Dr Neil Cornish

My main research focus concerns the management of vulnerability in prison, vulnerable prisoner masculinities and prison violence.

I was awarded my PhD by the University of Glasgow in June 2022, an ESRC funded collaborative scholarship titled “Vulnerability, decision-making and the protection of prisoners in Scotland and England”. I have previously worked in a number of Research Associate roles, including for the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR), University of Northampton, Prison Reform Trust, University of Leicester and Ormiston Children and Families Trust.

After covering a maternity leave, I have recently finished working as a Lecturer in Criminology at Leeds Trinity University (July 2023 to December 2024).

Areas of Research Focus

Vulnerable Prisoners

I have a longstanding interest in the management of vulnerability in prison, specifically in terms of decision-making process of prisoners who request re-location to vulnerable prisoner units (VPUs) and of the staff who assess suitability for protective housing. Consequently, I am interested in the range of prisoners identified, their personal stories and journeys to protective housing, hierarchies formed once separated and the likelihood of a return to mainstream prison populations. Equally, I am keen to build on my PhD and learn more about the individual and collective decision-making of prison staff in terms of identifying, assessing and supporting vulnerable prisoners, how custom, practice and the nature of the establishment influences decision-making and how management of ‘at risk’ prison populations can be improved.

Post Prison Re-integration

As a former prisoner with lived experience of the penal system and re-integration, I am personally interested in the barriers faced by people leaving custody and personal qualities required to navigate these challenges and move forward into rewarding employment, study or volunteering.

Previous Experience

Prior to teaching at Leeds Trinity, I was a researcher at the University of Northampton working on a project funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FIMT) which investigated identification and support provided to former armed-forces personnel in the Criminal Justice Systems of both England and Wales and Scotland. Between 2010-2015, I was employed as a Research Associate at Prison Reform Trust where I co-authored publications, including Social Care or Systematic Neglect, investigating resettlement support provided to older prisoners and Out for Good, which highlighted the importance of enabling prisoners to take responsibility for decisions impacting their resettlement. In addition, I have been involved in research projects with University of Glasgow, University of Leicester and Ormiston Children and Families Trust. The focus of these projects has been varied, including the Impact of Covid lockdowns on marginalised groups in Scotland, an evaluation of Integrated Offender Management schemes in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and setting up and delivery of a women’s criminal justice diversionary project in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Publications

Cornish, N (2025) ‘Between Safety and Isolation: A personal and scholarly interest in protective housing in prison’ in Maycock, M and Antojado, D (eds), Beyond Autoethnography: Lived Experience Criminology’, Routledge Publishing

Singh, M, Cahalin, K, Paterson Young, C, Berresford, H, Callender, M, Coady, A, Cornish, N and Hazenberg, R ( 2024), ‘Ex-Service Personnel in the Criminal Justice System: Barriers to identification and take up of support’ https://nacro.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24203104/Nacro-Ex-service-Personnel-Main-Report_2024_FINAL_March-2024.pdf

Casey, R, McNeil, F, Barkas, B, Cornish, N, Gormley, C and Schinkel, M (October 2021) Pervasive Punishment in a Pandemic, Probation Journal pp 1-17 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/02645505211050871

King, S, Hopkins, M and Cornish, N (2017) ‘Can models of organizational change help to understand ‘success’ and ‘failure’ in community sentences?, Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 18(3), pp. 273–290 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1748895817721274

Cornish, N, Edgar, K, Hewson, A and Ware, S (2016) Social care or systematic neglect? Older people on release from prison, Research report, Prison Reform Trust/ Restore Support Network. http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Older-prisoner-resettlement.pdf

Edgar, K, Aresti, A and Cornish, N (2012) Out for Good: Taking responsibility for resettlement, Research report, Prison Reform Trust: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/portals/0/documents/outforgood.pdf

External positions: Longford Trust Ambassador (ongoing), ‘Elevate’ Advisory Board member at Criminal Justice Alliance (2024)

Keywords: Prison Masculinity, Vulnerable Prisoner Masculinities, Management of Vulnerability in prison, Prison violence, Mental health support in prison, Veterans in the CJS, Suicide in prison, Deaths in Custody