- Room 111, 19 Portland Villas, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 585782
- P.Gray@plymouth.ac.uk

Profiles
Dr Trish Gray
Honorary Research Fellow
School of Society and Culture (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business)
- Criminal justice
- Youth justice
- Youth crime
- Women and criminal justice
- Penal policy
Email publicrelations@plymouth.ac.uk to enquire.
Biography
Biography
Patricia Gray was a Reader in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She joined the University of Plymouth in 1998 and previously worked at the University of Hong Kong.
Qualifications
Patricia graduated with an MA (Hons) in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh and an MA in Applied Social Studies (incorporating a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work) from the University of Warwick . She was awarded a PhD in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Bristol . After completing her undergraduate degree, Patricia worked as a Social Worker in Glasgow for four years. Her work mainly centred on interventions with young offenders. She then went to Hong Kong where she taught at the Hong Kong Baptist University and the University of Hong Kong before joining the University of Plymouth in 1998.
Professional membership
Member of the British Society of Criminology; Member of the European Society of Criminology; Member of British Society of Criminology Youth Criminology/Youth Justice Network; Member of British Society of Criminology Women, Crime and Criminal Justice Network; Member of the Howard League for Penal Reform. Set up the Howard League Student Society at Plymouth University in 2011.
I was invited in 2021 by the British Society of Criminology to be interviewed as part of their ‘Connecting Criminologists’ project. Here is the link to the interview: Dr Arta Jalili-Idrissi interviews Dr Patricia Gray – BSC, Women, Crime and Criminal Justice Network (wordpress.com)
Roles on external bodies
Reviewer for Research Councils:
a. External reviewer for the Research Grants Council (equivalent to the ESRC in UK) in Hong Kong since 2008.
b. Reviewer for the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) in UK since 2010.
c. Reviewer for Nuffield Foundation research since 2019.
External Examination and Consultancy:
a. External Examiner for the undergraduate Criminology Programme at Queens University Belfast (2017-2021).
b. External Assessor for the undergraduate and postgraduate Social Work/Criminal Justice Programmes at Hong Kong Baptist University (2007-2013).
c. External Examiner for the BA (Hons) in Criminology at Southampton Solent University (2006-2009).
d. External Examiner for 6 successful PhD Awards at the Universities of Bristol (1999), Hong Kong (2002), Southampton Solent (2016), Liverpool (2017), Lancaster (2018), and Middlesex (2021).
Article and Book Reviewer:
Article Reviewer: Punishment and Society; European Journal of Criminology; Youth Justice: An International Journal; Policy and Politics; Crime Prevention and Community Safety; Asian Journal of Criminology; Contemporary Social Science; The Journal of Social Policy; European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research; Hong Kong Journal of Social Work; International Journal of Rural Crime; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Children and Youth Services Review; British Journal of Social Work; Children and Society; Howard Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice; Journal of Youth Studies. Book Reviewer: Routledge Publishing; Howard Journal; Policy Press; International Journal of Social Work Education; and Bristol University Press.
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
Patricia taught in four areas on the Criminology and Criminal Justice undergraduate programme, namely youth criminology and youth justice; comparative youth justice; penal theory and policy ; and gender and criminal justice. She also taught on the Masters Degree in Criminology and is the Director of Studies for several postgraduate students, three of whom have recently successfully obtained PhDs.
Staff serving as external examiners
Patricia was an External Examiner for the Criminology programme at Queens University Belfast and remains an External Reviewer for the Research Grants Council in Hong Kong. She has also acted as the External Examiner for 6 successful PhD Awards in recent years.
Research
Research
Research interests
Patricia's main research interests are in the areas of youth criminology and youth justice; comparative youth justice; penality and the governance of crime; risk, social exclusion and social justice; restorative justice; desistance, harm, rehabilitation and imprisonment; gender and criminal justice; and socio-legal issues.
She is currently engaged in two research projects which address the interrelationship between penality and political economy. The first which has been ongoing since 2016 maps and interrogates the restructuring of youth penality as part of the neoliberal socio-economic and political project. The second explores how the prevailing neoliberal penal culture impacts on the rehabilitation process in British prisons. Both have resulted in several publications in refereed journals. See research reports below and publications.
