Alex Benn

Senior Lecturer in Law

Teaching

I teach the course, Criminal Law, to Univ’s first-year and Senior Status students. The course focuses on the general principles of criminal liability, as well as some of the major criminal offences and defences. In particular, I try to put the law in its broader context as a tool of powerful groups, which involves looking at the widespread discrimination that exists in criminal justice.

Research

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

‘Classism as Hate Crime: Proposing Class as a Protected Ground in Criminal Law’ (2021) 10 Criminal Law Review 809
‘The Big Gap in Discrimination Law: Class and the Equality Act 2010’ (2020) 3(1) Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal 30, ohrh.ox.ac.uk

Journal Case Notes

‘R (Ngole) v Sheffield University’ (2018) 7(2) Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 351
‘R (A and B) v Secretary of State for Health’ (2017) 6(3) OJLR 631
‘Re JS (A Child)’ (2017) 6(2) OJLR 413

Academic and Legal Websites

‘Discrimination in Criminal Justice: Four Analytical Steps for Lawyers’ (2021) Legal Lifelines, legallifelines.co.uk
‘Classism, Hate Crime and the Law Commission’s Consultation Paper 250: Lessons from Discrimination Law’ (2021) OHRH Blog, ohrh.ox.ac.uk
With C. Devlin, ‘The Maya Forstater Case and So-Called “Gender Critical” Feminism: What Was Actually Decided and What Does It Reveal about UK Discrimination Law?’ (2020) OHRH Blog, ohrh.ox.ac.uk
‘The UK Supreme Court and the Gay Marriage Cake: Is “Indissociability” Half-Baked?’ (2019) OHRH Blog, ohrh.ox.ac.uk

General Media

With R. Karmy-Jones Q.C., ‘“Virginity Testing”, Hymen Surgery and Misogyny: What Should the Law Do?’ (2021) Counsel 38, counselmagazine.co.uk
With D. Taylor, ‘We Don’t Think John Finnis Should Teach at Oxford University. Here’s Why’ (2019) The Guardian, theguardian.com