Sam Lewis

Dr. Sam Lewis is an Associate Professor in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the School of Law, University of Leeds. As a member of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and founder of the Feminist Research into Violence and Abuse (FRIVA) network (with 50+ members), they focus on violence against women and girls (VAWG) in rural contexts.

Their research bridges academic inquiry and policy implementation, particularly addressing:

• Rural domestic abuse geospatial patterns
• Child-to-parent violence interventions
• Racial disparities in criminal justice
• Third-sector data integration challenges

Dr. Lewis collaborates extensively with Cumbria Constabulary, police forces, and the Crown Prosecution Service. They hold degrees from Aberystwyth University (BSc Econ in Law and Politics) and University of Bristol (LLM, PhD). Current roles include Postgraduate Admissions Tutor and Grade 9 representative on the Faculty Research and Innovation Committee.

Their recent work emphasizes:

• Establishing national minimum datasets for domestic abuse service providers
• Improving funding criteria accessibility for rural forces
• Amplifying rural practitioner voices in policy debates