Nienke Verstegen

Dr. Nienke Verstegen is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance within Utrecht University, affiliated with the Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology Department. She also works as a researcher at the Van der Hoeven Clinic, focusing on aggression incidents, victimization, and recovery in forensic mental health care.

• Research Themes: Forensic psychiatry, inpatient aggression, victimization dynamics, cultural diversity in care, and mandatory treatment environments.
• Education: Completed a doctoral thesis at Maastricht University (2023) titled Hurt people hurt people, analyzing inpatient aggression in forensic mental health care.

Publication Trends: Her 15 most recent articles (2011–2025) emphasize violence prediction tools (e.g., Brøset Violence Checklist), cultural competence in forensic settings, patient safety, and the intersection of victim-offender relationships with treatment outcomes. Key subtopics include self-injury, ward typology, pandemic impacts (e.g., Forensic psychiatry in times of COVID-19), and therapeutic interventions like drama education.

Collaborations include work with networks like the Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology and institutions such as the Van der Hoeven Clinic. Her research often bridges clinical practice and academic inquiry, addressing ethical and operational challenges in forensic environments.