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 has an MSc in Social Research and a PhD in Criminology where she explored Women's Experiences of Workplace Violence and the hidden experiences of women, as victims, across a range of occupations. Moreover, Sharon's research has included violence against NHS staff, ambulance crews and paramedics. Recently, Sharon has researched The Impact of Austerity and Privatisation on the Working Practices of Probation Staff and she is currently documenting workplace harm experienced by craft workers operating within an unregulated employment market. Outside of Sharon's core research interests, she has worked with colleagues on a diverse range of projects, including:

  • The Introduction of the bedroom tax and its affect upon eviction rates in Devon.
  • Hate crime within the night time economy. 
  • The impact of the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners upon local victim services.
  • The resettlement needs of women offenders following a term of imprisonment.
  • The impact of austerity and privatisation on the working practices of probation staff.

Alongside of her teaching and research role, Sharon is an active volunteer with Locate International, a UK Registered Charity dedicated to helping the families of unsolved missing person cases find their loved ones. As a result this work, Sharon has established a cold case Unit at Plymouth University. Plymouth's Colds case Unit (PCCU) has a dedicated team of student volunteers who actively undertake missing person research on behalf of Locate International and families of the missing. 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 PCCU, 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, Sharon continued her educational journey studying at doctoral level. Throughout her studies, Sharon developed a keen interest in workplace violence and harms associated with the workplace, across a diverse range of occupations. The focus of this interest has remained in the vein of workers and their experiences of harm including how such subtle harms often remain unrecognised. The focus of Sharon's PhD centered on a neglected section of the labour force, focusing upon women's experiences of workplace violence. In 2015, Sharon was awarded a PhD. The title of her 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

Sharon's research Interests include: The workplace, in particular the harms experienced by front-line workers, women and workplace violence and the experiences of workers more generally.

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

Research

Research

Research interests

Sharon's main interest centers around the workplace and the types of harm often experienced by employees, including those working within an unregulated workforce. In addition to this, Sharon has 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.
  • 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.
  • The impact of austerity and privatisation on the working practices of probation staff.

Publications

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals



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