Northumbria
University has secured sponsorship that will give two students the opportunity
to study fully funded PhDs.
Funded by justice
system reformer and philanthropist, Lady Edwina Grosvenor, the PhD research projects
will focus on women’s experiences of violence and access to housing and home before,
during or following time in prison.
The funding
follows the Government’s recent announcement of the formation of the Women’s Justice Board that aims to better understand the experiences of women in the criminal
justice system in order to enhance prevention of crime, reduce reoffending and better
support and protect women and their children on a national scale.
The
projects, which will form part of research carried out through Northumbria University’s
Centre for Health and Social Equity (CHASE), are designed to garner insight from
people with lived experiences of the criminal justice system to inform the
development of future interventions that could play a role in reducing the
likelihood of reoffending. Both projects will start in May 2025.
Speaking on
the funding award Lady Edwina Grosvenor, graduate of Northumbria University,
who has dedicated her career to influencing prison reform through systematic
changes to the justice system for women said: “It is a privilege to be able to
continue to support the work of Northumbria University. The challenges
women in the criminal justice system face are wide ranging and complex; this
work will support long term solutions to reduce reoffending and
most importantly will support the women who
face such issues.”
Supervised
by Dr Sophie Mitchell, who works in the department of Social
Sciences and a former recipient of funding from Lady Edwina Grosvenor for her
own doctorate studies, Dr Christina Cooper who works in the Department of
Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing and Professor Monique Lhussier, Director of CHASE, the two
studentships will work closely together to explore two key areas.
One project will
look to engage with women involved in the criminal justice system and their
experiences of violence before, during and after incarceration, including
modern-day slavery, financial, criminal and sexual exploitation, home
takeovers, radicalisation, mate crime and exposure to manipulation and
emotional abuse.
The second project
will work with women who have experience of incarceration and explore their
relationship – and access to – housing and home, both before and after their
time in prison.
Discussing
the new funding for the CHASE studentships, Professor Monique Lhussier said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer these
studentships as fully- funded projects and as always, our immense thanks go to
Lady Edwina Grosvenor and her team.
“Through
CHASE we work with communities to create and evaluate interventions, services
and policies that improve the health of, and bring economic opportunities to,
those who need it most. Currently there is a huge amount of work going on to
support women with experience of incarceration, trauma, homelessness, stigma,
substance use or dependence and adult exploitation, so these two projects fit
right into what is already a vibrant ecosystem of research in this area.
“Both these
studentships are also available to those with lived experience of the issues
being researched as part of our continued commitment to give as many
opportunities as possible to the communities we work with. Widening
participation in our research and building on the public involvement of our
projects is fundamental to ensure that we develop interventions and policy
recommendations that can have a real and lasting impact on some of the most
marginalised groups in society.”
More
information, contact details and application guidance for the project focused
on women’s experience of violence and incarceration can be found here, and for the project focused on
housing and home here.
Northumbria
University is dedicated to reducing health and social inequalities,
contributing to the regional and national workforce and improving social,
economic and health outcomes for the most marginalised in society. Through its
new Centre for Health and Social Equity, known as CHASE, researchers will be
delivering world-leading health and social equity research and creating
innovative, evidence-based policies and data-driven solutions to bring
impactful change across the region, the UK and globally.
