OUR NETWORK
TRYJustice is a transdisciplinary network of academics and practitioners from a range of backgrounds, with the common goals of reducing the number of children who come into contact with the law, and improving life outcomes for those who do.
Professor Adeela ahmed Shafi, MBE
Professor in Education at the University of Gloucestershire.
Her research is focused on the education of young people in secure custodial settings. She is leading 3 large Erasmus+ projects, Re-engaging Young Offenders with Education & Learning (RENYO), Active Games for Change (AG4C) and Skills4Life, working with partners in ten European countries to develop policy and practice. Adeela has an established publication profile and led a special issue in an international journal with research contributions on education in secure custodial settings from across the world. Adeela received an MBE in 2020 for contributions to research and social justice.
Professor Huw Williams
Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology and Co-Director of the Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research (CCNR) at Exeter University
Current projects include: Neuro-Trauma in adolescents and young adults in society and in prisons (in South Africa and London); Traumatic Brain Injury and Neuro Disability Screening & Support in Prisons (with Do-It Profiler). He has published in a range of areas of Clinical Neuropsychology – particularly on neuro-rehabilitation and recently regarding crime. He was awarded a Fellowship of the BPS and the Barbra Wilson Award for Lifetime Achievement in Clinical Neuropsychology in 2019.
Professor Stephen Case
Professor of Youth Justice at Loughborough University.
His research and scholarship have focused on the promotion of positive, ‘children first’, rights-based and anti-risk management approaches to working with children in conflict with the law. In addition to over 60 academic journal articles, he has published numerous books including ‘Child First: Developing a new Youth Justice System’ (Case and Hazel – Palgrave), and ‘Youth Justice: A Critical Introduction’ (Case 2021 – Routledge). Professor Case has conducted funded research for the Youth Justice Board, UKRI, the Home Office, the Welsh Government, the ESRC, the Leverhulme Trust and the Nuffield Foundation.
Professor Neal Hazel
Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Salford.
He has delivered more than 40 funded research projects, mainly in youth justice and family support. He led the national evaluation of youth custody during COVID-19. Neal specialises in providing useful policy and practice messages. In 2018, Neal was appointed to the Youth Justice Board, which is responsible for overseeing the youth justice system across England and Wales. He led the Board’s development of ‘Child First’ as the sector’s guiding principle and the ‘Constructive Resettlement’ model. He is also former HM Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation for England and Wales.
Hope Kent
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Exeter
Hope’s research interests are around using statistical modelling in large administrative datasets to understand criminalisation of people with neurodisabilities. In her current project, she is using linked Ministry of Justice and Department of Education data to understand pathways into the justice system through education and social care outcomes. She is interested in social models of disability, and in exploring how we can make systems accessible and appropriate for children with neurodisabilities. Hope is the research assistant for the TRYJustice Network.
Dr Kathy Hampson
Lecturer in Criminology at Aberystwyth University.
Kathy Hampson worked for several years as a case manager for a large city Youth Offending Team (YOT), completing her PhD whilst there, researching the emotional intelligence of children who offend (whilst also working for the University of Birmingham on their distance learning Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties MEd). After relocating to North Wales, she worked for the charity Llamau in a hybrid strategy/research project looking at YOT practice around the resettlement of children leaving custody. She now lectures in Criminology at Aberystwyth University, where she continues researching into youth justice (in particular youth justice systems).
Dr Sean Creaney
Criminologist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Law, Criminology and Policing at Edge Hill University.
Sean's areas of expertise include Child First Justice, typologies, theories and models of participation and co-production and experiential peer support and mentorship. Sean is a founding Advisory Board member of social justice charity Peer Power. In 2021, he was a research consultant on a Youth Justice Board commissioned project that audited the practice of participatory approaches and co-creation across Youth Justice Services. Sean is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Safer Communities journal and was awarded Outstanding Paper in both the 2015 and 2021 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence.
Dr Jon Hobson
Associate Professor of Social Sciences, Unviersity of Gloucestershire and Cardiff Metropolitan University
Dr Jonathan Hobson is an academic working at Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Gloucestershire where he researches and teaches on the interconnected issues of conflict, reconciliation, and the ways in which individuals and societies manage and overcome harm. Jon is Vice Chair of the Advisory Board for the APPG for Restorative Justice and an elected trustee of the Restorative Justice Council. Jon works with governments, police forces, statutory, and charity organisations in many countries, helping them to evaluate the impact of restorative justice services.
