Rosie Meek

Professor Rosie Meek is Professor of Criminological Psychology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway University of London, where she joined in 2013 and established the interdisciplinary School of Law. Currently holding a UKRI Policy Fellowship (2023-2025) partially seconded to the Ministry of Justice, she co-directs the Crime & Punishment Research Cluster with Professor Nick Hardwick.

Education:

• BA in Social Psychology, University of Sussex
• MRes in Psychological Methods, University of Sussex
• PhD in Psychology, University of Sussex
• PGCertHE, University of Sussex

Professor Meek's research centers on criminological psychology within prison environments, with emphasis on:

• Sport and physical activity for crime prevention and rehabilitation
• Evaluation of mentoring and arts programmes in criminal justice
• Prisoner health promotion and well-being initiatives
• Desistance through voluntary and community organisations
• Longitudinal analysis of prisoner survey data

Her work actively bridges academia and policy through collaborations with HM Inspectorate of Prisons, UNODC, and the Ministry of Justice.

Recent publications reveal strong thematic convergence around gender-responsive interventions, longitudinal prisoner experiences, and global consensus-building for prison-based programmes. Key trends include systematic reviews of women's sport experiences in prison, development of evaluation metrics for health initiatives, and international frameworks for sport-based rehabilitation.

Scientific Awards:

• Royal Holloway Doctoral Supervisor of the Year Award (2019)
• Team Teaching Prize for prison-university initiative (2017)
• Fulbright Distinguished Scholar (UC San Diego)

Professor Meek has supervised 6 doctoral completions and currently mentors 1 PhD candidate, while examining 17 theses across UK/Australian institutions. Her grant leadership includes ESRC-funded projects analyzing 20 years of prisoner survey data and UNODC crime prevention initiatives, supported by roles on the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel and as Associate Editor of Criminology & Criminal Justice.

She leads the Crime & Punishment Research Cluster with multidisciplinary teams from RAND, ARCS, and international universities, focusing on evidence-based prison interventions and policy implementation.