Gray, P., Grose, R. and Parsons, J. (2022) Landworks Evaluation: 1 April 2021-31 March 2022. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. Evaluation Report 2022
Gray, P., Hanley Santos, G., Jalili Idrissi, A. and Kennedy, C. (2020) Dartmoor Dialogues: An Exploration of Dartmoor’s Journey Towards Becoming an Integrated Prison Underpinned by Restorative Practices Through the Eyes of Key Stakeholders. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/16626)
Gray, P., Simmonds, L. and Annison, J. (2016) The Resettlement of Women Offenders: Learning the Lessons. Plymouth: VSF Cornwall, Devon and Cornwall PCC, Lankelly Chase and University of Plymouth. ( http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/9239)
Gray, P. (2014) Youth Offending Team Partnerships and the Social Context of Youth Crime. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/9007)
Publications
Publications
Key publications
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Gray, P. and Smith, R. (2021) ‘Shifting Sands: The reconfiguration of neoliberal youth penality’, Theoretical Criminology: An International Journal, 25(2):304-324. (First published 2019). (doi.org/10.1177/1362480619872262)
Gray, P. (2021) with Haines, K., Case, S., Smith, R., Joe-Laidler, K., Hughes, N., Webster, C., Goddard, T., Deakin, J., Johns, D. and Richards, K. (2021) ‘Children and Crime: In the moment’, Youth Justice: An International Journal, 21(3):275-298. (https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225420923762)
Smith, R. and Gray, P. (2019a) ‘The Changing Shape of Youth Justice: Models of practice’, Criminology and Criminal Justice,19(5): 554-571. (First published 2018) (doi.org/10.1177/1748895818781199)
Gray, P. and Smith, R. (2019b) ‘Governance Through Diversion in Neoliberal Times: What are the possibilities for transformative social justice?’ Critical Criminology. Youth Justice Special Issue, 27: 575-590. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-019-09475-3)
Gray, P. (2016) ‘Child Friendly’ International Human Rights Standards and Youth Offending Team Partnerships’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice,45 (June): 59-74. (doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2015.11.001).
Gray, P. (2013) ‘Assemblages of Penal Governance, Social Justice and Youth Justice Partnerships’, Theoretical Criminology: An International Journal, 17 (4):516-533.
Gray, P. (2011) ‘Youth Custody, Resettlement and the Right to Social Justice’, Youth Justice: An International Journal, 11 (3): 235-249.
Gray, P. (2009) ‘The Political Economy of Risk and the New Governance of Youth Crime’, Punishment and Society: The International Journal of Penology,11(4): 443-458.
Gray, P. (2007) ‘Youth Justice, Social Exclusion and the Demise of Social Justice’, Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 46(4): 401-416.
Gray, P. (2006) ‘Women’s Experiences of Incarceration in Hong Kong: Doing time, doing choice, doing class-gender-culture, International Journal of the Sociology of Law, 34(2): 89-104.
Gray, P. (2005) ‘The Politics of Risk and Young Offenders’ Experiences of Social Exclusion and Restorative Justice’, British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society, Vol. 45(6): 938-957.
Gray, P. (1999) ‘Community Corrections and the Experiences of Young Male Offenders in the Hong Kong Youth Justice System’, Journal of Social Policy, 28: 577-594.
Gray, P. (1998) ‘Sovereignty and Youth Justice’, Journal of Youth Studies, 1: 23-34.
Gray, P. (1997a) ‘Deconstructing the Delinquent as a Subject of Class and Cultural Power’, Journal of Law and Society, 24: 526-551.Gray, P. (1997b) ‘The Emergence of the Disciplinary Welfare Sanction in Hong Kong’, Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 36:187-208.
Gray, P. (1997b) ‘The Emergence of the Disciplinary Welfare Sanction in Hong Kong’, Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 36:187-208.