Dr Rebecca Banwell-Moore
Research Fellow, University of Nottingham
Rebecca Banwell-Moore is a Research Fellow on the UKRI funded 'Prison Regulation for Safer Societies’ study at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham. Rebecca’s area of expertise is Restorative Justice. Her particular focus is on victim participation in Restorative Justice and the role of criminal justice stakeholders. She is also a trained and practising community mediator. She previously held the position of Victim Liaison and Restorative Justice Coordinator in the youth offending service. She has recently been working with the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office in Wiltshire to embed restorative justice across criminal justice services.
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Ross Little
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, De Montfort University
Ross Little leads a module on the Criminology and Criminal Justice program focusing on Young People and the Criminal Justice System at De Montfort University. Since 2013, Ross has served on the Board of Trustees with The National Association for Youth Justice, supporting their aims to promote the rights of, and justice for, children involved in the criminal justice system. Prior to working in academia he worked for The Howard League for Penal Reform on a national youth justice participation project, and with The National Youth Agency. Ross is interested in working in ways which promote the voice of children in relation to their experiences of the criminal justice system, and has published on children’s education in prison. His PhD by concurrent publication focuses on how we create trustworthy learning spaces in low-trust contexts, drawing on experiences of co-creating a prison classroom with university students and people serving life sentences of imprisonment.
Professor Nicola Wake
Professor in Law, Northumbria University
Nicola Wake is Deputy Director for the Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies and Subject Sections Secretary for the Society of Legal Scholars. Nicola has published widely on mental condition defences, holds several editorial positions, and has secured funding from prestigious providers. Nicola's research interests include: criminal law and justice specifically mental condition defences, human trafficking, and vulnerable offenders.
Professor Raymond Arthur
Professor in Law, University of Northumbria
Raymond Arthur completed his PhD on family life and youth offending behaviour at the University of Birmingham in 2003.This work examined the state's obligations to protect the welfare of children and prevent youth offending under domestic and international law and developed the argument that all young people have a legal right to the provision of youth crime preventive support and services. He has published two sole authored monographs, chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on issues related to the delivery of justice for children and families, the complex linkage between parenting and youth offending and the extent to which the youth justice system in England and Wales protects children's human rights in the light of international best practice.
Sian Templeton
Educational Psychologist, Insight Educational Psychology
Sian Templeton is a practicing Educational Psychologist working with vulnerable children and young people either through direct intervention or through working with key adults supporting the children and young people. She works in a range of settings including Alternative Provision where a number of the children and young people are in conflict with the law. She has also worked as a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gloucestershire. Sian is currently completing a CPD Doctorate in Educational Psychology at University College London. Her research is focused upon eliciting the voice of children and young people who are incarcerated as to their views about an activity-based intervention aimed at improving social and emotional competence.
Andy Watch
Head of Education, Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home
Andy Watch trained as a maths teacher in secondary education, and his career has evolved through various pastoral and mentoring roles. He spent a number of years as a SENCo in a mainstream school for 11-18 year olds. In 2017, he began working at Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home has been the Deputy Head of Education since 2018. In this time, he has worked with over 300 young people. Andy’s desire is that through what he does day-to-day, and the research he is involved with, he can play a small part in enhancing children’s life prospects in some way.
Andrew Willetts
Principal Director, Oasis Restore Secure School
Andrew has previously worked in Education, Public Health, Local Authority and the NHS (Clinical Commissioning Group). Andrew has chaired regional boards in youth justice and family work for the YJB and the DfE. He has extensive knowledge and experience in child and family work, across design, delivery and commissioning. He has led some of the top-performing programmes in the country, including those evidenced as national best practice such as ‘Child First’. Andrew is relentlessly aspirational for children and has dedicated his life to improving outcomes specifically for those with complex vulnerabilities, behaviours, and needs. He has transformed and developed children and family hubs, health and wellbeing centres and youth provision in challenging circumstances and in areas of significant deprivation.
