Jennifer Fleetwood

Jennifer Fleetwood is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at City, University of London, where she joined in January 2024. She holds a PhD based on ethnographic research in Ecuadorian prisons, focusing on women in drug trafficking. She is a leading scholar in narrative criminology and has published extensively on gender, crime, and justice.

• Senior Lecturer, City, University of London (2025–present)
• Former teaching positions at Goldsmiths, University of London; University of Greenwich; University of Leicester; University of Kent
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Her research centers on personal narratives of crime, with a focus on women’s roles in drug trafficking, sentencing reform, and the death penalty for drug mules. She employs ethnographic and narrative methods, often working at the intersection of sociology, criminology, and feminist theory. Her work critically examines how stories shape public understanding of crime and justice.

Her recent publications highlight a consistent trend in exploring gendered narratives in illicit drug markets, resistance to structural oppression, and ethical challenges in ethnographic research. She has increasingly focused on information security for criminological researchers, advocating for better practices in digital fieldwork safety and data protection.

• British Society of Criminology Book Prize (2015) for Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade
• Editor, Crime, Media, Culture (2025–present)
• Editor, British Journal of Criminology (2022–present)
• Editorial Board Member, Sociology Compass (2014–present)

Jennifer actively supervises PhD students and welcomes proposals in qualitative research, particularly those using ethnography, narrative analysis, or creative methods. She has served on editorial boards of major criminology journals and contributes to public discourse through media appearances, including BBC Radio 4’s Thinking Allowed. Her work bridges academic rigor with public engagement, emphasizing the power of stories in challenging dominant narratives of crime and punishment.

She is fluent in Latin American Spanish and conducts research with an international scope, particularly in Latin America. Her expertise in narrative criminology positions her as a key figure in redefining how personal stories contribute to justice and social change.