Lee Whitehead is a social impact PhD researcher. His research explores best practice in social impact and social outcomes partnerships, focusing on co-production, human learning systems, the capabilities approach and innovation. His work examines how social investment from businesses and enterprises can support preventative approaches that reduce involvement in the criminal justice system. Lee is also Director at Smart Social, which focuses on social investment and impact projects.

Christina is a prison researcher interested in the topics of love and prison reform. She is currently involved in a study about debt in prison on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), working with Dr Kate Gooch (PI) at the University of Bath. In her own research she is currently exploring alternative prison set-ups (e.g. the APAC in Brazil and Europe).

End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) are a group of feminist organisations and experts from across the UK, working to end violence against women and girls in all its forms. Made up of specialist women’s support services, researchers, activists, survivors and NGOs, they believe that violence against women is not inevitable and work to tear up the systems that enable it and build a fairer world in its place.

Equal Vision is a youth research and policy organisation addressing issues of social injustice.

The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies stand for a fair, effective and accountable justice system, in a society less dominated by criminalisation and punishment, because it has developed better ways of preventing and addressing the problems of crime.

It creates lively spaces for collaboration and learning, where conventional criminal justice policy agendas are scrutinised and challenged, fresh knowledge and ideas are discussed, and transformational solutions are developed.

Ruth Sellin is a PhD student and Associate Lecturer at the University of Lincoln. Their doctoral work is exploring the gender-responsiveness if the criminal justice system, specifically in the case of women victim-offenders. To this end, she is conducting interviews with women victim-offenders, as well as police officers, lawyers and practitioners who all have experience with women victim-offenders in the CJS. Ruth’s aim is to provide a cohesive view of the issues and barriers this cohort faces in the CJS due to their dual experience of victimisation and criminalisation.

David’s doctoral research centres around the use of AI and emerging technologies in the criminal justice systems of both England and Wales and Japan. He has had long term involvement in the criminal justice system in England and Wales as a practitioner and trade union activist, and more recently as a policy lead.

Dr Marian Duggan is a reader in Criminology, whose research centres around the efficacy and impact of policies and practices aimed at preventing sexual and/or domestic violence. This has  included analysis of Clare’s Law, and sexual misconduct in university settings.

Gemma’s research interests lie in desistance, digital technology in desistance-orientated work, youth justice, evaluation methodology, & co-production. Gemma’s underpinning research ethos is collaborative, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary and impactful work. She works closely with several public, private, and third-sector organisations to advance knowledge transfer between academia and practice 

Tania Goddard is a PhD student at the University of Salford whose research explores whether people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) can be fit to plead, stand trial and effectively participate in criminal proceedings. 

The Centre for Justice Reform is a group of researchers, practitioners and community members studying the ‘justice’ in the criminal justice system. The Centre is interested in addressing the multiple challenges facing criminal justice, both nationally and internationally. The Centre takes a strategic focus on penal policy reform, international justice and human rights, and women’s justice.

Madeline is an Associate Professor at the University of Greenwich. Madeline’s research interests are focused on women’s experiences in the justice system and trauma-informed approaches to rehabilitative practice. Madeline is professionally qualified as a Probation Officer and has specialised in working with women on community supervision and in custody. She has previously acted as Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Community Justice/Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) – the qualifying award for trainee Probation Officers.

David Adlington-Rivers is a PhD researcher exploring hope and resilience for people in and released from prison, and the role it plays in crime desistance. David has published a self-help book, Freedom is in the Mind, about the power of hope for people in prison.

Dr Natalie Rutter’s current research work focuses on the stigmatisation of criminalised women, and the role of social media within this. General research interests and focus fall within the areas of desistance, gender, stigmatisation and probation delivery with a focus on narrative, visual and inclusion methodologies.

A key focus of Professor Layla Skinns’ research is police detention, in England and Wales, but also in other parts of the Anglophone world. In this setting, Layla examines police powers and their relationship with the law, police cultures and police discretion, and furthermore, how this impacts on equality and on state-citizen relations. She is also interested in how the public – particularly detainees – perceive the police, which links her research to police legitimacy and ‘good’ policing.

Over the last 15 years she has led research projects funded by the British Academy, the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Economic and Social Research Council. The most recent of these is the ‘good’ police custody study, which sought to ‘robustly’ examine what is meant by ‘good’ police custody and to instigate changes to police custody policies and practices in England and Wales.

A main focus of Dr Katie Maras’ research is on autistic people’s experiences within the Criminal Justice System and the adaptations that can be made to accommodate their differences. Katie works with police and other legal professionals to provide evidence-based policy, guidance and training when working with autistic people, and she has particular expertise regarding police interviewing techniques. She is currently extending this work to courtroom questioning in a large ESRC-funded project running 2023-2026.

Professor Roman Gerodimos’ research explores the root causes, manifestations and effects of shame as a driver of violence, subjects explored in Interdisciplinary Applications of Shame/Violence Theory: Breaking the Cycle, a book Roman recently edited. He also designs and delivers shame-awareness workshops and works with diverse community groups – including museums, theatre ensembles, criminal justice stakeholders – to raise awareness of the role of shame across all levels from the individual to the social.

Danica Darley is a PhD student at the University of Sheffield who, having spent time in prison, has personal experience of the criminal justice system. Danica’s doctoral work examines the experiences of children in care with child criminal exploitation (CCE).  The research hopes to contribute to a greater understanding as to why care-experienced young people can become criminally exploited. The project is co-produced with 3 young people who have experience of the care system and of child criminal exploitation.