Sarah O'Neill

Sarah O'Neill is a Senior Lecturer at De Montfort University's School of Applied Social Sciences within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. With 17 years of experience in the Probation Service, she specializes in Probation Work and Criminal Justice System training, contributing to the Ministry of Justice's Probation Qualification pathways (PQiP) and Probation Service Officer Progression (PSOP) programs. Her research focuses on risk assessment, desistance approaches, and equality in justice systems.

Research interests include:

• Risk assessment and public protection in probation
• Desistance-driven rehabilitation practices
• Digital technology in criminal justice education
• Equality, diversity and inclusion in sentencing

Key contributions:

• Co-designed revalidated Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP)
• Developed non-graduate Probation Practitioners pathway
• Authored upcoming book chapter on digital storytelling in probation training

Scientific awards:

• Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

Her teaching portfolio includes:

• Level 6 Risk Assessment, Management and Public Protection module
• Level 5 Adult Learning and Reflective Practice module