Gray, P. (1996) ‘The Struggle for Juvenile Justice in Hong Kong 1932-1995’, Hong Kong Law Journal, 26: 301-
Gray, P. (2019) ‘” Rights-Based” and “Children and Young People First” Approaches to Youth Justice’, pp. 743-754 in Ugwudike, P., Graham, H., McNeill, F., Raynor, P., Faye, S. Taxman and Trotter, C. The Routledge Companion to Rehabilitative Work in Criminal Justice. London: Routledge. (https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/15127)
Gray, P. (2012) ‘Women’s Experiences of Incarceration in Hong Kong: Doing time, doing choice, doing class-gender-culture’, in S. Walklate (ed) Gender and Crime Volume IV. London: Routledge.
Gray, P. (2010) ‘Social Exclusion and Criminal Justice Policies’, in M. Herzog-Evans (ed) Transnational Criminology Manual Volume 1. The Netherlands: Wolf Legal Publishers.
Gray, P. (2008) Entries on ‘Gatekeeping’, ‘Just Deserts’ and ‘Recidivism’, in B. Goldson (ed) The Youth Justice Dictionary. Devon: Willan.
Gray, P. (2005) ‘Community Interventions’, in T. Bateman and J. Pitts (eds) The RHP Companion to Youth Justice. Dorset: Russell House.
Gray, P. (1997) ‘The Experiences of Young Offenders in the Hong Kong Youth Justice System: Whither the Community-Based Rehabilitation Movement?’, Proceedings of Pacific Rim Regional Conference: Reintegration of Discharged Prisoners. Hong Kong: The Society for the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Published in Chinese, Section 4, pp.73-86, and English, Section 9, pp.79-94).
Gray, P. (1996) ‘Social Work with Delinquents’, in I. Chi and S. Cheung (eds) Social Work in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Social Workers Association.
Gray, P. (1994) ‘Juvenile Offenders, Community Treatment and the Family’, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Family and Community Care. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
Gray, P. (1991) ‘Juvenile Crime and Disciplinary Welfare’, in J. Vagg and H. Traver (eds) Crime and Justice in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.
Gray, P., Grose, R. and Parsons, J. (2022) Landworks Evaluation: 1 April 2021-31 March 2022. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. Evaluation Report 2022
Gray, P., Hanley Santos, G., Jalili Idrissi, A. and Kennedy, C. (2020) Dartmoor Dialogues: An Exploration of Dartmoor’s Journey Towards Becoming an Integrated Prison Underpinned by Restorative Practices Through the Eyes of Key Stakeholders. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/16626)
Gray, P., Simmonds, L. and Annison, J. (2016) The Resettlement of Women Offenders: Learning the Lessons. Plymouth: VSF Cornwall, Devon and Cornwall PCC, Lankelly Chase and University of Plymouth. ( http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/9239)
Gray, P. (2014) Youth Offending Team Partnerships and the Social Context of Youth Crime. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/9007)
Gray, P. (2011) ‘Youth Custody, Resettlement and Social Justice’, Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Bulletin, June.
Gray, P. (2010) ‘Challenging the Individualized Approach to Young People’s Resettlement Needs’, Howard League for Penal Reform, ECAN Bulletin, Issue 7: 7-14, December.
Gray, P. with the assistance of Moseley, J. and Browning, R. (2003) An Evaluation of the Plymouth Restorative Justice Programme. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (108pp.) ISBN: 1-84102-107-5.
Gray, P. with the assistance of Moseley, J. (2003) An Evaluation of the Plymouth Mentoring Programme. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (89pp.) ISBN: 1-84102-116-4.
Gray, P. with the assistance of Browning, R. (2003) An Evaluation of the Plymouth Bail Support Programme. Plymouth: University of Plymouth. (50pp.) ISBN: 1-84102-117-2.
Gray, P. with the assistance of Moseley, J. and Browning, R. (2002) Final Report on the Plymouth Restorative Justice Programme. Submitted to the National Evaluator, University of Oxford and the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
Gray, P. with the assistance of Moseley, J. (2002) Final Report on the Plymouth Mentoring Programme. Submitted to the National Evaluator, University of Surrey and the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
Gray, P. with the assistance of Browning, R. (2002) Final Report on the Plymouth Bail Support Programme. Submitted to the National Evaluator, NACRO and the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
Vagg, J., Bacon-Shone, J., Gray, P. and Lam, D. (1995) The Social Causes of Juvenile Crime: The Final Report. Hong Kong: Government Printer. (199pp.)
