Date: November 11, 2024
Location: Meeting room of FDET
Time: from 17h to 18h

Presentation: “Security? Control? Deterrence? The Functions of Full-Body Strip Searches in Catalan Prisons”

Cristina Güerri holds a Ph.D. in Law and is a Tenure Track Professor in Criminology at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona). She was previously a Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Málaga (2020-2022) and an FPU Predoctoral Researcher at Pompeu Fabra University (2015-2019). Her research focuses on the study of prison systems from a criminological perspective. In this line of research, she has explored various topics, such as the role of internal officers, prisoners' perceptions of their quality of life in prison, prison supervision, full-body strip searches of inmates, and, more recently, the situation of foreign nationals in Spanish prisons.

Abstract: Full-body strip searches are, according to prison regulations, a security measure aimed at maintaining good order within the prison. However, these same regulations recognize the significant impact of full-body strip searches on the dignity and privacy of prisoners and, therefore, restrict the circumstances under which they may be used, establishing a procedure that must be followed to respect these rights. Previous literature has examined the legal regulation and jurisprudence regarding full-body strip searches in Spain. However, their practical application remains unknown. The research presented in this seminar studies the practice of full-body strip searches in Catalan prisons, based on original data provided by the prison administration. Specifically, it examines the frequency and circumstances under which full-body strip searches are conducted, as well as the outcomes they yield. Based on these results, the study questions the actual function of full-body strip searches in the prison system.

Date: December 16, 2024
Location: Meeting room of FDET
Time: from 17h to 18h

Presentation: "The European Union and Secession Processes"

Núria González Campañá, Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Barcelona since 2021, joined the institution in January 2020 through a postdoctoral research fellowship after earning her PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in 2019 (supported by scholarships from the Rafael del Pino Foundation and the British Spanish Society). Previously, she completed a Master’s degree in Law and International Relations at The Fletcher School, Tufts University (thanks to a scholarship from the “la Caixa” Foundation) and graduated in Law from the University of Barcelona (with the distinction of an extraordinary award). Her primary research areas are: 1) Self-determination and secession in Spanish, comparative, and EU constitutional law, and 2) Constitutional democracy, rule of law, and judicial independence in Spanish and European law. In addition to participating in national research projects, she has been a member of the European project “Democratic Efficacy and the Varieties of Populism in Europe,” led by Professor Boda Zsolt from the Institute for Legal Studies (Budapest) and funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program (2018–2022). Currently, she is a member of the Group for the Study of Democracy and Constitutionalism (GEDECO) and a core team member of the Jean Monnet Chair in European Constitutional Democracy (EUCODEM) at the University of Barcelona, both led by Professor Josep M. Castellà. She is also a Junior Associate Researcher at the Giménez Abad Foundation.

Abstract: This seminar will address the phenomenon of secession within the Member States of the European Union. It will begin with a practical question: how has the EU acted in cases of secession (or attempted secession) in the past? Recent cases within the EU (Scotland and Catalonia) and in third countries (Montenegro) will be analysed. Following this, the legal stance that the EU should adopt will be examined, as, although its position may be influenced by political interests, the EU is a community founded on the rule of law and must be able to justify its actions based on its treaties and underlying principles.