Reader in Youth Justice
I joined the University as a full time member of staff in 2010, although I was previously seconded as a Visiting Research Fellow for a number of years prior to my appointment on a part time basis.
I have a background in social work and worked as a practitioner with young people in conflict with the law for 13 years.
From 1998 until joining the University I was a senior policy development officer for Nacro, the crime reduction charity, where I was employed in the youth crime section.
Qualifications
BSc, MPhil, PGCE, CQSW, DProf
Teaching interests
I currently teach two level six undergraduate units:
- Comparative youth justice: ideology, policy and practice and
- Contemporary issues in crime and justice.
At postgraduate level, I manage two units on the MA Applied Public Policy: Children’s and Young People’s Services:
- Conceptual Framework: theories shaping public policy for children and young people’s services and
- Current issues in youth justice.
I am also Programme Director of the Professional Doctorate Leadership in Children’s and Young People’s Services.
Research interests
I have written extensively on youth crime and justice and responses to young people in trouble with the law and I am regularly interviewed by the media as an expert in that area.
My most recent research has looked at the dynamics of youth custody, the experiences of black and minority ethnic young people within the justice system and the adequacy of youth justice provision for girls.
Selected recent publications
- (2005) (with John Pitts) (eds)The RHP companion to youth justice. Lyme Regis: Russell House publishing
- (2005) (with John Pitts) ‘How have Labour’s reforms to the youth justice system fared and should we be looking at the new intervention theories?’ in Research Matters, October 2004 – April 2005
- (2005) ‘Reducing child imprisonment: a systemic challenge’ in Youth Justice, 5(3)
- (2005) A better alternative: reducing child imprisonment. London: Nacro
- (2006) ‘Youth crime and justice: statistical evidence, recent trends and responses’ in Goldson, B and Muncie, J (eds) Youth Crime and Justice. Sage
- (2006) (co-author) Anti-social behaviour orders. London: Youth Justice Board
- (2007) (co-author) Housing needs and experiences. London: Youth Justice Board
- (2007) ‘Ignoring necessity: the court’s decision to impose an ASBO on a child’, in Child and Family Law Quarterly, 19(3)
- (2007) ‘An effective tool ‘if used appropriately’: but what constitutes an appropriate use of ASBOs for young people?’ in Community Safety Journal, 6(3)
- (2008) Review of provision for girls in custody to reduce offending. Reading: CfBT Education Trust
- (2008) ‘Target practice: sanction detection and the criminalisation of children’ in Criminal Justice Matters, 73(1)
- (2008) Police bail, detention after charge and the duty to transfer to local authority accommodation. Youth crime briefing. London: Nacro
- (2008) Responding to girls in the youth justice system. Youth crime briefing. London: Nacro
- (2008) Remands to local authority accommodation: secure and non secure. Youth crime briefing. London: Nacro
- (2009) ‘The rising tide of girl crime?’ in Magistrate 65(5)
- (2010) Some facts about children and young people who offend – 2008. Youth crime briefing. London: Nacro
- (2010) (with John Pitts) ‘New Labour and youth justice: what works or what’s counted?’ in Ayre P. & Preston-Shoot M (eds) Social Work in Crisis. Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing
- (2010) (co-author) Exploring the needs of young black and minority ethnic offenders and provision of targeted interventions. London: Youth Justice Board
- (2010) Some facts about children and young people who offend – 2008. Youth crime briefing. London: Nacro
- (2010) (co-author) The youth rehabilitation order. Youth crime briefing. London: Nacro
- (2010) ‘Reoffending as a measure of youth justice effectiveness: a critical note’ in Safer Communities 9(3): 28 – 35
- (2011) For a child centred youth justice system. National Association for Youth Justice campaign paper: London: NAYJ
- (2011) Payment by results and youth justice. National Association for Youth Justice position paper. London: NAYJ
- (2011) Child imprisonment: exploring injustice by geography in Prison Service journal no 157, September 2011: 10-14
- (2011) ‘Punishing poverty’: the scaled approach and youth justice practice in Howard journal of criminal justice 50(2): 171-183
- (2011) ‘We now breach more kids in a week than we used to in a whole Year’: the punitive turn, enforcement and custody in Youth justice 11(2):115-133
- (forthcoming) Who pulled the plug? Towards an explanation of the fall in child imprisonment in Youth Justice 12.1
- (forthcoming) With the benefit of hindsight: the disturbances of August 2011 in historical context in Briggs, D (ed) The English Riots of 2011: A Summer of Discontent
- (forthcoming) ‘Encouraging compliance, maintaining credibility or fast tracking to custody?’ Perspectives on enforcement in the youth justice system in Raynor, P and Ugwudike, P (eds) What works in offender compliance: international perspectives and evidence based practice
Positions held
- Vice chair of IASR Ethics Committee
- Editorial Board and news editor of Youth Justice journal
- Joint editor of Safer Communities journal
- Editorial Board of Child and Family Law Quarterly
- Secretary of the London Association for Youth Justice
- Trustee of the National Association for Youth Justice
