Guest lecture, University of Sassari

I am currently at the University of Sassari in Sardinia. Yesterday I presented a lecture about a research project that is funded by Edge Hill University, which explores the offending narratives of young people. This is a qualitative piece of research that follows on from my PhD and seeks to understand how young people feel when they offend in groups.

The new research provides data for two projects: the first explores themes emerging from co-offending narratives of young people; this involves a thematic analysis of interviews with young people in the UK, which is being undertaken by Dr Anna Bussu. The second investigates the narrative roles and emotions of young people who are seen to be at risk of criminal exploitation, and is in collaboration with my former Phd supervisors Dr Maria Ioannou at the University of Huddersfield, and Dr Laura Hammond at Birmingham City University.

Interim findings for both pieces of research will be presented at the British Psychological Society Division of Forensic Psychology’s Annual Conference, which will be held in Liverpool this year. The aim of this research is to inform interventions for young people at risk of offending and criminal exploitation. It will also inform practitioners who work in Juvenile/Youth Justice, so that they can support young people who are at risk of or have been criminally exploited.