Alice Gerlach

Dr Alice Gerlach is a Lecturer in Criminology at the School of Law and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, and Deputy Head for Education and Student Experience. She holds a DPhil (PhD) from the University of Oxford’s Centre for Criminology (2018). Her research focuses on Border Criminologies, examining the intersection of immigration control and criminal justice. Notably, her ESRC and HMIP-funded doctoral work explored women’s experiences in UK immigration detention, emphasizing dignity as a framework for analyzing systemic challenges. She collaborates with Professor Mary Bosworth on the Measure of Quality of Life in Detention (MQLD) survey to assess conditions in immigration removal centers.

Education:

• DPhil in Criminology, University of Oxford (2018)

Research Interests: Alice’s work bridges academic and practitioner perspectives, with a focus on global migration governance, detention ethics, and post-detention experiences. Her fieldwork included visits to UK immigration removal centers, Jamaican communities, and collaborations with organizations like the National Organisation of Deported Migrations (NODM). She advocates for humane detention practices and informed policy reform.

Professional Experience: Prior roles include research with HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Her expertise spans both criminal justice and immigration detention systems.

Labs/Teams: Member of Border Criminologies, a global network uniting academics, practitioners, and affected individuals to advance knowledge on border control policies.