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Why choosing a research placement module was the best decision I made
Taking Criminologists in Society (CRI2013) in second year was the best academic decision I could have made for myself. It’s not an easy module, it is actually the complete opposite, and it is definitely not one you can leave until the last minute. Out of all my modules, CRI2013 demanded the most reading, preparation, organisation, and time. But I would still recommend it to anyone who isn’t afraid of hard work and wants to push themselves outside their comfort zone. Through this module, I secured a volunteering role with a domestic abuse charity supporting female survivors which has opened up doors for me in regard to future employment. I discovered that transcribing interviews and thematic analysis is far more challenging and time-consuming than textbooks make out and proved to myself that I can confidently present on a topic I’m genuinely passionate about even when I am quizzed about it.
Preparing for the dissertation:
Choosing a research-heavy module was a gamble, especially because my lowest grade previously came from research methods in year 1 but I knew that if I wanted to feel confident going into my dissertation in third year, I needed to face that challenge head-on and CRI2013 was the best way to do that. Thankfully I was right and it turned out to be the perfect preparation and has left me so much more confident in my ability to actually conduct real life research.
In many ways, CRI2013 is a mini‑dissertation because you design a project, complete an ethical form (which needs to be a lot more thorough than you would expect), conduct real fieldwork, analyse your findings, and write up a full research report. Whilst a 3000 research report sounds intimidating, I actually found it restrictive because I had so much to discuss by the time I started writing. This is because I had free reign to choose a topic to research that I was genuinely interested in, just like with the dissertation which allowed me to enjoy the materials I was engaging with as well as my time out in the field.
This experience has also significantly shaped my dissertation direction. After examining support offered to survivors after abuse, I am now interested in exploring the support and advice available before abuse occurs. Due to this, the literature I engaged with during my placement has been invaluable, giving me a strong literature bank to build upon for my literature review as well as to utilise for the methodology section and ethical statement.
Having the opportunity to complete an ethics form 1-on-1 with a lecturer is great as you won’t receive the same level of support at level 6. I now know what is expected by the committee to be granted ethical approval.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that completing a Level 5 research placement is a unique opportunity. Your module lead will help you every step of the way so whilst it is an independent piece of research don’t let that put you off because you will be given as much help and advice as you need and I would say make the most of it! It is also a great opportunity to network with organisations and agencies as a small research placement may secure you further employment or volunteering opportunities with them like mine did or at the very least open doors to other agencies they work with.
The reality of finding a placement:
My biggest piece of advice? Don’t take it personally when organisations can’t offer you a placement. I went into the module knowing I wanted to focus on victims of crime, so I emailed local organisations expecting plenty of options. The reality was very different. I faced rejections, delays, and complete silence. Eventually, one organisation which happened to be an hour’s drive away finally agreed to meet with me five weeks after the module started. So don’t get too attached to the idea of a specific organisation or location, you have to be open‑minded. Look at every organisation you could realistically travel to and reach out as early as possible. Time moves quickly, and placements take longer to secure than you think.
What to do while you’re waiting?
The weeks where I didn’t know whether I’d even secure a placement were stressful. But the best advice I can give is to start reading anyway. Even if you can’t begin your literature review, you can start reading for your methodology and methods section. Think about what type of research you want to conduct, how you would like to do it and get started on the ethics form. The more groundwork you do early, the easier everything becomes later. Because once you do secure a host, everything speeds up. Your thirty hours in the field fly by, and suddenly you’re juggling a 3,000‑word report, a presentation, and other assessments all at once. “Little and often” genuinely is the key. You cannot leave this module until the end.
The ethics form:
As mentioned above, do not underestimate the work that goes into your ethical statement. No stone will be left unturned when it comes to the university being reassured that your research will be ethically conducted. You have to consider risks to yourself, the participants and to the university. Confidentiality, anonymity, health and safety factors, who your participants will be and what risks they might face all have to be considered. Most importantly you have to justify your research as to why its necessary and ethically sound. We all had many drafts of our ethical statements before they were signed off, so again give yourself plenty of time to complete them and don’t be offended when they’re picked apart.
The challenge and reward of real fieldwork:
This module had me writing an abstract, introduction, critical literature review, methodology and methods section, findings, and discussion. But the hardest part wasn’t the writing for me it was conducting the actual research entirely on my own.
