School of Social & Political Sciences

Miss Betsy Barkas

  • Lecturer in Criminology (Sociological & Cultural Studies)
  • Research Assistant (Urban Studies & Social Policy)

Biography

Betsy Barkas is a lecturer in Criminology and a member of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research. She contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and supervision across Criminology and Media. She obtained her PhD at the University of Glasgow in 2025, which explored public and media contestations over deaths in custody through a focus on family justice campaigns. She is a contributor to the Nothing to See Here? project (2021- ), which monitors Scotland’s deaths in state custody and their investigation. She has worked on a range of other research projects across crime and justice, media, and Science and Technology Studies.

She has a background in third sector policy, campaigning and communications roles at UK charities and campaigning organisations.

Research interests

  • Deaths in custody
  • Media reporting of crime and justice
  • Abolitionism
  • Social movements and activism

Research groups

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
Number of items: 10.

2025

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Allan, Linda and Russo, Deborah (2025) Do human rights work? Evidence from prison death investigations in Scotland. Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, (doi: 10.1111/hojo.70002) (Early Online Publication)

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Allan, Linda, Cobain, Rachelle, Russo, Deborah and Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468 (2025) Nothing to See Here? Deaths in Custody and their Investigation in Scotland in 2024. Technical Report. SCCJR, Glasgow.

2024

Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Kerr, Anne ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9958-301X, Hawkton, Gavin and Kish, Clare (2024) UK national newspapers' representation of cancer patients and their care during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic: invoking and undermining solidarity? Sociology of Health and Illness, 46(7), pp. 1438-1455. (doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13790) (PMID:38795317) (PMCID:PMC11587823)

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Allan, Linda, Allan, Stuart and Cairns, Deborah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2626-1554 (2024) Nothing to See Here? Deaths in Custody and FAIs in Scotland 2023. Technical Report. SCCJR, Glasgow.

2022

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Allan, Linda, Cairns, Deborah, Allan, Stuart and Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468 (2022) Still nothing to see here? One year update on prison deaths and FAI outcomes in Scotland. Discussion Paper. SCCJR.

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Casey, Ryan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7672-1678, Cornish, Neil, Gormley, Caitlin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9601-2177, McNeill, Fergus ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3547-6482 and Schinkel, Marguerite ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5804-5701 (2022) Prisoner experiences of Covid-19 Restrictions in Scotland during 2020. Working Paper. University of Glasgow.

2021

Casey, Ryan, McNeill, Fergus ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3547-6482, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Cornish, Neil, Gormley, Caitlin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9601-2177 and Schinkel, Marguerite ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5804-5701 (2021) Pervasive punishment in a pandemic. Probation Journal, 68(4), pp. 476-492. (doi: 10.1177/02645505211050871)

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Allan, Linda, Allan, Stuart, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468 and Kinnear, Deborah (2021) Nothing to See Here?: Statistical Briefing on 15 Years of FAIs into Deaths in Custody. Technical Report. The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, Glasgow.

Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Allan, Linda, Allan, Stuart, Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614 and Kinnear, Deborah (2021) A Defective System: Case Analysis of 15 Years of Fatal Accident Inquiries After Deaths in Prison. Project Report. The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, Glasgow.

2020

Armstrong, S. et al. (2020) Left out and locked down: impacts of COVID-19 for marginalised groups in Scotland. Project Report. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.

This list was generated on Wed Mar 11 09:02:09 2026 GMT.
Jump to: Articles | Research Reports or Papers
Number of items: 10.

Articles

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Allan, Linda and Russo, Deborah (2025) Do human rights work? Evidence from prison death investigations in Scotland. Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, (doi: 10.1111/hojo.70002) (Early Online Publication)

Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Kerr, Anne ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9958-301X, Hawkton, Gavin and Kish, Clare (2024) UK national newspapers' representation of cancer patients and their care during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic: invoking and undermining solidarity? Sociology of Health and Illness, 46(7), pp. 1438-1455. (doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13790) (PMID:38795317) (PMCID:PMC11587823)

Casey, Ryan, McNeill, Fergus ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3547-6482, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Cornish, Neil, Gormley, Caitlin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9601-2177 and Schinkel, Marguerite ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5804-5701 (2021) Pervasive punishment in a pandemic. Probation Journal, 68(4), pp. 476-492. (doi: 10.1177/02645505211050871)

Research Reports or Papers

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Allan, Linda, Cobain, Rachelle, Russo, Deborah and Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468 (2025) Nothing to See Here? Deaths in Custody and their Investigation in Scotland in 2024. Technical Report. SCCJR, Glasgow.

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Allan, Linda, Allan, Stuart and Cairns, Deborah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2626-1554 (2024) Nothing to See Here? Deaths in Custody and FAIs in Scotland 2023. Technical Report. SCCJR, Glasgow.

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Allan, Linda, Cairns, Deborah, Allan, Stuart and Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468 (2022) Still nothing to see here? One year update on prison deaths and FAI outcomes in Scotland. Discussion Paper. SCCJR.

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Casey, Ryan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7672-1678, Cornish, Neil, Gormley, Caitlin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9601-2177, McNeill, Fergus ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3547-6482 and Schinkel, Marguerite ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5804-5701 (2022) Prisoner experiences of Covid-19 Restrictions in Scotland during 2020. Working Paper. University of Glasgow.

Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614, Allan, Linda, Allan, Stuart, Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468 and Kinnear, Deborah (2021) Nothing to See Here?: Statistical Briefing on 15 Years of FAIs into Deaths in Custody. Technical Report. The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, Glasgow.

Barkas, Betsy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5259-9468, Allan, Linda, Allan, Stuart, Armstrong, Sarah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2049-9614 and Kinnear, Deborah (2021) A Defective System: Case Analysis of 15 Years of Fatal Accident Inquiries After Deaths in Prison. Project Report. The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, Glasgow.

Armstrong, S. et al. (2020) Left out and locked down: impacts of COVID-19 for marginalised groups in Scotland. Project Report. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.

This list was generated on Wed Mar 11 09:02:09 2026 GMT.