Nikki D'Souza

Nikki enrolled as a PhD research student at the School of Law, University of Sheffield in October 2016. The doctorate will focus on examining the feasibility and implications of deploying restorative approaches in a serious and organised crime context, as part of an innovation led by Durham Constabulary and supervised by the University of Sheffield. She works full-time for Durham Constabulary in policy development, having previously worked in a variety of roles as the Chief Constable’s Staff Officer for Troubled Families, an analyst and Local Criminal Justice Board Programme Manager. Her background is as a probation officer and middle manager.

She has undertaken her undergraduate studies at the University of Sunderland, with a primary-research dissertation which examined the social behaviours of violent and acquisitive offenders subject to probation supervision, followed by a Masters in Social Work (probation route) at the University of Hull, culminating in a thesis exploring leadership styles between the public and private sectors. She followed this with an MSt in Criminology, Penology and Management at Cambridge University, with the final works focusing on primary research examining public confidence and Unpaid Work.

Her research interests centre on criminal justice policy and practice development.