Gray, P. (1994) Inside the Hong Kong Juvenile Court: The Decision-making Process in Action. Resource Paper Series No.23, Department of Social Work and Social Administration. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong. (114pp.)
Gray, P. (2023) Review of Wendy Fitzgibbon and John Lea, Privatising Justice: The Security Industry, War and Crime Control. Punishment & Society: The International Journal of Penology, 25(1): 287–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/14624745211040155
Gray, P. (2016) Review of Responding to Youth Crime in Hong Kong: Penal Elitism, Legitimacy and Citizenship by Michael Adorjan and Wing Hong Chui. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 35(1):113-114. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2015.1104817)
Gray, P. (2015a) ‘Youth Justice’, British Society of Criminology Newsletter, Number 76, pp.12-15.
Gray, P. (2015b) Review of Responding to Youth Crime in Hong Kong: Penal Elitism, Legitimacy and Citizenship by Michael Adorjan and Wing Hong Chui. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 54(5): 539–540. ( http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hojo.6_12151/full)
Gray, P. (2008) Review of Youth Policy and Social Inclusion: Critical Debates with Young People edited by Monica Barry. Journal of Youth Studies.
Gray, P. (2007) Review of Comparative Youth Justice edited by John Muncie and Barry Goldson. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 46 (4): 445-456.
Gray, P. (2004) Review of Youth Offending and Restorative Justice: Implementing Reform in Youth Justice by Adam Crawford and Tim Newburn. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal, 6 (2): 73-77.
Gray, P. (1996) Review of Probation: Working for Justice by David Ward and Malcolm Lacey. Hong Kong Journal of Social Work, 30: 58-61.
Gray, P. (2021) ‘Life Inside Prison: The Harms of Imprisonment and the Prospects for Rehabilitation’. Paper presented at the Prisons and Penality: The Current Issues Symposium, University of Plymouth (March).
Gray, P. (2019) ‘The Reality of Diversion, Neoliberal Statecraft and Transformative Youth Justice’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Ghent, Belgium (September).
Gray, P. (2018) with Carr, N., Dwyer, C., McAlister, S. and Smith, R. ‘Delusion of Difference: Devolved Youth Justice’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Sarajevo (August).
Gray, P. (2018) ‘Imaginary Rehabilitative Imprisonment in Neoliberal Times’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Sarajevo (August).
Gray, P. (2017) Invited to be a plenary panel member at the National Association of Youth Justice ‘Child Friendly Youth Justice’ Conference, Cambridge University (September).
Gray, P. and Smith, R. (2017) ‘Beyond Governance: Toward a Critical Realist Analytic of Youth Penality’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, Sheffield Hallam University (July).
Gray, P. (2017) Invited to present a plenary paper ‘Youth Offending Teams: Maximising efficiency in times of squeezed resources’ at ‘The Future of Youth Custody: Prevention, Innovation and Collaboration’, Public Policy Exchange Symposium, London (July).
Gray, P. and Smith, R. (2016) ‘Shifting Sands: The Restructuring of Youth Justice and Neoliberal Penality’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Muenster, Germany (September).
Gray, P., Carr, N., Case, S. and Phoenix, J. (2015) ‘Current Challenges Facing Youth Justice’. Roundtable Discussion at the British Society of Criminology Conference, University of Plymouth (July).
Gray, P. (2014) ‘International Standards and Youth Offending Team Partnerships: Upholding the social rights of young people in conflict with the law’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, University of Liverpool (July).
Gray, P., with Blagg, H. and Smith, R. (2013) ‘Mapping Restorative Justice: Contested political, cultural and local practices’. Paper presented at the Howard League What is Justice? Re-imagining Penal Policy Conference, Keble College, Oxford University (October).
Gray, P. (2012) ‘Assemblages of Penal Governance, Social Justice and Youth Justice Partnerships’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Bilbao, Spain (September).
Gray, P. (2011) ‘The Failure of the Social and Resolving Strategic Dilemmas in Youth Justice Partnerships’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania (September).
