DoctorMarozane Spamers

I am a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Canterbury where I teach in the LLB and Bachelor of Criminal Justice.

My research interests are in the in the intersection between law and mental health , drawing on criminal law, mental health law, criminology, and human rights law. I take a multidisciplinary and socio-legal approach to research, based on the view that law does not operate in a vacuum and that the legitimacy of the criminal justice system can only be ensured if legislation and policy is evidence-based. I am particularly invested in determining how law and criminal justice policy can be utilised to ensure that the human rights of mentally ill persons are protected while achieving the goals of the criminal justice system.

I am currently working on projects concerning mental health law and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, prisons and disaster risk, mental health and policing, access to medical records and medication in prisons, and restorative justice.

Enquiries are welcome from prospective PhD students and collaborators interested broadly in evidence-based law and policy reform in criminal justice, mental health and justice issues, justice and human rights.