Walking into a room full of strangers, explaining my project, and then spending thirty hours taking fieldnotes in a room full of strangers who were opening up about horrific acts of violence was nerve‑wracking and uncomfortable at times. But it pushed me in ways no other module has. I got to speak to the CEO and her employees about the challenges domestic abuse charities face when providing support, the rewards their hard work provides them, and I observed the difference they make to women’s lives first-hand. I even had the opportunity to conduct an interview with the CEO which was a great experience and something I never imagined I’d be confident enough to do. It has shown me that if this were a method I would like to adopt for the dissertation, I am more than capable of doing that.
Transcribing an interview and doing thematic analysis across pages of scribbled notes and a full transcript is tough, stressful, and time‑consuming but I did it. Figuring out my researcher positionality and keeping a research diary was challenging too, yet it really helped me understand myself as a researcher which again will be useful for the dissertation especially due to the similarities between my research focus.
Why should you consider this module?
If you want a challenge and if you want to walk into third year feeling prepared CRI2013 is worth every hour you put into it. It’s demanding but you will finish the module not just with a grade, but with real research experience you can talk about in interviews, put on your CV, and genuinely be proud of. I was proud to present my research, and I was proud to watch my peers do the same because our hard work paid off.
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Criminologist in Society module through my own eyes
In the beginning of the module, I was terrified, I am not going to lie however Jess explained how the module would work and where to reach out if I needed help at any point. I found this session incredibly useful as it gave me dates and timeline to plan and accommodate for. Jess also ensured us that she was always there to help us when we needed it via email or even in person, this was incredibly reassuring. We also spent lots of time discussing and practicing the ethical statement and the groundwork of the module before the actual placement took place. This ensured that I was more confident when actually completing the ethical statement and reaching out to different establishments about completing my research. I also began to gather literature around my chosen topic, this helped me understand potential findings before I completed my research and also when writing my placement report I had literature I could use and understand to put towards my final literature review.
During the placement, I sat in the public gallery of the crown courts during hearings and took notes on the different technologies I saw e.g. phones, computers and even paper documents. Then I also noted how these were used in the court setting and their effects on the environment. To take notes I used my research diary as I would have not been allowed to bring my university laptop into the hearings. I found pen and paper great because I was able to write notes on situations and observations as they happened compared to when got home meaning I did not miss any crucial details from my research days. In my notes I was able to capture the hard data such as types of technology and also the effect that these diverse types had on the crown court. During my time at the courts, I spoke to the same usher every day, this helped to build a relationship with her and meant that she could help to understand what was happening and why. She also gave me a better idea of what court room would be interesting for my research. She also taught me courtroom respect such as never leaving the court when a hearing is taking place and also standing when the judge enters or leaves the court room. This was extremely helpful as I felt more comfortable in the environment.
After my placement, I began to code my data that I had collected. I found this immensely helpful as it made these themes and similarities clear. I then used these themes to create a clearer outline of what my research had found. Alongside this I began to write my presentation around my placement, I found this particularly useful as it meant I could have a summary of everything I had done in the past weeks. It also allowed jess to make comments on my work and guide me in the correct direction if I was missing any key details. Overall, this made me feel a lot more comfortable with writing my placement report as I knew what I could do to strengthen my work. Once the presentation was done, I moved on to drafting the report. This was incredibly daunting at first, but I found it better once I broke it down into smaller sections. Focusing on one section at a time allowed me to make sure that every section included all the correct details that it needed. As I had already began to collect my literature before I did my research, it mean that I could write the literature review first and I could even begin to write this while still collecting research data. Using last year’s lectures and seminars around methodology, I was able to look back at my notes and make sensible choices of what worked for my data. This took a massive wait of my shoulders as I did not have to start from the beginning.
Speaking to Jess in our allocated session really helped me during this time as If I were unsure about anything I could ask her a question. If I could suggest anything, it would be that no question is a silly question! Having all my worries and concerns dealt with cleared my mind and allowed me to focus on the harder sections while being confident with the sections I had previously written.
Now having successfully completed this module, I am incredibly proud of myself and my work. I feel more confident about completing my dissertation in year 3 due to the skills and experience I have gained in this module. I would recommend this module to any year twos that are feeling nervous about the dissertation as it has definitely increased my confidence and allowed to gain really useful experience.
I want to thank @jesjames50 for all the help and support she gave me during this module I really appreciate it .
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Data…
As we draw closer to the end of semester 2, Criminology students across the 3 cohorts will have recently submitted, or be in the process of submitting, assessments which contain research data. Glorious criminological research data. CRI1011 have their research report looking at an interview transcript. CRI2013 have their research project looking at observations whilst on a research placement. And the third years submitted their dissertations back in April: lots and lots of different data. But as most research methods students will know, there are strengths and weaknesses to all data, and the data is intrinsically linked to the research question, aims and objectives. But data exists outside of our research bubble as well. Think about how many websites have asked for/taken/stolen/used/stored/sold our data!
Data serves different purposes and has different impacts. Back in September 2025, the Department for Transport published their ‘Reported road casualties Great Britain: motorcycle factsheet’. Some key findings: from 2004-2024 motorcycle traffic decreased by 6%, from 2020-2024 92% of motorcycle killed or serious injured casualties were male and in 2024 340 motorcyclists were killed in Great Britain (Department of Transport, 2025). Some data: but what does it mean? Quantitative data holds an important part in our daily lives as it tends to provide us with the ‘how’s’ and ‘what’s’. So, we can see only 8% of motorcyclists killed or serious injured casualties were female but the factsheet does not tell us how many motorcyclists in Great Britain identify as female? We could think about how many hold a licence but this does not necessarily mean they are active riders. It doesn’t explain why there is such a difference across gender, and there is no data about race. So I guess whilst there is data there is also lots of missing data. And I think this is an important point to remember: quantitative data can be perceived as providing the bigger picture, the quantity, but even then it is often only part of the picture.
The data from the Department of Transport (2025) also doesn’t tell us anything about who these people are: it has reduced them to a percentage. There is no story about who they were, why they ride, where they were going or what their hopes and dreams were. But it does give us an overview: it gives is the what. But I guess the question is do we need the why, the story, the narrative? We are fortunate (although it might not always feel like it) to live in a world full of different types of data! It is a data saturated society in which we live. Often at tip of our fingers, with a tip tap of the keyboard (across devices). But sometimes it can be difficult to manage, to understand and to recognise what’s missing. Data can be overwhelming. It can also be challenging to know you, or someone you know, is part of the data but at the same time be completely absent from it. The riders who have lost their lives in motorcycle accidents are reduced to numbers: they are in the data but who they are is unknown.
As the second years begin to think about their dissertation proposals, it’s a good time to reflect and think about the data we are exposed to, the data we want to collect and the data which already exists. In a society so saturated with data it might not always be relevant to keep adding to it, and instead might be more relevant to think about making sense of some of the data which already exists…
References:
Department of Transport (2025) Reported road casualties Great Britain: motorcycle factsheet [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-motorcyclist-factsheet-2024/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-motorcyclist-factsheet-2024 [Accessed 14th May 2026].
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An academic reflection – from BA to book!
When I reflect on my journey into academia it does feel surreal at times. From starting a BA in History and Criminology, to a Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice to my PhD in criminology. It has been quite the journey, and each qualification came one after the next. I often wonder if the quick movement from one to the next allowed for full reflection into the achievement, the journey and how I viewed myself as I became closer to the world of academia. I started my journey into academia in 2020 towards the end of my PhD, and just after the first Covid-19 lockdown. Technically I was in the world of academia on paper but still learning from others in the field and relying on their expertise and guidance. However, I think being in this position was positive and I continue to still seek guidance and expertise from others that have experience and knowledge within the field.
After completing the PhD and minor corrections, there was time for reflection, alongside another opportunity of turning the PhD into a book. The process of creating the book was one of pride and doubt. Suddenly, having full creative license so to speak without the guidance of supervisors felt like unchartered territory, particularly as I had been doing the PhD part time from October 2016 to January 2023. Moreover, I had to think about how the book would be different from the PhD, what it needed to convey and how to improve its accessibility. I like to think the book offers the most important parts of the PhD in a format that is more accessible, condensed and engaging.
Each chapter plays an important role, with the first few chapters laying the foundations for the themes in the remainder of the chapters. To avoid turning this into a book review, instead I highlight the chapter that holds a special place in my heart, Chapter 4 – Monologues and Table Reads: Identity Trees and Lived Experiences. This chapter introduces the identity tree task I completed with a number of Black women in prison. The task itself represents vulnerability, from both me and the participants, difficulty (as the process of explaining and supporting the women through the task was not always easy), and change. It marked a change as it was a clear move away from a traditional method of capturing data and a different way of engaging with participants. I learnt from the participants as much as they learned from me. Furthermore, power dynamics were reduced; it just felt like a group of Black women sharing stories and encouraging resilience and support, even though the latter was not always explicit. In this chapter you get to see and hear about the experiences of these Black women and the events that shaped their lives prior to imprisonment. Their stories reveal the importance of intersectionality and the complexity of our identities.
So as I embark on making the contents of the book more known to a variety of audiences, please be part of the process. You can do this by asking questions about the book, sharing it on your platforms, attending events regarding the book and getting the voices of the Black women in this book out there. My book launch, at the University of Northampton, offers an opportunity to hear about some of the themes in the book, the process of conducting the research and further hopes of what can be done to support Black women in prison. All who attend will be entered into a raffle to win a free copy of the book. Please see the link below for further information about the event.
Black Women in Prison Book Launch
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A reflective continuous journey
Over the last few weeks I have been in deep thought and contemplation. This has stemmed from a number of activities I have been involved in. The first of those was the Centre for the Advancement of Racial Equality (CARE) Conference, held on the 1st July. The theme this year was “Illustrating Futures – Reclaiming Race and Identity Through Creative Expressions.” It was a topic I have become both passionate and interested in over the last few years. It was really important to be part of an event that placed racial equality at the heart of its message. There were a number of speakers there, all with important messages. Assoc. Prof. Dr Sheine Peart and Dr Richard Race talked about the experiences of racialised women in higher education. They focused on the micro-aggressions they face, alongside the obstacles they encounter trying to gain promotions, or even to be taken seriously in their roles. Another key speaker during the conference was Dr Martin Glynn, unapologetically himself in his approach to teaching and his journey to getting his professor status. It was a reminder to be authentically yourself and not attempt to fit in an academic box that has been prescribed by others. As I write my first academic book, his authenticity reminded me to write my contribution to criminology in the way I see fit, with less worry and comparison to others. It was also another reminder not to doubt yourself and your abilities because of your background or your academic journey being different to others. Dr Glynn has and continues to break down barriers in and outside of the classroom and reminds us to think outside the box a little when we engage with our young students.
Another key event was the All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting on women in the criminal justice system. The question being addressed at the meeting was ‘What can the Women’s Justice Board do to address racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system?’. It was an opportunity for important organisations and stakeholders to stress what they believed were the key areas that needed to be addressed. Some of the charities and Non-governmental organisations were Hibiscus, Traveller Movement, The Zahid Mubarek Trust. There were also individuals from Head of Anti-slavery and Human Trafficking at HMPPS and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime in London. Each representative had a unique standpoint and different calls for recommendations, ranging from:
• Hearing the voices of women affected in the CJS;
• Having culturally competent and trauma informed CJS staff;
• Ringfenced funding for specialist services and organisations like the ones that were in attendance;
• Knowing who you are serving and their needs;
• Making it a requirement to capture data on race and gender at all stages of the CJS.
It was truly great to be in a room full of individuals so ready to put the hard work in to advocate and push for change. I hope it will be one of many discussions I attend in the future.
Lastly, as I enter the final throes of writing my book on the experiences of Black women in prison I have been reflecting on what I want my book to get across, and who will be able to access it. The book represents the final outcomes of my PhD so to speak:
• To be able to disseminate the words and voices of the women that shared their stories;
• To be able to provide a visual into their lives and highlight the importance of visual research methods;
• To highlight some recommendations for change to reduce some of the pains of imprisonment faced by Black women;
• To call for more research on this group that has been rendered invisible.
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The future of criminology
If you have an alert on your phone then a new story may come with a bing! the headline news a combination of arid politics and crime stories. Sometimes some spicy celebrity news and maybe why not a scandal or two. We are alerted to stories that bing in our phone to keep ourselves informed. Only these are not stories, they are just headlines! We read a series of headlines and form a quick opinion of anything from foreign affairs, transnational crime, war, financial affairs to death. We are informed and move on.
There is a distinction, that we tend not to make whenever we are getting our headline alerts; we get fragments of information, in a sea of constant news, that lose their significance once the new headline appears. We get some information, but never the knowledge of what really happened. We hear of war but we hardly know the reasons for the war. We read on financial crisis but never capture the reason for the crisis. We hear about death, usually in crime stories, and take notice of the headcount as if that matters. If life matters then a single loss of life should have an impact that it deserves irrespective of origin.
