Dr Thomas D Akoensi

Dr Thomas Akoensi completed his secondary school education in Tema, Ghana and his BA in Psychology at the University of Ghana, Legon.  He then studied for a PhD and MPhil in Criminology at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. 

Dr Akoensi worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of Criminology before joining SSPSSR, in October 2015, as a Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Criminology.  

He is also the founding Book Review Editor for the journal, International Criminology– official publication of the American Society of Criminology’s Division of International Criminology.

Dr Akoensi’s research interests are in the area of penology and, more broadly, organisational behaviour, legitimacy, comparative criminology, mixed-methods research and evidence-based criminal justice policy. 

My current projects involve imprisonment during COVID-19, criminal records and employment prospects, navigating desistance, comparative study of police procedural justice, and procedural justice in prison.  

Dr Akoensi is currently convenor of SOCI6191: Offender rehabilitation in prison and probation settings. He takes lectures relating to the utility of psychology in criminal justice, restorative justice, and contemporary issues in criminal justice. Dr Akoensi also convenes SOCI5482: The Psychology of Criminal Justice which utilises knowledge and principles from the field of psychology to understand offending behaviour and how criminal justice agencies respond to this knowledge. He is a firm believer in using interdisciplinary approaches in his teaching.     

Students with ideas for doctoral work in any of these areas should contact Thomas with a synopsis of their research proposal.    

Dr Akoensi provides consultancy and research expertise to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on imprisonment and prison reform.

Memberships

• American Society of Criminology
• European Society of Criminology
• Global Prisons Research Network