Personal profile
Overview
I am a Lecturer, Deputy Programme Director and Admissions Lead for the MSc Forensic Psychology and Mental Health. This role includes teaching, supervision of student research projects, marking and examining and acting as an Academic Advisor to students during their studies. I am also the Programme Director for the Professional Doctorate in Forensic Psychology (Post Qualification).
I am a Chartered Psychologist and criminal justice health researcher with experience in a range of mixed-method approaches. My research interests focus on improving safety for individuals involved in the criminal justice system, especially in relation to mental health and the prevention of suicide. I am also a Deputy Chair of the University Research Ethics Committee (UREC).
Research interests
Examining the sexual offending patterns of registered sexual offenders to understand risk and recidivism between online and contact offenders
Avoidable harm in prison healthcare
The Prevention Of Suicide Behaviour in Prison: Enhancing Access to Therapy (PROSPECT) Programme
Managing the risk of self-inflicted death to support a psychologically safe and rehabilitative criminal justice pathway
Strengthen: Improving health under community supervsion with the support of a Health Trainer: Developing and evaluating a pilot randomised controlled trial
The mental health and pathways to offending of ex-armed forces personnel in prison
National Study of Suicide by Prisoners
VoRAMSS: The Validation of Risk Assessment Instruments for use with Patients Discharged from Medium Secure Services
Teaching
Postgraduate:
MSc Forensic Psychology and Mental Health. Module lead for the Dissertation (PSYC68790) and Research Methods II (PSYC68812)
Undergraduate:
BSc Psychology- dissertation supervisor
Qualifications
PhD Forensic Psychology/Psychiatry from University of Manchester (2017)
MSc Forensic Psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University (2008)
BSc (Hons) Psychology from University of Liverpool (2006)
Memberships of committees and professional bodies
British Psychological Society: Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol)
Higher Education Authority: Senior Fellow
Supervision information
In addition to supervising BSc and MSc student research projects, I also provide doctoral supervision. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss a research collaboration or potential doctoral supervision.
Current doctoral students
Laura Pope: 'Suicide Prevention in Prison'
Melanie Brook: 'An Intervention to Support Current and Ex-offenders into Long-term Sustainable Employment'
Isabel Reid: 'Understanding Psilocybin’s Impact on Mental Health: A Lived Experience Perspective'
Katie Lambert: 'Evaluation of the Creating Change Programme for People Convicted of Sexual Offences'
Yun Ting Yip: 'Grief Experiences of Patients in Secure Settings'
Accepting PhD students
- Accepting PhD students
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 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Lived experience of avoidable healthcare harm in prisons in England: A qualitative study
Jordan, M., Flynn, S., Thompson, E., Buck, D., Muller, C., Butt, N., Hussain, B., Shaw, J., Ashcroft, D. M., Avery, A., Carson-Stevens, A., Keers, R. N., Mcfadzean, I. J., Millar, T., Panagioti, M. & Wainwright, V., 21 Apr 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Health & Justice.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Sense-making around psilocybin in UK women experiencing cancer-related existential distress: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Khan, Z., Weaver, S., Dando, R. V., Schlag, A. K., Neill, J. & Wainwright, V., 17 Feb 2026, In: Qualitative Health Research.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
A preliminary investigation into online sexual offending in one police force in England: insights for developing police management strategies
Wainwright, V., Hill, L., Ibrahim, S., Turner, P. & Flynn, S., 20 Jun 2025, In: Policing (Oxford): a journal of policy and practice. 19Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Understanding the scale and nature of avoidable healthcare-associated harm for prisoners in England: protocol for a retrospective cross-sectional study
Carson-Stevens, A., Mcfadzean, I. J., Purchase, T., Gwyn, S., Hellard, S., Davies, K., Ashcroft, D. M., Avery, A., Campbell, S., Edwards, A., Flynn, S., Hewson, T., Ibrahim, S., Jordan, M., Keers, R. N., Millar, T., Panagioti, M., Sanders, C., Senior, J. & Stevenson, C. & 5 others, , 16 Dec 2024, In: BMJ Open. 14, 12, 10 p., e085607.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Defining avoidable healthcare-associated harm in prisons: a mixed-method development study
Keers, R., Wainwright, V., McFadzean, J., Campbell, S., Stevenson, C., Purchase, T., Shaw, J. & Carson-Stevens, A., 15 Mar 2023, In: PlosOne. 18, 3, e0282021.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
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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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Health and Justice Research Network
Shaw, J. (PI), Senior, J. (CoI), Lennox, C. (CoI), Leonard, S. (CoI), Wainwright, V. (Researcher), Flynn, S. (Researcher), Forsyth, K. (CoI), Walter, F. (Researcher), Robinson, L. (Researcher), Stevenson, C. (Researcher), Heathcote, L. (Researcher) & Bowden, J. (Researcher)
Project: Research