My week - My role as a thorn in Gordon Brown's side

It's all part of my learning in order that I fulfil my role as adviser to the five criminal justice system inspectorates. The increasing dispersion of prosecutorial powers and expansion of pre-court punishment comes up. More than 40 per cent of all offences are now dealt with through cautions, penalty notices and other such measures. Who inspects the decision-making that varies widely between police force areas? There's an accountability gap here that needs filling.

Tuesday: Take part in a seminar organised by the Cardiff University Police Research Unit, of which I'm a member, and the South Wales Police. It's a really positive discussion. How can we do research with the police that contributes positively to their operational needs and adds to our understanding of effective, socially just policing? In the evening, at a concert in Bath, someone congratulates me for an article I wrote being the subject of an opinion piece in The Independent. The piece relates to something I wrote months ago about whether the government is pursuing an "evidence-based" youth crime policy. My article has just been published in the journal Criminal Justice Matters hence why the sudden interest.