The British Crime Historians Symposium meets every 2-3 years to discuss and debate original historical research on all aspects of crime, policing, punishment, law, criminal justice and social regulation.

Since the first meeting in 2008, the BCHS has become a leading academic forum in this broad and vibrant field of research.

The next conference will be held on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September 2026 at Oxford Brookes University. We anticipate that the conference fee will be no more than £100 (with a discount for postgraduate students). Delegates will be responsible for booking their own travel and accommodation, but we will provide a list of suggested hotels in Oxford at the end of May when acceptances are confirmed.

The conference welcomes proposals for papers, panels and other sessions concerned with the history of crime and criminal justice across medieval to modern history, especially (though not exclusively) in connection with Britain. This may include imperial and transnational histories that interrelate modern British history with global legacies of colonialism, as well as international exchanges about crime and punishment. Papers on all topics and periods within this broad remit are welcomed. In addition, this year’s conference particularly welcomes proposals that engage with the following:

• Crime fiction/creative modes of writing the history of crime;
• Crime, migration, and empire;
• Spatial approaches to deviance, criminality and rehabilitation.

Submissions are encouraged from researchers across a wide range of disciplines (including, but not limited to, history, criminology, English, law, socio-legal studies and sociology), and from postgraduate/early career researchers. Postgraduate presenters will be invited to submit their papers for the Clive Emsley Prize, awarded for the best postgraduate paper at the conference. Please indicate at the time of submission if you are a postgraduate student.

Typically speakers will have 15-20 minutes to present their paper. Panels should each consist of three or four papers selected to illuminate an overarching topic, theme or issue, and we encourage organisers to consider including postgraduate and early career researchers in their panels. Suggestions for alternative formats (roundtable sessions, source/method-based workshops, ‘author meets readers’ sessions, etc.) are welcome; please discuss any ideas with the conference organising committee, in the first instance.

For individual paper proposals, please include: paper title; name(s) of author(s); institutional affiliation (if applicable); email address (of proposing author); paper abstract of no more than 250 words.

For panel proposals, please include full details (as outlined above) for each constituent paper, in addition to: panel title; name, institutional affiliation (if applicable) and email address of the panel organiser; abstract of the panel’s aims (no more than 150 words); name of panel chair (if nominating a specific chair).

The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday 6th May 2026. We will confirm whether your paper has been accepted for the conference by the end of May 2026 to allow time to book travel and accommodation.

Please send proposals by email attachment to: ebland@brookes.ac.uk

The conference organising committee is: Eleanor Bland (Criminology, Oxford Brookes), Grace Di Meo (Criminology, Oxford Brookes), Emily Rose Hay (Criminology, University of Oxford) and Cassie Watson (History, Oxford Brookes)