Personal profile
Biography
- B.A, M.Res, Ph.D
Jo Deakin is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She graduated from Goldsmiths Gollege, University of London with a degree in sociology and was awarded an ESRC studentship to complete a Masters degree in social research and a Doctorate at Manchester University .Her doctoral thesis considered the relationship between children's fears and their experiences of bullying and victimisation.
Jo’s research is situated at the intersection between youth work, justice and social policy addressing young people’s responses to aspects of criminalisation, social control and stigma, and youth-led social change.
She currently teaches and researches in the areas of Youth Justice, Youth Participation, and Qualitative Methods.
Research interests
Jo's principal research interests relate to the control, 'management', inclusion/exclusion and reintegration of young people.
She is currently leading a European collaborative project exploring young people’s role in shaping society, focusing specifically on young people ‘in conflict’ with authority:
PROMISE: PROMoting Youth Involvement and Social Engagement
This project is funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, Grant Agreement no. 693221. It runs from May 2016 to April 2019 and involves twelve collaborating centres in 10 European countries.
Visit the website here: http://www.promise.manchester.ac.uk/en/home-page/
Jo's previous research projects have centred around the experiences of various youth populations, focusing speciafically on exclusion and (re)integration. These include the social networks of young BME offenders/desisters pre and post custody; control, security and victimisation experienced by young migrant men; student and teacher experiences of the Prevent (anti radicalisation) strategy; and the exclusions experienced by 'problem drug users' and sex offenders.
Further information
Teaching:
Jo is the course convenor of:
- LAWSW31101 Youth Justice and Juvenile Delinquency
- LAWS71402 Offender Management and Community Reintegration
- LAWS70541 Evaluating Policy and Practice
Willing to supervise PhD students in projects relating to main research areas. Please email for further details.
Media Availability:
Available to media queries in areas of expertise.
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Manchester Urban Institute
Keywords
- Youth Justice
- exclusion
- social control
- inclusion
- restorative justice
- youth behaviour
- punishment
- youth crime
- school punishment
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The effects of arts and culture programmes on youth crime: A rapid review
Smith, H., Deakin, J., Lennox, C. & Ruding, S., 28 Aug 2025, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport . 96 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open Access -
Young people facing justice: A 200-year story of punishment versus welfare
Deakin, J. & Lamont, R., 30 Mar 2025, (Unpublished) 6 p.Research output: Other contribution
File25 Downloads (Pure) -
Breaking good? Young people's mechanisms of resilience, resistance and control
Fox, C. & Deakin, J., 21 Nov 2024, In: The British Journal of Sociology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
At the ‘risky’ end of things: labelling, self-concept and the role of supportive relationships in young lives
Matos, R., Campos, L., Martins, F., Deakin, J., Carneiro, A., Fox, C. & Markina, A., 16 Mar 2023, In: Journal of Youth Studies.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Introduction to the special issue: reflections on young people’s responses to negative everyday representations of themselves
Deakin, J. & Pilkington, H., 16 Mar 2023, In: Journal of Youth Studies.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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Centre for Digital Trust and Society
Barrett, E. (PI), Allmendinger, R. (Researcher), Elliot, M. (Researcher), Lord, N. (Researcher), Cordeiro, L. (Researcher), Gibson, R. (Researcher), Papamarkou, T. (Researcher), Dresner, D. (Researcher), Aldridge, J. (Researcher), Duncan, P. (Researcher), Banach, R. (Researcher), Brown, G. (Researcher), Dennis, L. (Researcher), Fisher, M. (Researcher), Korovin, K. (Researcher), Kotselidis, C.-E. (Researcher), Luján, M. (Researcher), Mustafa, M. (Researcher), Olivier, P. (Researcher), Reger, G. (Researcher), Zhang, N. (Researcher), Hodgkinson, G. (Researcher), Gulati, S. (Researcher), Ainsworth, J. (Researcher), Chen, Y.-W. (Researcher), Green, B. (Researcher), Healey, M. (Researcher), Uyarra, E. (Researcher), Zachariadis, M. (Researcher), Little, C. (Researcher), Mackey, E. (Researcher), Nenadic, G. (Researcher), Keane, J. (Researcher), Shlomo, N. (Researcher), Graff, N. (Researcher), Jarwar, M. A. (Researcher), Shariati Samani, S. (Researcher), Smith, D. (Researcher), Kambites, M. (Researcher), Thorpe, M. (Researcher), Rowley, P. (Researcher), Flynn, S. (Researcher), Turner, P. (Researcher), Wainwright, V. (Researcher), Czerwinsky, A. (PGR student), Nini, A. (Researcher), Broad, R. (Researcher), Shute, J. (Researcher), Deakin, J. (Researcher), Saldana-Taboada, P. (PGR student), Knight, P. (Researcher), Hutchings, S. (Researcher), Whyte, J. (Researcher), Tolz-Zilitinkevic, V. (Researcher), Pilkington, H. (Researcher), Guharoy, S. (Researcher), Nicolo, A. (Researcher), Reggiani, C. (Researcher), Garcia Oliva, J. (Researcher), Van Someren, A. (Researcher), Bon, E. (Researcher), Cantijoch Cunill, M. (Researcher), Koch, D. (Researcher) & Chen, Y.-W. (Researcher)
11/05/21 → …
Project: Other
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PROMoting youth Involvement and Social Engagement: Opportunities and challenges for 'conflicted' young people across Europe - PROMISE
Deakin, J. (PI), Fox, C. (CoI), Pilkington, H. (CoI) & Spencer, J. (CoI)
1/05/16 → 30/04/19
Project: Research
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Conversations about Radicalisation: Investigating the Prevent strategy in schools
Deakin, J. (PI), Harries, B. (CoI), Sapin, K. (CoI) & Smith, G. (CoI)
1/02/16 → 31/07/16
Project: Research
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Migrant Men's Well-Being in Diversity - MiMen
Spencer, J. (PI), Deakin, J. (CoI) & Fox, C. (CoI)
1/01/14 → 30/06/15
Project: Research
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The Rights of Undocumented Migrants - Developing a sustainable research agenda and impacting on policy
Spencer, J. (PI), Deakin, J. (CoI) & Fox, C. (CoI)
1/01/14 → 31/07/14
Project: Research
Press/Media
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Honouring the Past to Shape the Future: Criminology at The University of Manchester
29/11/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs and social media
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CONVERSATION: Violent crime: decades of research shows punishing ‘risky’ young people does not work – here’s what does
7/03/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert comment
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THE INDEPENDENT: Metropolitan Police apply for court order to stop gang members making drill music, in unprecedented move
7/06/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
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THE CONVERSATION: Treating young people like criminals actually makes violent crime worse
27/04/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert comment
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PROMISE: Youth involvement and social engagement (Horizon2020)
Deakin, J., Pilkington, H., Acik, N., Fox, C. & Chase, D.
1/05/16
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research