Dr Laura Hammond
Reader in Investigative Psychology, Director - Crime and Society Research Centre
School of Social Sciences
- Email:
- laura.hammond@bcu.ac.uk
- Phone:
- +44 (0)121 331 7263
Laura has always been fascinated by crime; why and how people become involved in crime, and how society can effectively tackle crime.
Her research has focused on a wide range of related areas, from spatial patterns in crime and Geographical Profiling to investigative processes and decision-making, the modelling of crime and study of criminal actions, public perceptions and experiences of crime and juror decision-making. Her work is driven by a focus on real-world impact. She has worked with a number of different police forces and law enforcement agencies around the world on a range of consultancy projects and criminal legal cases.
Areas of Expertise
- Investigative Psychology
- Behavioural Modelling of Crime
- Offender Profiling
- The Geography of Crime
- Geographical Offender Profiling
- Investigative Processes and Investigative Efficacy
- Investigative Interviewing
- Investigative and Legal Decision-Making
- The Reliability and Value of Evidence and Testimony
- Public Perceptions and Experiences of Crime
Qualifications
- BSc
- MSc
- PhD
Memberships
- BPS Chartered Psychologist
- Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Teaching
Laura is Module Leader for Investigative Psychology (PSY7046) on the MSc Forensic Psychology, and Module Leader for ‘Introduction to Evidence Based Policing’ on the BSc Professional Policing degree.
Laura also teaches on the following modules:
- PSY7050 The Psychology of Law and Justice
- PSY7048 Victimology
- PSY7052 Dissertation
- PSY5050 Forensic Psychology
- PSY6017 The Psychology of Serious Offending
Research
- Evidence based policing and police use of research.
- Improving investigative efficacy through the use of novel methodologies.
- Youth knife crime and anti-knife crime interventions.
- The spatial distribution of crime and geographical profiling effectiveness.
- Predictors of offending propensity and vulnerability to victimization.
- Ideographic and nomothetic determinants of DV victimization, reporting and help-seeking.
- Public understanding and perceptions of novel crimes and emerging threats.
- Strategies for tackling Fraud
- The impacts of COVID-19 on crime
Postgraduate Supervision
- Chiara Zappaterreno, Intimate Partner Homicide in Italy (University of Huddersfield)
- Manuel Camilleri, Suicide In Malta (University of Huddersfield)
- Natasha Pope, The Efficacy of Anti-Knife Crime Interventions
- Lauren Gillespie, Personality variables of jurors: Impacts on jury decision-making
- Emily-Beth Davies-Smith, A Mixed Method Approach Investigating if Training Provision is Adequate for The Range of Deployment Needs of Police Dogs.
- Ja-Nice Harris, Policing and Black Communities: an exploration of how contemporary policies and policing practices have impacted the cohesion between the local Police and Black communities in The West Midlands region
Publications
Journal Articles
Ciesla, K., Ioannou, M., & Hammond, L. (In Press). Women offenders’ Criminal Narrative Experience (CNE). Journal of Criminal Psychology.
Ciesla, K., Ioannou, M., and Hammond, L. (2018). Women offenders' emotional experience of crime. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 15(3), 287-303
Mojtahedi, D., Ioannou, M. and Hammond, L. (2018). Group size, misinformation and unanimity influences on co-witness judgments. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 25(9), 844-865.
Mojtahedi, D., