Staff profile

Nicole is an Assistant Professor in Criminology in the Department of Sociology, and teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate violence and abuse modules. Nicole has a practice background in domestic abuse within a multi-agency, child protection setting where she developed and delivered domestic abuse awareness and training. Nicole has experience working with young men in secure settings and disabled young people who are in distress.

Nicole completed her ESRC and President’s Doctoral Scholar Award-funded PhD at the University of Manchester in 2021. Her research thesis examined the criminal justice Building Better Relationships (BBR) programme in England and Wales, in which she explored the experiences and perspectives of practitioners, and convicted men who attended BBR, including those who are neurodivergent, to understand what might work, for whom and under what circumstances.

Nicole's subsequent ESRC funded postdoctoral research consisted an international study which explored how domestic violence perpetrator programmes could be more responsive to autistic men and/or those with ADHD who use violence and abuse in their intimate relationships.

Nicole has developed an extensive web-based guide that will aid domestic abuse perpetrator intervention practitioners in supporting neurodivergent men and make their service provision more neuroinclusive. It includes several recources, including an accompanying guide for practitioners working within intergrated services with victim survivors. The Guide has been co-developed in collboration with Community Justice Scotland, Respect and Probation North East, in consultancy with Neurodiverse Connection and Monika Labich Coaching and Therapy. You can read more about the project and access the guide on the NDiDA Practice website.

Nicole is the coordinator of the Neurodiversity in Domestic Abuse Practice network, an international network of researchers and practitioners. She also co-coordinates the Neurodivergence in Criminal Justice Network with Dr Tom Smith (UWE Bristol). 

Nicole is also a member of the Probation Institute and its Academic Advisory Panel.

Nicole's list of previous and current projects can be found on her personal website.

Research area

Nicole's research interests include the perpetration of domestic abuse and domestic abuse perpetrator interventions, and more specifically how interventions can be more responsive to a neurodiverse perpetrator population. She is also interested in good practice, practitioner well being, and victim-survivor safety and support. 

• Criminal justice
• Domestic abuse
• Intimate partner abuse
• Interventions, practice and wellbeing
• Male violence towards women
• Neurodiversity/Neurodivergence

Chapter in book

• Group Interventions
  
  Renehan, N., & Henry, O. (2022). Group Interventions. In L. Burke, N. Carr, E. Cluley, S. Collett, & F. McNeill (Eds.), Reimagining Probation Practice: Re-forming Rehabilitation in an Age of Penal Excess (pp. 59-79). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003172031-4
• Applications of psychotherapy in statutory domestic violence perpetrator programmes: challenging the dominance of cognitive behavioural models
  
  Renehan, N. (2019). Applications of psychotherapy in statutory domestic violence perpetrator programmes: challenging the dominance of cognitive behavioural models. In P. Ugwudike, H. Graham, F. McNeill, P. Raynor, F. S. Taxman, & C. Trotter (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Rehabilitative Work in Criminal Justice (pp. 383-392). Routledge.

Doctoral Thesis

• Building Better Relationships? Interrogating the ‘Black Box’ of a Statutory Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme
  
  Renehan, N. (2020). Building Better Relationships? Interrogating the ‘Black Box’ of a Statutory Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme [Thesis]. Awarding Organisation: Unknown. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/188959394/FULL_TEXT.PDF

Journal Article

• Towards Neurodiversity-Affirmative Provision Within Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programs: Exploring the Experiences and Perspectives of Domestic Abuse Practitioners From Australia, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and The United States
  
  Renehan, N. (2026). Towards Neurodiversity-Affirmative Provision Within Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programs: Exploring the Experiences and Perspectives of Domestic Abuse Practitioners From Australia, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and The United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605261419487
• Understanding and utilising ‘rapport’ in work with men who use violence in intimate relationships: The challenge of creating a ‘safe space’ that holds men to account
  
  Holmes, F., Renehan, N., & Hughes, W. (2025). Understanding and utilising ‘rapport’ in work with men who use violence in intimate relationships: The challenge of creating a ‘safe space’ that holds men to account. Probation Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505251409105
• The Neurodivergence in Criminal Justice Network: Connecting research, professionals and lived experience to improve criminal justice practice
  
