ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú

Skip to main content

Dr Amy Kirby

Positions held:
  • Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences
Email
  • Overview

    Overview

    Biography

    Dr Amy Kirby is a Lecturer in CriminologyÌýandÌýis based at the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research (ICPR).

    Amy completed a BA in Criminology at Lancaster University and an MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice at King's College London. She was awarded a PhD from the University of Surrey in 2019 for her study of lay participants’ perceptions of the legitimacy of the criminal courts, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

    Amy hasÌý15 years'Ìýexperience of conducting academic and policy-oriented research atÌýICPR. She has worked on projects focusing on lay participation, the criminal courts, youth justice and sentencing. This includes a 20-month ESRC-funded study of victims', witnesses' and defendants' experiences of the Crown Court and a study of the meaning of participation in courts and tribunals, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. She is currently co-investigator on a Nuffield funded study of in collaboration with ICPR and Revolving Doors.

    Amy'sÌýresearch has been published in monographs and academic journals, such as the British Journal of Criminology, the Criminal Law Review and Criminology and Criminal Justice. She has also co-authored policy-oriented outputs in collaboration with organisations such as Victim Support, Clinks and the Criminal Justice Alliance. She has been invited to present her work and provide expert comment to a range of academic, policy and practice audiences.Ìý

    Ìý

    Highlights

    Web profiles

    Administrative responsibilities

    • Criminology Co-Subject Lead

    Professional memberships

    • Advance HE Fellow (FHEA)

    • British Society of Criminology

    • Socio-Legal Studies Association

    ORCID

  • Research

    Research

    Research interests

    • Lay participation in the court setting
    • Legitimacy
    • Court culture
    • Lived Experience and Co-Production
    • Victimology
    • Legal education
    • Youth Justice
    • Joint enterprise
    • Qualitative research methods

    Research Centres and Institutes

    • ,

    Research projects

  • Supervision and teaching

    Supervision and teaching

    Supervision

    Areas of Research Supervision:

    • Lay and public participation in the courts
    • Lived experience and co-production
    • Legitimacy
    • Court culture
    • Victimisation
    • Youth Justice
    • Sentencing
    • Joint Enterprise
    • Qualitative research

    Teaching

    Amy convenes the following modules in the School of Social Sciences:

    • Victims, Crime & Society (undergraduate)
    • Youth Justice (postgraduate)
    • Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice (postgraduate)

    Teaching modules

    • Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
    • Criminal Justice Institutions and Processes
    • Criminology Research Project
  • Publications

    Publications

    Article

    • Kirby, Amy and Welsh, L. (2025) . Journal of Law and Society ISSN 0263-323X.
    • Kirby, Amy (2024) . The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice ISSN 2059-1101.
    • Kirby, Amy (2023) . British Journal of Criminology ISSN 0007-0955.
    • Kirby, Amy and Jacobson, Jessica (2022) . Clinks Evidence Library
    • Kirby, Amy (2017) . Criminal Law Review 12, pp. 949-968. ISSN 0011-135X.
    • Jacobson, Jessica and Kirby, Amy and Hunter, Gillian (2016) . Criminal Law & Justice Weekly 180, pp. 557-559. ISSN 1759-7943.
    • Kirby, Amy and Jacobson, Jessica and Hunter, Gillian (2016) . British Society of Criminology Newsletters 79, pp. 11-15. ISSN 1759-8354.
    • Kirby, Amy (2016) . Safer Communities 15 (2), pp. 82-93. ISSN 1757-8043.

    Book

    • Jacobson, Jessica and Hunter, Gillian and Kirby, Amy (2015) . Bristol, UK: Policy Press. ISBN 9781447317050.

    Book section

    • Kirby, Amy (2020) . In: Jacobson, Jessica and Cooper, Penny (eds.) Participation in Courts and Tribunals: Concepts, Realities and Aspirations. Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. ISBN 9781529211290.
    • Hough, Mike and Kirby, Amy (2013) . In: Ashworth, A. and Roberts, J.V. (eds.) Sentencing Guidelines: Exploring the English Model. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 140-156. ISBN 9780199684571.

    Monograph

    • Hunter, Gillian and Kirby, Amy and Jacobson, Jessica (2026) . London, UK: Revolving Doors.
    • Hunter, Gillian and Jacobson, Jessica and Kirby, Amy (2018) . London, UK: Solicitors Regulation Authority.
    • Jacobson, Jessica and Kirby, Amy and Hunter, Gillian (2016) . London, UK: Prison Reform Trust.
    • Jacobson, Jessica and Hunter, G. and Kirby, Amy (2015) . London, UK: Criminal Justice Alliance.
    • Wigzell, Ali and Kirby, Amy and Jacobson, Jessica (2015) . London, UK: Bar Standards Board.
    • Kirby, Amy and Jacobson, Jessica (2015) . London, UK: Restorative Solutions.
    • Kirby, Amy and Jacobson, Jessica and Hunter, Gillian (2014) . Howard League Working Paper Howard League for Penal Reform.
    • Jacobson, Jessica and Skrine, Oonagh and Kirby, Amy and Hunter, Gillian (2014) . N/A London, UK: Institute for Criminal Policy Research, ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, University of London.
    • Gibbs, P. and Kirby, Amy (2014) . Howard League Working Paper 6/2014 London, UK: Institute for Criminal Policy Research, ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, University of London.
    • Hunter, Gillian and Jacobson, Jessica and Kirby, Amy (2013) . London, UK: Victim Support.
    • Jacobson, Jessica and Kirby, Amy (2012) . London, UK: The Home Office.
    • Gyateng, Tracey and Kirby, Amy and Webster, Russell and Hunter, Gillian (2012) . Home Office Occasional Paper 106 London, UK: University of London.
  • Business and community

    Business and community

    Outreach

    March 2023: Panelist, Court Trial Process, Chaired by Victoria Derbyshire.

    March 2024: Panelist event, Institute for Advanced Legal Studies.

    January 2023: , Clinks Evidence Library