After a year that forced me to reflect deeply about the past and the future, I often questioned if the way we consume information will alter the way we register social phenomena and more importantly we understand society and ourselves in it. After all crime stories tend to be featured heavily in the headlines. Last time I was imagining the “criminology of the future” it was terrorism and the use of any object to cause harm. That was then and now some years later we still see cars being used as weapons, fear of crime is growing according to the headlines that even the official stats have paused surveying since 2017! Maybe because in the other side of the Atlantic the measurement of fear was revealed to be so great that 70% of those surveyed admitted being afraid of crime, some of whom to the extent that changes their everyday life.
We are afraid of crime, because we read the headlines. If knowledge is power, then the fragmented information is the source of ambiguity. The emergence of information, the reproduction of news, in some cases aided by AI have not provided any great insight or understanding of what is happening around us. A difference between information and knowledge is the way we establish them but more importantly how we support them. In a world of 24/7 news updates, we have no ideological appreciation of what is happening. Violence is presented as a phenomenon that emerges under the layers of the dark human nature. That makes is unpredictable and scary. Understandably so…
This a representation of violence devoid of ideology and theory. What is violence in our society does not simply happens but it is produced and managed through the way it is consumed and promoted. We sell violence, package it for patriotic fervour. We make defence contracts, selling weapons, promoting war. In society different social groups are separated and pitted against each other. Territory becomes important and it can be protected only through violence. These mechanisms that support and manage violence in our society are usually omitted. A dear colleague quite recently reminded me that the role of criminology is to remind people that the origins of crime are well rooted in our society in the volume of harm it inflicts.
There is no singular way that criminology can develop. So far it appears like this resilient discipline that manages to incorporates into its own body areas of work that fiercely criticised it. It is quite ironic for the typical criminology student to read Foucault, when he considered criminology “a utilitarian discipline”! Criminology had the last laugh as his work on discipline and punishment became an essential read. The discipline seems to have staying power but will it survive the era of information? Most likely; crime data originally criticised by most, if not all criminologists are now becoming a staple of criminological research methods. Maybe criminology manages to achieve what sociology was doing in the late 20th century or maybe not! Whatever direction the future of criminology takes it will be because we have taken it there! We are those who ought to take the discipline further so it would be relevant in years to come. After all when people in the future asked you what did you do…you better have a good answer!
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25 Years of Criminology at UON: Looking Back
This year Criminology at UON is celebrating its 25th Anniversary! Exciting times! In line with the celebrations, the Criminology Team have organised a number of events as part of these celebrations. Ranging from the ‘Changing the Narrative’ VAWG event, organised by Dr @paulaabowles and the Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), to a school’s event in June offering out miniature taster sessions to interested, local year12 students (more details T.B.C). As well all the exciting events, we have also had reflections from the Team around what it means to them and their journey with Criminology at UON. It is my journey which I would like to share with you now.
My journey begins in 2012 as a bright eyed and bushy tailed first year student moving away from home to Northampton to study Criminology. Having never done any Criminology, Psychology, Sociology, or Law before I was feeling very much out of my depth. However, little did I realise that my A-levels in Philosophy, Ethics and English Language would hold me steady. The first year was quite overwhelming: there were lots of tears and uncertainties. I remember it taking the entire summer between year 1 and year 2 to get my head around Harvard Referencing. But I survived! It was not until the end of year 2 and beginning of year 3 where I would say I began to ‘thrive’ in the discipline. As a student, one of my highlights was doing a research placement in year 2. Academically, I gained skills which prepared me for the dissertation in the final year, but it also brought me out of my shell much more. Pretty sure there were tears here as well- this has been a common feature of my journey with Criminology (as student and staff)!
In 2015 I graduated from UON with a BA in Criminology and in the September of that year began in the role as an Associate Lecturer in Criminology. This was incredibly scary but also incredibly rewarding. It was very interesting to be on ‘the other side’ of academia having so recently graduated and it took a fair amount of time to transition from student to staff (as academics we are also students so the transition is never fully complete)! I was involved on modules I had not had the privilege of studying and was able to work closely with esteemed colleagues I’d looked up to for so long and who had had a large impact in moulding the criminologist I was (and am today). In the September of 2020, after achieving my MSc in Criminology, I became a full-time lecturer and remain so five years later. The course and University has changed a lot in those 5 years, with some fabulous new modules in the BA and BA Criminology with Psychology courses, new colleagues offering a range of expertise and passion for areas within the discipline and some epic trips with a number of the student cohorts we have been blessed to have.
