Dr Sharon Beckett
Profiles

Dr Sharon Beckett

Lecturer in Criminology (Education)

School of Society and Culture (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business)

Dr Sharon Beckett can be contacted through arrangement with our Press Office, to speak to the media on these areas of expertise.
  • Workplace violence
  • Workplace bullying
  • Violence
  • Victimisation
  • Workplace
  • Gender
Biography

Biography

Sharon is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies whose core area of research examines workplace violence. Within this work, Sharon has explored violence against NHS staff including ambulance crews and paramedics. Additionally, Sharon has examined gender and workplace violence researching the often hidden experiences of women as victims, across a range of occupations. More recently, Sharon has researched the impact of austerity and privatisation on the working practices of probation staff and is currently documenting workplace harm experienced by craft workers operating within unregulated employment markets.

Outside of Sharon's core research interests she has worked with colleagues on a diverse range of projects. These projects include:

  • The introduction of the bedroom tax, and how this impinged upon eviction rates
  • Hate crime within the night time economy, and 
  • The impact that the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners has had on local victim services. 
  • The resettlement needs of women offenders following a term of imprisonment

Alongside of her teaching and research role, Sharon is a volunteer with Locate International. A UK Registered Charity dedicated to helping families of unsolved missing person cases, find their loved ones. Currently, Sharon is in the process of establishing a 'cold case unit' at the University of Plymouth and recruiting volunteers to undertake research on behalf of Locate and the families of missing persons. If you would like to know more about Locate International use the following link http://locate.international/

If you are interested in becoming part of this unit as a volunteer or if you are interested in studying for a postgraduate research degree in criminology, please contact Sharon on the email address provided on this page. 


Publications:

 


Qualifications

Sharon graduated from the University of Plymouth in 2008 having gained a degree in Criminal Justice Studies with Psychology (Bsc). Having gained her degree she then studied, and was awarded, a masters degree social research (MSc 2009). Following this, she then continued her educational journey studying at doctoral level. Throughout her studies, Sharon developed a keen interest in workplace violence and explored harms associated with the workplace across a diverse range of occupations. The focus of Sharon's interest has remained in the vein of workers and their experiences of harm and how these subtle harms often go unrecognised. The focus of Sharon's PhD centered on a neglected section of the labour force focusing upon women's experiences of workplace violence and In 2015, she was awarded a PhD. The title of Sharon's thesis is 'Women's Experiences of Workplace Violence' (2015). Following the successful completion of her PhD, Sharon later gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), a British teaching qualification for university lecturers. 

Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

Research Interests include: The workplace, in particular the harms experienced by front-line workers, women and workplace harm and the experiences of workers more generally.

Additional Interests: gender studies, domestic and sexual violence, victims of crime, green criminology, historical crime and missing persons.

Research

Research

Research interests

My main interest centers around the workplace and the types of harm often experienced by employees, particularly those working within an unregulated workforce. However, i have worked on a diverse range of projects that include the following:

  • The introduction of the bedroom tax, and how this impinged upon eviction rates
  • Hate crime within the night time economy, and
  • The impact that the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners has had on local victim services.
  • The resettlement needs of women offenders following a term of imprisonment

Publications

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals

Transforming Rehabilitation: The impact of austerity and privatisation on day-to-day cultures and working practices in ‘probation’

Articles
Walker S, Annison CJ & Beckett S (2019) 'Transforming Rehabilitation: The Impact of Austerity and Privatisation on Day-to-Day Cultures and Working Practices in 'Probation'' Probation Journal 66, (1) 113-130 , DOI Open access