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Overview
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Professor in the Department of Psychology
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 work focuses on improving health and social outcomes for people, particularly women, who come into contact with health and justice services and on addressing inequalities experienced by marginalised populations. Over the course of my career, I have developed interdisciplinary research programmes and colloborations that have informed policy, practice and service development across health, social care and criminal justice settings.

Alongside my research leadership, I served as Principal of St Cuthbert's Society between 2021 and 2026, leading one of Durham University's largest and most diverse colleges and contributing to the wider student experience and strategic development of the collegiate university.

Research

I direct the Health and Justice Forensic Research Lab at Durham University, an interdisciplinary programme of research focused on improving health and social outcomes for people who come into contact with health and justice services. Through this work, I have established interdisciplinary collaborations across psychology, public health, psychiatry, primary care, criminology and the medical humanities, bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and people with lived experience to address health inequalities and improve services across health, social care and justice settings. https://healthjusticeforensicresearch.webspace.durham.ac.uk/

I have secured and led major externally funded research programmes, including NIHR-funded studies, examining severe mental illness, multiple long-term conditions, neurodiversity, self-harm and service delivery within health and justice settings. My research is designed to generate evidence that informs policy, professional practice and service improvement nationally and internationally.

Beyond individual projects, my work seeks to shape the development of forensic psychology, health services research and criminal justice policy through interdisciplinary collaboration, inclusive research practices and strong partnerships with policymakers, practitioners and third-sector organisations. A central aim of my research is to generate evidence that leads to meaningful improvements in services, systems and outcomes for marginalised populations.

A particular focus of my work is ensuring that research informs policy, practice and service development. I work closely with health, social care, criminal justice and third-sector organisations to co-produce research that addresses real-world challenges and supports the development, evaluation and improvement of services for people with complex and often overlapping health and social care needs.

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 collaborative approach helps ensure 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 a range of advisory and leadership 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. These roles have enabled me to contribute research expertise to discussions on the development, evaluation and improvement of services for people in contact with the criminal justice system.  

I am Chair of the British Psychological Society's North East of England Branch, providing regional leadership for the discipline and supporting the advancement of psychological science, education and practice across the North East.

Internationally, I serve as Co-Chair of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) Special Interest Group on Suicide Prevention in the Criminal Justice Sector, working with researchers, practitioners and policymakers across multiple countries to advance evidence, policy and practice relating to suicide prevention in justice settings.

Teaching and Research Supervision

I am committed to developing the next generation of researchers and practitioners and have supervised postgraduate and doctoral researchers across forensic psychology, mental health, health inequalities and criminal justice. Through the Health and Justice Forensic Research Lab, I have developed an interdisciplinary and supportive research environment that promotes 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, leading the development of seven volumes that showcased emerging areas of forensic psychology and supported the dissemination of innovative research across the discipline.

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

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

2024-Present: Chair of the British Psychological Society North East of England Branch, providing regional leadership and representing psychologists across the North East of England.

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

2023-Present: Review Editor, Forensic and Legal Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology.

2026-Present: Co-Editor, Special Research Topic Trauma, Risk, Recovery and Rehabilitation in Forensic and Justice Settings, Frontiers in Psychology.

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

2021-2025: Founder and Series Editor, New Frontiers in Forensic Psychology (Routledge), leading the development of a seven-volume book series showcasing emerging and innovative areas of 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