In what promises to be a busy year for sentencing in England and Wales, with an Independent Sentencing Review currently underway, the Sentencing Academy is delighted to welcome two new members of staff. Estella Baker has joined as Co-Executive Director and Ellie Cumbo is our new Director of External Relations.
Estella Baker developed interdisciplinary expertise in punishment and sentencing; EU/European criminal law and justice; and mentally disordered offenders during her academic career before joining the Sentencing Academy.
She has held visiting positions at the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge; Simon Fraser University, British Columbia; and the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Penal Law in Freiburg. Prior to Brexit, she was a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group on EU Criminal Policy, and she has delivered training for the Judicial College (2012-2014) and for the European Judicial Training Network (since 2016).
Ellie Cumbo is a public policy specialist with significant experience of analysing and seeking to influence government decisions and legislation on justice. Prior to joining the Sentencing Academy, she was an adviser to Labour both in opposition and in government. She has also led policy teams at the Law Society and Bar Council, and worked for leading charities focusing on the rehabilitation of offenders and the experience of victims.
In addition to her work at the Sentencing Academy, she is a freelance policy and strategy consultant in the voluntary sector, and a councillor in the London Borough of Southwark.
