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CATS Social Research - VICTIMS

CATS Criminology Research - OFFENDERS

CATS Legal Research – LEGAL ISSUES

CATS combines Kingston University expertise from the departments of Criminology and Sociology (including the Lifespan Research Group) and Law ( Business & Law).

CATS Social Research – VICTIMS - Children and families

The Lifespan Research Group, now based at Kingston University, is an externally funded academic and applied research team, directed by Prof Bifulco, with a long history of researching abuse victimisation in the family context, and its effect on mental health in the immediate and longer term. Research programme funding over 10 years from the Medical Research Council allowed for intensive interview investigation of the causal effects of early life neglect and abuse on later experience and psychological disorder in women and intergenerationally. The research has been published widely in international peer reviewed journals and a book co-authored with Patricia Moran, ‘Wednesday’s Child’ (1998) is still a primary text for students and researchers in the area of long terms effect of childhood neglect and abuse, recently translated into Italian. Ongoing research includes involvement in the Online Grooming Project, (EC Safer Internet Programme); Evaluating a Youth Violence Project at Guy’s St Thomas’ A&E department (Guy’s & St Thomas Trust); Action research on attachment for adolescents in residential care (St Christopher’s Fellowship); Developing a child attachment interview for use in child care services (St Christopher’s Fellowship) and Evaluating the use of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse assessment in Safeguarding services (RB Kingston Safeguarding Services).

Research collaborations include validations of the CECA and ASI interviews for research in Germany (University o f Heidelberg) and Italy (Universities of Palermo, Rome, Padua & Florence) and Portugal (University of Minho) as well as Japan (University of Rykeo and Kyushu) and Malayasia (University of Kebangsaan). Collaborative research into young offenders includes assessing early life abuse in juvenile sex offenders (Prof Pham, Secure Hospital at Tournai, Belgium), research into abuse and attachment style in young offenders (Dr Ardino, University of Bedfordshire & Prof Di Blasio, University of Milan); and collaborations on abusive experience in profiling serial killers (Prof Caretti, University of Rome).

The team offers training to both researchers and practitioners in interview assessments on a regular basis. A partnership with Child and Family Training has enabled the extension of training to health and social care practitioners nationally (for more information visit our training page). Ongoing and recent PhD research includes investigation of Post Traumatic Stress and emotional disorder in adolescents across communities in conflict zones in Israel (co-funded by One-to-one Israel); the study of partner, family and support relationships, attachment and depression in Taiwanese women, intergenerational issues in attachment style; the study of life events, support and attachment style in Malaysian Moslem married and divorced mothers.

For further information on Social Research at CATS please contact Professor Antonia Bifulco antonia.bifulco@kingston.ac.uk.

CATS Criminology Research – OFFENDERS

Prof Davidson has conducted a considerable amount of research in the criminal justice area and has extensive experience of applied research. She has undertaken research with young victims, serious violent and sexual offenders, criminal justice practitioners and sentencers. Recent funded work directed by Prof Davidson includes: Online Grooming Project (EC Safer Internet Programme); a study funded by the Metropolitan Police Authority and Crimestoppers, which sought to explore child safety on the internet and the role of the police in raising awareness amongst children about sexual abuse (2005); an evaluation and overview of approaches to risk assessment and management of Internet sex offenders funded by the Risk Management Authority (Scotland) (2007) and a exploration of young victims experiences and perceptions of the investigative process, undertaken on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Investigation Command with Professor Bifulco.(2007 ongoing).

PhD research currently supervised by Julia Davidson includes: a study exploring the way in which the Metropolitan Police investigate the online sexual abuse of children and relationship between the collection of indecent images of children and the risk of contact sexual abuse. Prof Davidson provides regular expert advice on child protection, Internet safety and abuse issues to the media (she has worked extensively with ITV Evening News, the ITV News Channel, BBC 24 news Channel, BBC Radio Four Woman’s Hour and BBC Five Live Radio).

For further information on Criminology Research at CATS please contact Professor Julia Davidson at: j.davidson@kingston.ac.uk.

CATS Legal Research – LEGAL ISSUES

The unique interdisciplinary nature of the Centre allows legal research to be undertaken in a vibrant academic environment which aims to explore the interaction between law, legal processes, legal institutions and the social sciences. This research aims to compliment and support the core subject areas of the Centre - Abuse, Trauma and Risk - by considering the effect, impact, and consequences of legitimacy, legislation and legal intervention (social policy) on society.

Legal Research at CATS aims to examine Abuse, Trauma and Risk via reference to a number of emerging and established Socio-Legal themes and contexts, including: Age, Criminal Justice, Child Law, Cybercrime, Disability, Family Law, Hate Crime, Mental Health, Human Rights, Organisational Deviance, Penology, Racism, Sex Crime, Victimology and Vulnerability.

Prospective students and research partners are able to draw on Director, Researcher, and Advisory Group Network expertise in fields as diverse as Criminal Justice, Criminology, Information Technology, Legal Practice, Psychiatry, Psychology, Medicine, Policing, and the Voluntary / Charity sector. This diversity provides the opportunity for Socio-Legal research in its truest sense within an inquisitive, collaborative culture.

For further information on Legal Research at CATS please contact Christopher Hamerton, Director of CATS Legal Studies at: c.hamerton@kingston.ac.uk.

For a full list of CATS research projects please visit our Projects page.