There have been challenges too, and lots of tears (especially from me), but the progress and evolution of Criminology at UON in the 13 years I have been a part of it have been monumental! Hopefully there will be even more positivity to come in the future. I feel incredibly grateful and blessed to have been involved with Criminology at UON for so long, and always look back on my student days with fondness. I’ve enjoyed my role as a member of staff and enjoyed being a part of the events the Team have organised and the new course which we have designed. A huge ‘Thank you’ must be written to the ‘founding father of Criminology at UON’ @manosdaskalou, without whom my, and many others, journey with Criminology at UON might be non-existent! So cheers to 25 years of Criminology at UON, the ‘founding father’, and to many more wonderful years (and hopefully less tears)!
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An annual reflection and a glance to the year ahead!
As we complete the last day before the Christmas break, I encourage you to sit back and reflect on what you have achieved this academic term. Some of you will have started university for the first time and will be getting to grips with the processes, the assessments, the staff and the learning styles of the university. Some of you will be navigating second year and the new expectations of you at this level, learning to move beyond discussion to instead evaluation and being critical, honing your research skills in preparation for your dissertations in the next academic year. For some of you this may have been a hard journey and one that will progress into the second semester, but please know that this will build up your skills and your confidence, turning you into the academic you need to be in order to succeed.
For some of you, you will have moved into your third and final year. With this comes more independence, and some of this may feel uncertain, confusing, and a bit unknown. Please know that again this does not last and you will find your feet. Whether that is a lightbulb moment with your dissertation, or finally finding the right article that helps you to write your essay. For those of you that have exams coming up in January, make sure you can enjoy the festivities and take a well earned break. But when you find those moments where you’re bored and have nothing to do, and you start to think about your criminology course, I think that will be a good indication to pick up a book, to read through your notes, or to practice some exam questions.
On a personal note as I reflect on this year there are things I am definitely proud to have achieved, and things I would like to work on in the future. One of my biggest achievements this year was completing my PhD. It has been a long, difficult journey, spanning over eight years, but the feeling of successfully completing my viva, making those final changes, and the recognition I feel when discussing my research to various people reminds me of its importance. The special moment of my graduation. At my graduation my research title was read aloud, I was applauded, and then welcomed into the academic community onstage to be seated with fellow academics such as my supervisors. This was a special moment I will cherish and having family there was all the more memorable and precious. Whilst the PhD journey has come to an end, new opportunities arise, so keep an eye out in 2025 for further publications!
In addition, this year, I navigated my new job at the University of Northampton. In the 12 months I’ve been here I have learnt a lot from colleagues, from the faculty, and from other departments. Looking ahead, the road is one of change and adjustment, but I am optimistic and ready for whatever changes may come.
I wish everyone a wonderful and restful Christmas. Like myself, I hope you return in the New Year with renewed energy ready to tackle any new adventures with poise and determination. Remember to push yourselves to get to the best version of you!
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Homelessness: Outsiders and Surviving on the Street: A snapshot of my undergraduate dissertation.
As the wait until graduation dissipates, I thought I may outline my dissertation and share some of the interesting notions I discovered and the events I experienced throughout the process of creating potentially the most extensive research project each of us has conquered so far.
What was my research about?
As we all know, the issue of homelessness is rife throughout the streets of Northampton and across the UK. I wanted to explore two main areas of homelessness that I understood to be important: the Victimisation of the homeless and the Criminalisation of the homeless. Prior research suggested that the homeless were victimised more frequently than the general public; they are more invisible victims, ignored and abused. There is a lack of reporting of the victimisation they face, partially explained by the lack of trust and lack of embracing victim identity, therefore, a lack of understanding of the victimisation this group faces. They are treated as outsiders, so they act as outsiders, the out-group whose behaviour is deemed ‘deviant,’ resulting in exclusionary tactics such as Hostile Architecture and legislation to hinder their ability to survive. Statistics do suggest that a large number of the homeless population have previously engaged in criminal activity, but the reasonings behind the criminality are distinct. There is an understanding that the criminal behaviour engaged in by the homeless population is survival in nature and only conducted to sustain themselves on the street. The crimes they commit may be due to the ‘criminogenic’ situation they find themselves in where they have to conduct these behaviours due to the environment, society and the economy.
