Phil Scraton, Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University Belfast, is a leading researcher on state power, contested deaths, and the rights of bereaved families and survivors. He led the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s research, was principal author of its report, and worked closely with families throughout the inquests. His work spans major investigations into prison protests, mother and baby institutions, and police brutality. Widely published, his books include Hillsborough: The Truth, Power, Conflict and Criminalisation, and The Violence of Incarceration. A consultant on the BAFTA-winning documentary Hillsborough, he holds a Leverhulme Fellowship researching independent panels. He has advised on deaths in custody and institutional abuses, challenging state accountability. Awarded the Freedom of Liverpool, he refused an OBE and was a guest on Desert Island Discs.
