Bob Morgan

Former Met Police, Liberal Democrat Councillor and Campaigner, Community Development Officer

Dreadful people do dreadful things - it is the nature of these people that is to blame not the 'system'.

Una Morris

Currently works @stophateuk and member of the @SARSVL Steering Group

Hate crime is not a new concept. Throughout history there are many examples of groups being marginalised, oppressed and discriminated against. Many of the world's conflicts have stemmed from hatred towards particular groups, and genocide is hate crime in its extremist form. Hate crime is most definitely a human rights issue and should be treated as such.

Damian Green

Justice Minister

Serious and repeat criminals should not expect to escape with a caution and the public and victims have a right to expect such people who have committed a crime to be brought before a court.

Matt Carr

Author, freelance journalist and blogger

There is no doubt that Michael Philpott is a uniquely revolting piece of work, of the type that shames our species, but the Mail's disgustingly manipulative attempt to use the horrendous deaths of six children as a vindication of the Coalition's ruthless victimisation of the unemployed, is no less repellent.

Gareth Milner

Writer who likes to speak his mind

I don't particularly like Mr Qatada, but if I condone either torture against him, or the use of evidence against him which was gained through torture, then I would be a complete hypocrite if I ever complained about torture against a UK citizen.

Kate Green MP

Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston, Shadow Minister for Equalities

Women form a relatively small proportion of the criminal justice caseload, but their circumstances are often complex, and they frequently display very high levels of need.

Mikey Smith

Reporter, blogger, minor geek

The problem here isn't that the status quo isn't good enough. The status quo, properly implemented, works. If the police failed to investigate and prosecute phone hacking fully, the answer isn't a tougher regulator, it's a tougher police force.

Keith Taylor

Green Party Member of the European Parliament for the South East region

Last year saw more than 3800 Palestinians arrested and detained by Israeli security services. This constitutes a 16% increase compared to 2011. By the end of 2012, more than 4,750 Palestinians were kept in detention inside Israel.

Alex Ford

Former Royal Air Force Airman, an instructor and technician, recently freed from military service and making his way as a writer and blogger in the civilian world.

This story is about young men (and yes, it is mostly men) who leave the forces early, rather than those who have undertaken multiple tours and spent a decent amount of time in the services. It's about those young men who already have a propensity for violence and who can't handle the discipline of the army. It's about how they are discharged and then booted out into society.

Glenn McMahon

Freelance reporter

What came out over the four week trial at Woolwich Crown Court gives rise to serious questions over whether kettling thousands of protesters in a confined space without warning or explanation does more harm than good - inflaming tensions, provoking conflict and increasing the number of injuries and damage that it's supposed to prevent.

Elaine Benton

Author and blogger; battling two chronic diseases whilst maintaining a positive attitude and sense of humour

A young child who is chronically ill or disabled in some way, weak and fragile, may easily fall victim to sexual abuse. Unfortunately a child whether physically or mentally handicapped can be at high risk; not understanding and often unable to communicate what is actually happening to them.

Fiyaz Mughal

Director of Faith Matters and the Tell MAMA project

Our project reveals some disturbing findings. The majority of Muslims being physically attacked, harassed or intimidated because of their faith are women, according to MAMA's figures - and those doing it are white men increasingly likely to be linked to far-right groups.

Dr Raj Persaud and Adrian Furnham

Consultant Psychiatrist and Emeritus Visiting Gresham Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry

Under a veneer of high self-worth many narcissists hide underlying feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. These are being masked and compensated for, by the climb up the greasy pole of fame and success.

Robert Mercer-Nairne

Organisation theorist, businessman, politician and writer

The spectacle of two human beings undergoing what amounts to a slow motion car crash should fill us with deep sadness. Instead, we are the jackals with cameras seeking to capture every nuance of the tragedy so that we may wallow in Schadenfreude, that compelling release of our own follies.

Luke Dale-Harris

Freelance journalist and researcher into addiction

But while there are endless studies, research groups and counsellors looking at the interrelation between addiction and crime, Malton takes a different approach. For her, addiction isn't just a force that leads people into crime as a means to finance their habit. For many, she believes, crime itself is the addiction, committed first and foremost to satisfy a need to do so within the criminal.

Cherie Blair

Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

The brave children who seek justice for the abuse they have suffered have often not only to re-live the horrors of their experiences, but also to battle the perceptions that sometimes people have of them. These perceptions may mean they are not believed or perhaps they are left thinking that they are to blame for the horrifying abuse - that they in some way brought it upon themselves.