Nick Hoose
Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Wrexham Glyndwr University
Nick qualified as a Social Worker in 2010 and continues to be registered with Social Care Wales. Nick has work experience in the areas of Leaving Care, Learning Disability and Youth Justice, having worked with young people in various roles as a Social Worker, Team Manager and Court representative. Within his role in Youth Justice, Nick specialised in advising the Courts regarding young people’s circumstances and sentencing; resettlement upon release from custody; and also worked with young people displaying ranges of harmful sexual behaviour. Since 2019, Nick has worked as a Senior Lecturer in Wrexham Glyndwr University on the BA Social Work course, but remains connected to the practice arena through his work co-ordinating practice learning opportunities through Local Authority partners, his work with Hwb Doeth, a forum for connecting good practice and academic research areas in Youth Justice across Wales as well as being on the board of directors for Keystones Family Support. Nick is now Programme Leader for the BA Social Work as well as leading on placement arrangements and teaching across various modules and degrees. Nick’s areas of research interest are social justice, social welfare, advocacy for young people and their families and challenging stigma, discrimination and inequality.
Dr Demelza Jones
Research Fellow, University of Gloucestershire
Demelza Jones is a qualitative sociologist whose role as Research Fellow with the Countryside and Community Research Institute focuses on rural socio-economic transitions and challenges. Demelza has previously worked on the Horizon-2020 project CHIEF (Cultural Heritage and Identities of Europe’s Future) which examined challenges faced by young people across nine countries in the course of their cultural socialisation and in accessing diverse forms of cultural participation, and has held lecturing and research posts at the University of Gloucestershire, Aston University and the University of Birmingham. She has also worked in the field of migration and diaspora, and on an area-based study commissioned by the Children’s Society to examine families’ experiences of poverty and austerity in a peripheral urban neighbourhood. Prior to entering academia, Demelza worked in the third sector for organisations including the Arts Council, BBC Children in Need and the Refugee Council, with a focus on supporting participatory and empowering projects for disadvantaged children and young people.
Dr Caroline Bald
Lecturer in Health and Social Care, University of Essex
Caroline qualified as a Social Worker in 1999 with a Masters from the University of Glasgow, and continues to be registered with Social Work England. She has twenty years practice experience both adult and youth criminal justice settings specialising in public protection and risk management. Caroline has worked in a number of roles as Probation Officer, Hostel Manager and Team Manager for Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS), Groupwork and Court Teams as well as preparing Serious Care Reviews and Serious Further Offence Reviews for Local Safeguarding Boards and the Ministry of Justice. Since 2016, Caroline has worked as a Lecturer/Researcher, since 2020 at the University of Essex. Caroline was elected co-chair of the British Association of Social Workers Criminal Justice Group in 2020 and became founding co-chair of the European Social Work Research Association Social Work, Crime and Criminal Justice special interest group in 2022. Caroline is a trustee for Brain Injury Social Work Group (BISWG) and sits on the advisory board of Essex Human Rights Centre. Caroline is a member of the European Society of Criminology’s Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records working group.
Dr Tristan Middleton
Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Gloucestershire
Tristan's areas of research interest include inclusive education, Special Educational Needs, Resilience, and the education of young people in conflict with the law. They are the Editor of The International Journal of Nurture in Education and on the Editorial Board of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Journal, Educational Futures Journal and the Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs. They are also Chair of Directors of Leading Learning for SEND Community Interest Company. Tristan has published a range of academic papers and book chapters as well as co-authoring the following books, “Nurturing Peer Supervision”, “Reconsidering Resilience in Education”, and “Using an Inclusive Approach to Reduce School Exclusion: A practitioner’s guide”. Tristan has been part of the lead team of 2 large Erasmus+ projects, Re-engaging Young Offenders with Education & Learning (RENYO) and Active Games for Change (AG4C).
Aaron Ankrah
Civil servant specialising in data protection
With a robust background in safeguarding sensitive information, Aaron plays a crucial role in ensuring compliance with data protection laws and fostering trust within public service sectors. Aarons work is driven by a profound commitment to social justice, with a mission to reform the Criminal Justice System, focusing on early intervention for young people. Bringing a wealth of knowledge from various disciplines he has mastered over the years, Aaron aims to implement impactful reforms that support and rehabilitate youth, fostering a fairer and more equitable system for future generations. Leveraging his lived experiences, Aaron is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of young people and enhancing the effectiveness of the justice system.