Postgraduate Research Student & Graduate Teaching Fellow
Liverpool Law School
Erandin.Jayasooriya@liverpool.ac.uk
Biography
Following undergraduate studies in Law (University of London) and Engineering (University of Moratuwa), Erandin obtained his LL.M. (Forensics, Criminology and Law) from Maastricht University where he was a UM Holland High-Potential Scholar. His master's thesis, supervised by Prof. André Klip, examined whether contemporary regulation of professional boxing and its offshoots is reconcilable with the principles that underpin the sport's legality, with a special focus on the criminal law's doctrine of consent. He became a PhD candidate and Graduate Teaching Fellow at the School of Law and Social Justice in February 2022.
Research
Erandin’s research interests lie predominantly in criminology and criminal justice. His thesis explores potential ways of overcoming any legitimacy deficits created by the executive clemency systems in specific common-law jurisdictions, with a focus on the presidential pardon power.
Working thesis title
'Justice and mercy: Conceptualising the future of executive clemency'
Dates of study
PhD Start Date: February 2022
PhD Completion Date: January 2025
Supervisors
Dr Laurène Soubise (Liverpool Law School) and Prof Michael Gordon (Liverpool Law School)
Research Summary
This research seeks to identify any legitimacy deficits criminal justice systems face owing to the present scope of executive clemency powers and the procedure for exercising them, and to propose ways of overcoming these deficits through a framework of reforms. Particular attention is paid to the distinction between justice-based and mercy-based clemency applications/outcomes, and how the two concepts ought not to involve the same scope and procedure.