What did I do?
My research was conducted in The Hope Centre, a homeless and hardship charity located in Northampton. Within the centre, I conversed with 7 service users about their experiences living on the street, engagement with criminal activity and the events they have faced. I based my research around an interpretivist lens to capture their experiences and ensure they are subjective and connected to that individual.
What did I find?
The conversations produced a multitude of different reoccurring themes, but the three I believe to be the most stand-out and important are Survival, Cynicism and Labelling, and Outsiders.
Within the survival theme, numerous individuals spoke of the criminality that they have engaged in whilst being on the street, from shoplifting to drug dealing. Still, there was a variety of different justifications used to rationalise their behaviour. Some individuals explained that the crime was to be able to sustain themselves, eat, sleep, etc. For some, the criminality was rationalised by softening the victim’s stance by suggesting they were faceless or victimless if they targeted large corporations. For some, the rationale was to purchase drugs, which, although deemed a commodity and a luxury by some, is also a necessity by others, needing a particular substance to be able to live through the night.
Within the Cyclicism theme, a common topic was that of the society that these individuals reside in; the homeless that have sometimes been released from prison are let out into a society with a lack of job opportunities (due to criminal records) and a drug culture that forces them into other money-making ventures such as criminality, resulting in a total loop back into the prison system. Some participants were under the assumption that the prison system was designed this way to create money by pushing them back into it.
One final theme was that of labelling and outsiders, this is the situation whereby individuals the participants were perceived negatively regardless of what they did and how they acted. They suggested that they were seen as ‘dirty’ even if they had showered. Due to this, they were excluded from society for being an outlier and seen as different to the ‘in-group’ with no control over changing that. This led to some participants attempting to change their behaviour and look to fit in with societal norms. There is also a perception from the homeless about other homeless individuals, specifically the divide between those who beg and those who do not. Some believe that those who beg, harass people and give the entire community a ‘bad rep.’
My dissertation did not aim to drive a specific conclusion due to the individual nature of the conversations. However, it is my hope and aim to potentially change the perceptions and actions of each individual who has read my dissertation regarding this neglected group in society.
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Meet the Team: Liam Miles, Lecturer in Criminology
Hello!
I am Liam Miles, a lecturer in criminology and I am delighted to be joining the teaching team here at Northampton. I am nearing the end of my PhD journey that I completed at Birmingham City University that explored how young people who live in Birmingham are affected by the Cost-of-Living Crisis. I conducted an ethnographic study and spent extensive time at two Birmingham based youth centres. As such, my research interests are diverse and broad. I hold research experience and aspirations in areas of youth and youth crime, cost of living and wider political economy. This is infused with criminological and social theory and qualitative research methods. I am always happy to have a coffee and a chat with any student and colleague who wishes to discuss such topics.
Alongside my PhD, I have completed two solo publications. The first is a journal article in the Sage Journal of Consumer Culture that explored how violent crime that occurs on British University Campuses can be explained through the lens of the Deviant Leisure perspective. An emerging theoretical framework, the Deviant Leisure perspective explores how social harms are perpetuated under the logics and entrenchment of free-market globalised capitalism and neoliberalism. As such, a fundamental source of culpability towards crime, violence and social harm more broadly is located within the logics of neoliberal capitalism under which a consumer culture has arisen and re-cultivated human subjectivity towards what is commonly discussed in the literature as a narcissistic and competitive individualism. My second publication was in an edited book titled Action on Poverty in the UK: Towards Sustainable Development. My chapter is titled ‘Communities of Rupture, Insecurity, and Risk: Inevitable and Necessary for Meaningful Political Change?’. My chapter explored how socio-political and economic moments of rupture to the status quo are necessary for the summoning of political activism; lobbying and subsequent change.
It is my intention to maintain a presence in the publishing field and to work collaboratively with colleagues to address issues of criminal and social justice as they present themselves. Through this, my focus is on a lens of political economy and historical materialism through which to make sense of local and global events as they unfold. I welcome conversation and collaboration with colleagues who are interested in these areas.
Equally, I am committed to expanding my knowledge basis and learning about the vital work undertaken by colleagues across a breadth of subject areas, where it is hoped we can learn from one another.
I am thoroughly looking forward to meeting everyone and getting to learn more!
