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 publication is: 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
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.
I am currently the Chair of a 35 country EU-funded COST Action CA18121: Cultures of Victimology: Understanding processes of victimisation across Europe (CoVE) and Project lead on the Police and University Network of Knowledge (PUNK) funded by HEIF. I have previously been funded by the Home Office, ESRC, British Academy, Leverhulme, National Lottery and Technology Strategy Board (KTP).
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’.
Current PhD students:
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.
Rajib Mustofa (PhD Sociology and Social Anthropology) Exploitation and trafficking of transgender communities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Bethany Darby (PhD Criminology): County Lines: Protecting Children from Organised Crime Groups.
Isabel Arce Zelada (PhD Criminology) Victim Testimonies: stories, courts and justice.