  Renehan, N., & Smith, T. (2025). The Neurodivergence in Criminal Justice Network: Connecting research, professionals and lived experience to improve criminal justice practice. Prison Service Journal, 280.
• Criminal Justice Policy and Victim-Survivor Empowerment: A Case Study of Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes in England and Wales
  
  Barlow, C., Walklate, S., & Renehan, N. (2024). Criminal Justice Policy and Victim-Survivor Empowerment: A Case Study of Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes in England and Wales. Feminists@law, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/03/fal.1259
• For Better or Worse? Improving the Response to Domestic Abuse Offenders on Probation
  
  Renehan, N., & Gadd, D. (2024). For Better or Worse? Improving the Response to Domestic Abuse Offenders on Probation. The British Journal of Criminology, 64(5), 1171–1188. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azae003
• Rendering them responsible: victim-survivors experiences of Clare’s Law and domestic violence disclosure schemes
  
  Barlow, C., Walklate, S., & Renehan, N. (2024). Rendering them responsible: victim-survivors experiences of Clare’s Law and domestic violence disclosure schemes. Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 8(1), 83-97. https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16751803681186
• Foregrounding Meaning and Motive in the Domestic Abuse Perpetration of and Response to Neurodivergent Men
  
  Renehan, N. (2024). Foregrounding Meaning and Motive in the Domestic Abuse Perpetration of and Response to Neurodivergent Men. Deviant Behavior, 45(12), 1682–1697. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2024.2319638
• Self-blame and (becoming) the crazy ex: Domestic abuse, information sharing and responsibilisation
  
  Renehan, N., Barlow, C., & Walklate, S. (2023). Self-blame and (becoming) the crazy ex: Domestic abuse, information sharing and responsibilisation. Criminology & Criminal Justice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958231207463
• Responding to coercive control in criminal justice domestic violence perpetrator programmes in England and Wales: Conceptual, operational, and methodological complexities
  
  Renehan, N. (2023). Responding to coercive control in criminal justice domestic violence perpetrator programmes in England and Wales: Conceptual, operational, and methodological complexities. Probation Journal, 70(3), 242-260. https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505221141952
• Facilitators of probation-based domestic violence perpetrator programmes: ‘Who’s in the room?’
  
  Renehan, N. (2021). Facilitators of probation-based domestic violence perpetrator programmes: ‘Who’s in the room?’. Probation Journal, 68(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505211025083

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Criminal Justice Interventions Facilitators: Unsung Hidden Heroes or Forgotten Variables?
  
  Renehan, N. (2021). Criminal Justice Interventions Facilitators: Unsung Hidden Heroes or Forgotten Variables? [The British Society of Criminology Blog]

Report

• Working with neurodivergent people in contact with the criminal justice system
  
  Renehan, N., Day, A., Allely, C., Holloway-George, C., Hough, J., Atkins, K., Maras, K., Vinter, L., Rutter, N., & Smith, T. (2025). Working with neurodivergent people in contact with the criminal justice system. Clinks.
• Designing from the margins Neurodivergent-led Organisations on Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programmes
  
  Renehan, N. (2024). Designing from the margins Neurodivergent-led Organisations on Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programmes. Durham University. https://doi.org/10.15128/r1pr76f348b
• Building choice in domestic abuse perpetrator interventions: reflections on what clients, victims and practitioners need
  
  Renehan, N., & Gadd, D. (2024). Building choice in domestic abuse perpetrator interventions: reflections on what clients, victims and practitioners need. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation Academic Insights.
• Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes and Neurodiversity
  
  Renehan, N., & Fitz-Gibbon, K. (2022). Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes and Neurodiversity. UKRI Economic and Social Research Council. https://doi.org/10.15128/r2hx11xf281
• Building Better Relationships? Interrogating the ‘Black Box’ of a Statutory Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme: Summary of Thesis and Key Findings Report
  
  Renehan, N. (2021). Building Better Relationships? Interrogating the ‘Black Box’ of a Statutory Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme: Summary of Thesis and Key Findings Report.
• Clare’s Law and Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes: Victim-Survivor Perspectives.
  
  Barlow, C., Renehan, N., & Walklate, S. (2021). Clare’s Law and Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes: Victim-Survivor Perspectives.