Ashley Batastini

Ashley Batastini is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas Tech University in the United States in 2015.

Dr. Batastini's research focuses on developing novel intervention strategies for higher-risk populations within the criminal justice system, improving access to appropriate mental health interventions at various stages of criminal legal involvement, and addressing systemic factors within carceral settings that diminish intervention efficacy. Her work often considers innovative approaches to integrate technology into forensic and correctional mental health services.

She has clinical expertise in conducting forensic mental health evaluations and has developed multiple professional training programs including:

• Restrictive Housing and the Management of Disruptive Behaviors
• Assessment & Treatment of Criminogenic Needs (with Nichola Tyler, PhD)
• Careers in Correctional Mental Health
• Overview of Correctional Mental Health (with Virginia Barber-Rioja, PhD)
• Correctional Mental Health (with Virginia Barber-Rioja, PhD)

Her work addresses critical challenges in the field, particularly the overrepresentation of individuals with mental illness in correctional facilities and the need for specialized mental health interventions in jails and prisons. Dr. Batastini examines the psychological implications of restrictive housing practices and explores alternative behavior management approaches that better balance rehabilitation and safety goals.