt like to see ‘criminals’ paying for their wrongdoing. It is also a coup for vote-courting politicians, as it provides evidence to back up the mantra of being tough on the causes of crime. The theory is straightforward: by removing the benefits of crime, crime will necessarily become less appealing. Alternatively, if the deterrent does not succeed, then the benefits of crime can be recouped to compensate for the wrongdoing. The 2002 Act introduced a regime of civil recovery, essentially allowing the Assets Recover Agency (ARA) and other bodies to sue suspected ‘criminals’. These actions, alarmingly, could be brought in the absence of a conviction and notwithstanding an acquittal. Moreover, recent developments demonstrate that civil recovery orders may well become an increasingly popular avenue for prosecutors to pursue, using them against corporations rather than just individuals. Whilst civil recovery mechanisms have become a convenient method of addressing wrongdoing and recovering financial rewards of such wrongdoing, there is a clear danger of not just an abuse of process, but, paradoxically, a preference for the convenience of fines rather than criminal convictions. The subversive argument follows that this is another example, along with control orders and ASBOs, of the government circumventing the criminal law by using the civil law in order to persecute people who have not been convicted in front of a jury.