Victoria Cooper

I joined the Open University in 2015 as a Lecturer in Social Policy and Criminology.

I am the Co-director of the International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research (ICCCR), which is an interdisciplinary, cross-faculty research centre concerned with developing and supporting research projects and papers that think critically about problems of crime and justice. The ICCCR works in partnership with the Centre of Criminal Justice Studies (CCJS).

My research focuses on homelessness in relation to: housing, hostels, the criminal justice system, community punishment and geographical displacement. I am interested in how society contains and manages homeless groups through these various institutions. Currently, I am looking at the relationship between welfare reforms, the rise in evictions and homelessness. I have led on research projects commissioned by homeless charities and local authorities. Prior to working in Universities, I worked as a practitioner in housing and homelessness.