Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Penology at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, with teaching responsibilities across Full-Time Undergraduate (FTUG), Distance Learning (DL), and Postgraduate (PG) programmes. My research interests focus on prison education, peer support within criminal justice settings, and the experiences of women in prison. My doctoral research explored peer mentoring in an operational women’s prison in England and Wales, and I have also conducted research on integrating implicit bias awareness into curricular interventions.

Currently, I serve as the School's lead for employability, and I am Module Coordinator for the core campus-based undergraduate module Psychology and Criminal Justice and the Distance Learning undergraduate module Forensic Psychology: Investigation. I also lead the campus-based MSc Criminal Psychology programme. In recognition of my commitment to teaching and learning, I was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2017.

Research interests

My research focuses on the experiences of women in prison, pathways to desistance, peer mentoring in justice settings, and addressing implicit bias within criminal justice practices.

 

Research outputs

2025

Porter, C., Smith, A.

1 Mar 2025, In: Journal of Criminal Justice Education

2024

Smith, A.

11 Oct 2024, In: Journal of Criminal Psychology

Smith, A.

16 Aug 2024, In: The Conversation