Centre for Crime, Justice and Security

Themes

Summary

The Centre leads on ground-breaking research, innovations and enterprise initiatives that are committed to human rights, global security and justice for all.

Our aim

The Centre for Crime, Justice and Security aims for the promotion, development and implementation of justice in various forms. Work primarily focuses on criminal justice and how social justice impacts and is impacted by criminal justice practices. The work we do with our communities aims to enrich and transform lives and to positively impact on policy and practice in wider social and criminal justice environments.

The Centre is underpinned by three pillars:

  • Ethics and integrity

All our activities including research, professional training and practice, and enterprise and innovation will uphold the values of ethical best practice and integrity

  • Sustainability

The Centre develops solutions to real world problems that are financially and environmentally sustainable in the long term

  • Evidence based practice

All of our activities are underpinned by current and relevant research

The Centre is driven by solving global challenges through national and international collaborations and impacting on policy and practice at a global level. Working closely with the Staffordshire Forensic Partnership and Institute of Policing, we are able to have a positive impact on practice and feed into national initiatives such as Transforming Forensics. Our work promotes our students and staff as agents of positive change and disruptive innovators

The Centre contributes to the reduction of crime at local, regional, national and international level through crime prevention activities, improvements in crime detection approaches, developments in approaches to the rehabilitation of offenders, improving access to justice and training the practitioners in best practice.

The Centre aims to improve access to justice in the region outside the criminal justice system through the expansion of the law clinic model, in order to improve the lives of communities and individuals.

Our research involves many areas of criminology, forensic science and policing, including developing new and innovative methods for combatting crime at a national and international level. The Centre is organised into four main themes:

  • Investigation, Security and Intelligence
  • Crime, Justice and Communities
  • Professional Education, Regulation and Standards
  • Evidence Based Policing

Areas of expertise within each theme are diverse and both inter and multi-disciplinary.

The Centre houses four thriving research groups that work collaboratively across the University and with external partners on particular areas of interest. They include:

  • Crime and Society Research Group
  • University of Staffordshire Forensic Canine Research and Development Group
  • Burial Research Group
  • Microplastics and Forensic Fibres Research Group

Group leader

Dr Claire Gwinnett

Professor

I am a Professor in Forensic and Environmental Science. I specialise in forensic fibres analysis, mircoplastics and plastic pollution, hair analysis, paint analysis and glass analysis.

Claire's profile

Researchers within Centre for Crime, Justice and Security

Rachel Bolton-King

Visiting Fellow

I am an Associate Professor (Tef) and I specialise in forensic firearm identification and ammunition, ballistics imaging, and shooting incident reconstruction.

Rachel's profile

Professor Elizabeth Boath

Professor

I am Liz Boath, Professor of Health and Wellbeing. I have three decades experience of Health and Social Care education and research and expertise in perinatal mental health and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).

Elizabeth's profile

Dr Tony Craig

Associate Professor

Dr Tony Craig is Associate Professor in Modern History. His research primarily focuses on the contemporary security history of Britain and Ireland.

Tony's profile
for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021