Psychological changes expected and experienced by victims who communicate with offenders

There is evidence that some victims of crime benefit from communication with offenders, at least some of the time, but little is known about how these benefits occur. Many have theorised about the mechanisms by which restorative justice produces outcomes for victims (Braithwaite, 1989; Christie, 1977; Dignan, 2004; Sherman et al., 2005; Tyler, 1989; Zehr, 1990), but few have empirically tested these theories (Bolitho, 2017; Strang et al., 2006). In my PhD thesis, I proposed and began to test a theoretical framework, suggesting that victims expect and experience five main types of psychological change when they communicate with offenders. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed to determine whether victims expect and experience changes in their perceptions of 1) procedural justice, 2) punishment, 3) prevention, 4) the offender and 5) themselves. I found evidence that each of these five changes is at least sometimes expected and experienced by victims, although further research is required to better understand each one and its relative role in victim satisfaction and wellbeing.

The purpose of this ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship is to make my research findings accessible to a wider audience and to extend my analysis of quantitative data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) using advanced quantitative methods. To this end, I will produce four peer-reviewed journal articles, drawing on a combination of data collected during my doctoral research and advanced quantitative analysis of the most recent CSEW results. I shall also work in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Bates from the National Probation Service to produce a Policy Brief and Practitioner Handbook. I will share reflections on the methodology and findings of the project through a bi-monthly blog, as well as build a network of academic collaborators through an institutional visit.

The benefits of this project are multiple. First, it will enable me to make my doctoral research accessible to a wider audience of researchers, policy makers and practitioners. The four peer-reviewed journal articles will enable me to hone the presentation of my ideas through reviewer feedback, and then publish them in high-impact journals so they can be accessed by individuals and institutions throughout the world. This will make a specific and crucial contribution to the body of knowledge about the psychological impact on victims of communication with offenders. Second, I will enhance my own skills in quantitative data analysis, thereby also contributing to the field of quantitative criminology. I will bring some of the lessons learnt recently in psychology about the need for open, transparent and reproducible research to criminology - and to victimology in particular. Third, the networks I build with academics who have carried out similar research will enable collaboration, sharing of ideas and resources, and will advance the field. Fourth and finally, the importance of this research is primarily for the improvement of interventions for victims of crime. The vulnerable group have often been overlooked, and while this is currently changing, there is a pressing need for advancing our knowledge of victims' justice perspectives and recovery from crime.