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Overview
Affiliations
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Professor in the Department of Psychology
Associate Fellow in the Institute of Advanced Study
Fellow of the Institute for Medical Humanities
Fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing

Biography

I am Professor of Forensic Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Durham University and Director of the Health and Justice Forensic Research Lab. I am a Fellow and Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a Registered Senior Fellow of Advance HE.

My research focuses on improving health outcomes for adults, particularly women, who come into contact with prisons and forensic mental health services and who experience multiple long-term conditions. I am interested in the intersections between self-harm, severe mental illness, physical health conditions, substance use, and social disadvantage, with a particular focus on addressing health inequalities experienced by marginalised populations.

Alongside my academic role, I served as Principal of St Cuthbert's Society from 2021 to 2026, leading one of Durham University's largest and most diverse collegiate communities and contributing to the wider student experience.

Research

I direct the Health and Justice Forensic Research Lab at Durham University. My work brings together perspectives from psychology, public health, psychiatry, primary care, criminology, and the medical humanities to better understand and address health inequalities among people who come into contact with health and justice services. https://healthjusticeforensicresearch.webspace.durham.ac.uk/

I have secured and led major research grants, including NIHR-funded studies, and use mixed-methods approaches to investigate how services can better meet the needs of people with complex and often overlapping health and social care needs. My research is designed to generate evidence that informs policy, practice, and service improvement.

Collaboration is central to my work. I work closely with healthcare providers, criminal justice agencies, policymakers, third-sector organisations, and experts by experience to ensure that research findings translate into meaningful change in policy and practice.

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) is central to my research. I work collaboratively with people who have lived experience of imprisonment, forensic mental health services, severe mental illness, self-harm, substance use, and multiple long-term health conditions.

People with lived experience contribute throughout the research process, including identifying research priorities, shaping study design, interpreting findings, and supporting dissemination activities. This ensures that research remains meaningful, relevant, and capable of improving services and outcomes for those most affected by health and justice inequalities.

Policy and Professional Leadership

I have contributed to national policy and practice through appointments including the Ministry of Justice Women in the Criminal Justice System Expert Group and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation and Prisons' Expert Reference Group for the joint thematic inspection of work undertaken with women in the criminal justice system.

I am Chair of the British Psychological Society's North East of England Branch, representing psychologists across the region and supporting the advancement of psychological science, education, and practice. Internationally, I am Co-Chair of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) Special Interest Group on Suicide Prevention in the Criminal Justice Sector, working with colleagues across the world to advance research, policy, and practice aimed at reducing suicide and self-harm among people in contact with justice systems.

Teaching and Research Supervision

I am passionate about supporting the next generation of researchers and practitioners. I supervise postgraduate and doctoral researchers across forensic psychology, mental health, health inequalities, and criminal justice. Through the Health and Justice Forensic Research Lab, I foster an interdisciplinary and supportive research environment that encourages collaboration, public engagement, and impactful research.

Publications and Editorial Roles

Between 2021 and 2025, I founded and served as Series Editor of Routledge's New Frontiers in Forensic Psychology series, which published seven books exploring emerging areas of forensic psychology.

My publications include Criminal Women (2022), Tackling Sexual Violence at Universities: An International Perspective (2019), and Preventing Self-Injury and Suicide in Women's Prisons (2016). The latter received the British Psychological Society Book Award for Best Practitioner Text in 2017.

 

Selected Awarded Grants

2025: Durham University Grant Seedcorn Fund: Neurodiversity, Mental Health, and the Criminal Justice System. Principal Investigator.

2025: NIHR School for Primary Care Research: Improving Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement with Imprisoned Women with Severe Mental Illness. Principal Investigator.

2025: NIHR Team Science: A Team Science Approach to examIning the management and Prevalence of multiple Long-Term cOnditions within England's Prison service [TIPTOP]. Principal Investigator.

2024: NIHR [RfPB]: Improving Services for Imprisoned Women with Severe Mental Illness [IPSIS]. Principal Investigator.

2023: HTA Programme: Women Offenders Repeat Self-Harm Intervention Pragmatic Trial: WORSHIP III. Co-Investigator. With Manchester University.

2022: UK Universities: UK-Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme form. Multidisciplinary approaches to building research capacity and resilence through partnership during conflict. Co-Investigator.

2021: NIHR [RfPB]: Increasing Physical Activity in a Medium Secure Service: The Development and Feasibility of a Physical ACTivity Intervention [IMPACT]. Principal Investigator.

2021: NIHR: WHOLE-SMI - Wellbeing And HOListic Health Promotion For People With Severe Mental Illness. Co-Investigator. With Newcastle University.

2021: NIHR [ARC NENC]: Heroin Assisted Treatment Intervention (HATI): A qualitative exploration. Principal Investigator.

Esteem Indicators

2025-Current: Co-Chair of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) Special Interest Group on Suicide Prevention in the Criminal Justice Sector

2025-Current: Member of County Durham Mental Health and Wellbeing System Partnership Board. 

2024-Current: Chair of the British Psychological Society North East of England Branch representing psychologists across the North East of England.

2024-Current: Invited member to Durham and Darlington’s Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership Expert Group.

2023-Current: Review Editor of Forensic and Legal Psychology (specialty section of Frontiers in Psychology).

2026-Current: Topic Editors - Frontiers in Psychology - Trauma-Informed Care in Forensic and Justice Settings.

2024-2026: Topic Editor – Frontiers in Psychiatry - Women Offenders: The Challenge of Evidence-based Practice in Correctional and Forensic Mental Health Services.

2021-2025: Founder and Series Book Editor - New Frontiers in Forensic Psychology (Routledge). Seven books were published that provided insight into new and original areas of investigation in forensic psychology.

 

 

Research interests

  • Forensic mental health issues and women in contact with the criminal justice system
  • Inequalities in mental and physical health among forensic populations
  • Multiple Long-Term Conditions among forensic populations
  • Addictions - Drugs and Alcohol Services in Education and NHS

Publications

Authored book

Chapter in book

Edited book

  • Criminal Women
    Grace, S., O’Neill, M., Walker, T., King, H., Baldwin, L., Jobe, A., Lynch, O., Measham, F., O’Brien, K., & Seaman, V. (Eds.). (in press). Criminal Women (1st ed.). Bristol University Press.

Journal Article

Other (Print)

Supervision students