Forensic Psychology Research

We have a range of ongoing qualitative and quantitative forensic psychology research programmes. Our research focuses on issues such as:

• the impact the difficulties individuals with learning disabilities and neurodiverse conditions have in defending their cases and acting as witnesses for the prosecution.
• Our research focuses on the relationship between neurodevelopmental conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and explores issues such as autism and the law.
• Our research considers whether individuals with autism are overrepresented in specific types of criminal offences and why.
• Our research considers the issue of race in the criminal justice system and the impact of race on sentencing and conviction rates.
• Our research on people with mental illness in forensic settings looks at to what extent and to how far their conditions have deteriorated in prison.
• What is the impact of mental health and neurodiverse conditions in obtaining parole?
• We examine what strategies can support mentally ill people in prison and other forensic settings.
• We will also consider older prisoners in the criminal justice system.
• We carry out research on issues impacting women in the criminal justice system and forensic settings.
• Advanced Assessment’s research on children and families in court considers the most critical factors to improve the chance of children maintaining good contact with both parents when parents are in conflict.

We also carry out research on occupational assessment of prison staff. We have researched personality characteristics to determine which staff members are at risk of committing white-collar crimes in occupational settings.

Our research will also identify factors that protect against recidivism and how effective risk assessment tools are in predicting risk.