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Dr Claire Fitzpatrick (nee Taylor)

Lecturer in Criminology

Degree: BA, PhD, PG Cert in Academic Practice (Lancaster)

Associated research centres and groups: Assure Evaluation, Child care, child protection and children in care, Child Welfare Research Unit CWRU, Crime and Criminal Justice, Criminology, Young people, crime and criminal justice

Research Interests

Young Offenders, Children in Care, The link between Youth Justice & Child Welfare, Criminal Careers, The Use of Evidence and Knowledge in Criminology & Criminal Justice.

I joined the Department of Applied Social Science as Lecturer in Criminology in September 2005. A former student of the Department, I completed my PhD here on the relationship between young peoples' experiences of state care (foster and residential) and criminal careers. I continue to be interested in challenging popular perceptions that routinely link children in care with trouble, as well as exploring the disjointed policy assumptions relating to children in care and young offenders.

I previously worked at the University of Nottingham in the Centre for Social Work and School of Law, the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate and as a consultant to the Government Office for the North West.

I have presented papers on my work to a range of academic, policy and practitioner audiences including the British Society of Criminology, the American Society of Criminology, the All Party Parliamentary Group for looked after children, the Home Office Crime Reduction Team, Government Offices for the East Midlands and the North West and Nacro.

I am a member of the British Society of Criminology and have contributed book reviews to the journals Youth Justice, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice and Children and Society.

Current Teaching

I teach on the following courses on the BA (Hons) Criminology

ASSC 102 Crime and Social Life

ASSC 205 Criminological Thought

ASSC 211 Youth Justice (Co-convenor with Ian Paylor)

ASSC 340 Criminal Careers (Convenor)

I also supervise students writing extended essays and dissertations.

I also currently co-supervise MPhil/ PhD projects on the following topics: 'Internet Use and the Transition to University'; 'Crime Science: A criminological and philosophical investigation'; 'Juvenile Justice in India'.

I would be interested in proposals from potential doctoral students in the following areas: Children in the Care and Criminal Justice Systems, Young offenders and Youth Justice, Child welfare and Criminal Careers.

Recent Publications

Fitzpatrick, C. (2009 forthcoming) 'Looked after children and the criminal justice system' in K. Broadhurst, C. Grover & J. Jamieson (eds) Safeguarding Children: Critical Perspectives, London: Blackwells-Wiley.

Soothill, K, Fitzpatrick, C. & Francis, B. (2009) Understanding Criminal Careers, Cullompton: Willan.

Taylor, C. (2006) Young People in Care and Criminal Behaviour. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Taylor, C. (2004) 'Social work and looked after children' in D.B. Smith (ed) Social Work and Evidence-based practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Wilson, K., Sinclair, I., Taylor, C., Pithouse, A. & Sellick, C. (2004) Fostering Success: An exploration of the research literature in foster care, The Policy Press. (A report for the Social Care Institute for Excellence)

Taylor, C. (2003) Justice for looked after children?, Probation Journal, 50:3: 239-251.

Birch, D. & Taylor, C. (2003) "People Like Us?": Responding to allegations of past abuse in care, Criminal Law Review, December 2003, pp. 823-849.

Soothill, K., Peelo, M. & Taylor, C. (2002) Making Sense of Criminology, Polity Press.

Taylor, C. (2001) The relationship between social and self-control: Tracing Hirschi's criminological career, Theoretical Criminology, 5:3:369-388.

Associated Keywords: Applied Social Science, Child care, Criminal justice, Criminology, Young people and crime

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