Dr Jessica Bird

Jessica completed her PhD in 2016 at the University of Edinburgh in the Criminology Department of the Law School.

This project explored the contemporary history of specialist segregation units in Scottish prisons. She has an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh, an MA in Human Rights from the University of the West of England at Bristol, and a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Cardiff. Jessica teaches courses on Criminological Theory, and the Ethics of Imprisonment, along with a course on the Philosophy of Punishment at Stateville Prison through the Prison and Neighborhood Arts Project (PNAP). Her current research focuses on questions of moral autonomy and normative uncertainty – specifically, how these concepts relate to and manifest within the penal sphere.