Jessica Elliott

Dr. Jessica Elliott serves as Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of the West of England, Bristol's Faculty of Business and Law, where she has held academic positions since 2009 and currently leads the Criminal Justice Research Unit. Her institutional affiliation spans both teaching and research capacities within the Law Department.

Academic Background:

• LLB (Hons) from Swansea University (1999-2002)
• LLM in International and Comparative Public Law from University of Exeter (2004-2005)
• PhD from University of Birmingham (2005-2009) focusing on consent in human trafficking

Her research centers on the legal intersections of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and migration law, with particular emphasis on victim identification challenges and consent frameworks. Through empirical investigations including UK prosecution rate analyses and technology access studies for trafficked persons, she examines systemic barriers in trafficking response mechanisms. Her scholarship critically engages with international legal standards while addressing practical implementation gaps in domestic criminal justice systems.

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on trafficking victim identification protocols (2009-2016), evolving toward technology access barriers (2013) and legal framework critiques (2015-2016). Her work bridges theoretical legal analysis with field-based empirical research, demonstrating sustained engagement with criminal justice practitioners and NGOs like Unseen Bristol.

Research Funding:

• Strategic Research Development Fund (£10,000, 2013-2014): UK human trafficking prosecution rates study
• SPUR 4 Early Career Funding (£5,790, 2012-2013): Victim identification barriers research
• Centre for Legal Research (£2,111, 2011-2012): Technology access for trafficked victims study

As Head of the Criminal Justice Research Unit since 2014, she directs collaborative projects with Unseen Bristol and presents findings at major conferences including the SLS Migration Section and Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law. Her teaching portfolio includes Criminal Law, Migration Law and Policy, and specialized courses on sexuality and violence against women and children.