Gray, P. (2011) ‘Youth Custody, Resettlement and the Right to Social Justice: Implementing the 1989 United Nations Convention on the rights of the child’. Invited speaker at research seminar at the Department of Social Work and Social Policy, Hong Kong Baptist University (June).
Gray, P. (2011) ‘The Significance and Hidden Dilemmas of Restorative Justice for Youth Justice in England and Wales’. Invited speaker at seminar held by the Department of Health and Social Care, Open University, Milton Keynes (October).
Gray, P. (2008) ‘Youth Custody and Social Exclusion: The socio-political constitution of resettlement’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, University of Huddersfield (July).
Gray, P. (2007) ‘Youth Justice and the Political Economy of Risk’. Paper presented at the European Society of Criminology Conference, University of Bologna (September).
Gray, P. (2007) ‘Youth Custody, Social Inclusion and Young Offenders’ Rights to Social Justice’. Paper presented at the Criminal Justice and Social Justice: New Directions Conference, King’s College, University of London (July).
Gray, P. (2005) ‘Youth Justice, Social Exclusion and the Demise of Social Justice’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, University of Leeds (July).
Gray, P. (2005) ‘Restorative Justice and Developing Alternatives to Imprisonment for Women Offenders’. Paper presented to the Devon and Cornwall Local Criminal Justice Board (April).
Gray, P. (2005) ‘Young Offenders and Social Exclusion: Whither restorative social justice?’. Paper presented at the International Network for Research on Restorative Justice and the Centre for Restorative Justice Conference, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia (February).
Gray, P., Moseley, J. and Browning, R. (2002) ‘The Politics of Risk and Young Offenders’ Experiences of Social Exclusion and Restorative Justice’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, University of Keele (July)
Gray, P. (2002) ‘Restorative Justice and Social Exclusion: Young people’s experiences in the new youth justice system’. Paper presented at the Young People 2002: Research, Practice and Policy Conference, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, University of Keele (July).
Gray, P. (2000) ‘Doing Time, Doing Gender-Class-Culture’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, Leicester (July).
Gray, P. (1999) ‘The New Penality and Youth Justice Towards the Millenium’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, Liverpool (July).
Gray, P. (1997) ‘The Experiences of Teenage and Young Adult Women in the Hong Kong Youth Justice System’. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA (November).
Gray, P. (1997) ‘The Experiences of Young Male Offenders in the Hong Kong Youth Justice System: Whither the community-based rehabilitation movement?’. Paper presented at the Pacific Rim Regional Conference on Reintegration of Discharged Prisoners, Hong Kong (January).
Gray, P. (1996) ‘The Political Economy of Juvenile Justice in Hong Kong’. Paper presented at the Australian and New Zealand Criminology Conference, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (January).
Gray, P. (1995) ‘Deconstructing the Delinquent as a Subject of Class and Cultural Power’. Paper presented at the British Society of Criminology Conference, Loughborough University (July).
Gray, P. (1995) ‘Developing Juvenile Justice Legislation: The UK and Hong Kong experience’. Paper presented at the Training Workshop for Juvenile Justice Professionals, Ministry for the Care and Protection of Children and Swedish Save the Children Fund, Vietnam (March).
Gray, P. (1994) ‘Juvenile Offenders, Community Treatment and the Family’. Paper presented at the International Conference on Family and Community Care, Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Hong Kong (April).
Personal
Personal
Conferences organised
Gray, P. (2022) Children in Devon Affected by Parental Imprisonment Conference. In partnership with Choices. Webinar 3 May. View the conference programme
Gray, P. (2021) Prisons and Penality: The Current Issues Symposium. Webinar 24 March. Plenary 1
Gray, P. (2016) Prison Reform Forum. University of Plymouth.
Gray, P. (2015) Member of British Society of Criminology Conference 2015 Organizing Committee, Plenary 2 Lead. University of Plymouth.
Gray, P. (2011) Youth Custody and Human Rights Conference. University of Plymouth. 2/3 June. Hosted by the Law and Criminal Justice Centre, Plymouth Law School, Plymouth University, in association with the British Society of Criminology/Youth Criminology/Youth Justice Network and the South West Branch of the British Society of Criminology.