Vivien Francis

Hourly Paid Lecturer

Criminology

Department of Law & Criminology , Royal Docks School Of Business And Law

Vivien Francis joined UEL in 2019 with wide subject knowledge and strong research skills. She teaches across several criminology modules and supervises level six students undertaking dissertations.

Qualifications

MSc Sociology – London School of Economics and Political Science
BSc (Hons) Sociology – London Guildhall University

Areas Of Interest

Justice, human rights, equity, disproportionality.
The criminal justice system, particularly policing and prisons.
Imprisonment and post custody (re)settlement.
Webs of diversity and intersectionality (such as ethnicity or neurodiversity).
(Primarily youth) subcultures and criminalisation.
Trauma, mental health, and vulnerability.
'Hard to reach' ('easy to ignore') sections of society.
Qualitative methods, cultural and narrative criminology.
'Lived experience' and 'user voice'.

OVERVIEW

Viv’s first ‘proper’ job was at King’s College London in the International Centre for Prison Studies as a Research Associate and Assistant Editor of 'Punishment and Society' journal. Some favourite projects were creating 'Expectations' with HM Chief Inspector of Prisons; developing international contacts for 'World Prison Brief'; and contributing to the Social Exclusion Unit's 'Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners'. She visited many prisons, learned how to produce books and write parliamentary speeches and became well versed in human rights.

After four years, she turned consultant. Whilst on that journey (fraught with mingling) she met a research organisation called Applied Research and Community Safety, and reclaimed her introversion. With the ARCS team she designed, managed, and delivered research and evaluation projects for a decade. Latter projects included investigating serious youth violence (for the Home Office); analysing Liaison and Diversion (for the Department of Health); and evidencing ‘what works’ regarding recidivism (for the Northern Ireland Office).

Less government-oriented projects have included the four-year Beyond Youth Custody collaboration (on the resettlement of young people); working with a youth club (evaluating interventions; advising on trauma / safeguarding issues); evaluating services delivered in prison workshops; and conducting research for the odd graphic novelist.

PUBLICATIONS

Reports

Disley, E and Liddle, M. (2016) Local perspectives in Ending Gang and Youth Violence Areas: Perceptions of the nature of urban street gangs. Home Office Research Report 88.
Disley, E., Taylor, C., Kruithof, K., Winpenny, E., Liddle, M., Sutherland, A., Lilford, R., Wright, S., McAteer, L., and Francis, V. (2016) Evaluation of the Offender Liaison and Diversion Trial Schemes. RAND Corporation.
Beyond Youth Custody - publications available via www.beyondyouthcustody.net
Liddle, M., Boswell, G., Wright, S. and Francis, V. with Perry, R. (2016) Trauma and young offenders: A review of the research and practice literature.
Liddle, M., Boswell, G., Wright, S. and Francis, V. with Perry, R. (2016) Trauma and young offenders. A review of the research and practice literature: Research summary.
Goodfellow, P. and Francis, V. (2016) Custody to community: Supporting young people to cope with release.
Hazel, N., Goodfellow, P., Wright, S., Lockwood, K., McAteer, L. and Francis, V., with Sarah Wilkinson (2016) The role of family support in resettlement: A practitioner’s guide.
Wright, S. and Francis, V. with McAteer, L. and Goodfellow, P. (2015) Ethnicity, faith and culture in resettlement: A practitioner’s guide.
Wright, S. and Francis, V. with McAteer, L. and Goodfellow, P. (2015) Recognising diversity in resettlement: A practitioner’s guide.
Wright, S and Francis, V. with Pippa Goodfellow (2014) Young people and resettlement: Participatory approaches. A practitioner’s guide.