Research interests
My doctoral research critically investigated how different types of community become involved in crime control strategies. Combining social theory, crime prevention, community justice and cultural criminology, my book 'Crime, Community and Morality' (2015) provides a new theory of rule-breaking and an analysis of the risks of involving victims in penal decision-making. My most recent publications are: A New Approach for Researching Victims: The 'Strength-Growth-Resilience' Framework in the British Journal of Criminology available at: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjc/azaa093/6130762 and Barlow, Kidd, Green & Darby 'Circles of analysis: a systemic model of child criminal exploitation in the Journal of Children's Services, available at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JCS-04-2021-0016/full/html
My ongoing research interests revolve around the intersection of victimology, community justice, power, agency and exploitation. In particular, I am interested in narrative / cultural victimology and how people construct their self-identity in the aftermath of victimisation. These interests have led me to increasingly research the victims of modern slavery and exploitation; gender-based violence and victim resilience.
Alongside my victimological research, I am heavily involved in developing Knowledge Exchange and am co-lead (with Brennan and Treloar) on the Humberside Police Academic Partnership (H-PAC). In this capacity I am working with colleagues in Computer Science to develop a predictive policing app (iBrief) and VR crime scene and domestic violence de-escalation training scenarios.
Postgraduate supervision
I am very interested in supervising doctoral students in the areas of: victimology, exploitation, contemporary slavery, reducing re-offending, restorative justice and community justice more generally
Completed PhD students:
Nicola O'Leary, (PhD Criminology) Negotiating Collective Identities: crime, the media and victim communities.
Kathy Kondor (PhD Criminology), Flying the Árpád Flag: The extreme right in Hungary and the revival of the Hungarism movement.
Alicia Kidd (PhD Social Justice), The Dynamics of Contemporary Slavery and Conflict: agency, asylum and accountability.
Craig Barlow (PhD Criminology), Forced Criminal Exploitation of Children: prevention, prosecution and punishment.
Chloe Wilson (PhD Law), Human Trafficking: Identification, Referral and Rehabilitation. ‘Every Victim Matters’.
Loria-Mae Heywood (PhD Law), Forced Criminal Exploitation of Children: a comparative study of Nigeria, Albania and Vietnam.
Charlotte Russell (PhD Criminology) Child trafficking and vulnerability in refugee camps.
Isabel Arce Zelada (PhD Sociology and Social Anthropology) : Art, Asylum, and Alienhood: Narrative Inequality in the UK Asylum Process (completed 2024)
Current PhD students:
Bethany Darby (PhD Criminology): County Lines: Protecting Children from Organised Crime Groups (submitted)
Reenu Domani Nirmala (PhD Criminology) Sex Trafficking Investigation and Enforcement in India (year 2)
Mike Mckue (PhD Criminology) Trust and Confidence in Policing (year 2, part-time).
Frantisek Conka (PhD Criminology) The Long-Term Reintegration of People with Lived Experience of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (year 1, ESRC Collaborative Doctoral Award with The Salvation Army).