Professor Gavin Dingwall

Professor

School: Northumbria School of Law

Gavin joined the Law School as a Professor in 2024. Before moving to Northumbria University, Gavin worked as Head of Policy and Communications at the Sentencing Academy and in the Law Schools at De Montfort and Aberystwyth Universities. He has held visiting appointments at King's College London, the University of Birmingham, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and Flinders University of South Australia.

He has published extensively on criminal justice, criminology, criminal law and criminal procedure and evidence. His work includes the following books: Minority Ethnic Prisoners and the Covid-19 Lockdown: Issues, Impacts and Implications (with Avril Brandon, 2022); Criminal Justice and the Pursuit of Truth (with Tim Hillier, 2021); Blamestorming, Blamemongers and Scapegoats: Allocating Blame in the Criminal Justice Process (with Tim Hillier, 2015); Alcohol and Crime (2006); Crime and Conflict in the Countryside (ed with Susan R. Moody, 1999); and Diversion in the Criminal Process (with Christopher Harding, 1998).

His work often has a reach beyond academia. Blamestorming, Blamemongers and Scapegoats was the focus of an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme Thinking Allowed, whilst Criminal Justice and the Pursuit of Truth featured in the podcast series Criminal Justice Natters.

At De Montfort University, Gavin won University and Faculty awards for his innovative research-enabled teaching practice. The approach was the subject of a podcast by the British Society of Criminology's Learning and Teaching Network. He held a number of Faculty leadership roles at De Montfort University, including Chair of the Faculty Professoriate.

Gavin is often invited to speak at prestigious events, a recent example being the annual Empirical Legal Research Network Lecture at the University of Edinburgh in 2024. Throughout his career, he has engaged with policy makers. Recently, for example, he presented oral evidence to the House of Lords' Justice and Home Affairs Select Committee about the role of non-custodial sentences. Gavin comments extensively on criminal justice in the media, including for the BBC, ITV and LBC.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
A Penology of Prior Fault: Reflections on Penal Context, Aims and Opportunities, Dingwall, G. 13 Nov 2025, Criminal Law and Prior Fault, London, Bloomsbury
Causality, culpability and criminalising failures to rescue, Dingwall, G., Gillespie, A. 15 Oct 2025, Causation in Criminal Law, London, United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis
Challenging the Ongoing Injustice of Imprisonment for Public Protection: James, Wells and Lee v The United Kingdom, Bettinson, V., Dingwall, G. 1 Nov 2013, In: Modern Law Review
Applying generic sentencing aims in domestic violence cases in England and Wales, Bettinson, V., Dingwall, G. 1 Sep 2012, In: International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice