University of Kent

Introduction

The Forensic Psychology research group contains 5 academic researchers, 2 research associates and numerous national and international affiliates. Our Forensic Psychology research focuses on bullying in prisons, prison gang behaviour, jury decision making, child sexual offending, rape, rape proclivity, female sexual offending, theories of offender rehabilitation, firesetting, sexual harassment, violence, aggression and alcohol, and infrahumanisation of offenders. Other areas of research include social cognition, social and moral emotion, and group process theory; all of which are applied to the study of offending behaviour or court process issues.

Forensic Psychology research at Kent is funded by a variety of British and international sources, including ESRC, British Academy, Leverhulme, Home Office, Nuffield, and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Our academics are represented in editorships and editorial boards of many major journals in forensic and applied psychology. In addition to this, many members of the Forensic Psychology research group are Chartered Forensic Psychologists who assess and treat offenders and evaluate rehabilitation programmes for offenders. Thus, the Forensic Psychology research group holds strong links with the UK Prison Service, the NHS, the Police, and various other charities and associations involved in forensic related services and activities.

Doctoral education at Kent involves training in research-specific and transferable skills, including advanced statistical methods, academic writing, and presentation skills. The research group holds weekly meetings to discuss ongoing work, and numerous workshops and individual training opportunities are available.