After completing my undergraduate degree and MRes in Criminology, I stepped away from academia and spent over the following decade working in substance use and mental health services with individuals involved in the criminal justice system. During this time, I worked across the UK and New Zealand, developing and delivering programmes within both men’s and women’s prisons, gang-focused initiatives, the Drug Court, residential rehabilitation, and respite services. These roles provided me with direct insight into the complex needs of people navigating substance use, trauma, mental health difficulties, and criminal justice involvement, and strengthened my commitment to practice and evidence informed work.

Through this frontline experience, my interest deepened in understanding the aetiology of substance misuse, the effectiveness of treatment interventions, and the broader implications of drug policy. This was a motivator to my transition into research.

I have previously contributed to research projects, South Asia Self-Harm Initiative (SASHI) and Women’s Social Care in Prison: Identifying Needs and an Appropriate Service Response (WOSCIP) at the University of Manchester, and I took a leading role in Substance Misuse Services Evaluation in HMP Berwyn at Bangor University. 

• PhD
  2026
• MRes Criminology
  2011
• PGCE (Post-14 Education),
  2010
• BA: Criminology and Criminal Justice
  2009

2025

• PublishedA systematic review of substance misuse treatment processes and outcomes as implemented in prisons for men in the UK
  Barnett, K., Butt, N., Allen, R., Godland, P., Krayer, A., O,Neill, A., Huxley, P., Robinson, C., Peckham, E. & Poole, R., 16 Aug 2025, In: Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. 35, 5, p. 270-289 20 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• E-pub ahead of printKnowledge, attitudes and experiences of self-harm and suicide in low- and middle-income countries: Quantitative systematic review
  McPhillips, R., Allen, R., Parvathy Ramesh, P., Barnett, K., Chadwick, H., Batool, S., Elahi, A., Hawton, K., Huxley, P., Krayer, A., Tiptur Nagaraj, M. K., Nafees, S. & Robinson, C., 12 May 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Crisis: the Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

• E-pub ahead of printDeveloping evidence for a national strategy for older adults in the criminal justice system: overview of the nominal group approach for this series of brief reports
  O'Neill, A., Shaw, J., Heathcote, L., Hewson, T., Mulligan, L., Robinson, L., Newton-Clarke, A., Thompson, E., Wong, E., Barnett, K., Lerigo, F., Bowden, J., Gutridge, K., Minchin, M., Edge, D., Ware, S., Falvey, R., Robinson, C. A., Senior, J. & Forsyth, K., 19 Dec 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology. 36, 1, p. 105-120 16 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• E-pub ahead of printOlder women in the criminal justice system: a brief report from a nominal group
  Robinson, L., O'Neill, A., Forsyth, K., Heathcote, L., Barnett, K., Senior, J., Gutridge, K., Robinson, C. A. & Shaw, J., 19 Dec 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology. 36, 1, p. 24-36
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

• Prison Stakeholder Engagement

  01/12/2025 – 15/06/2026 (Active)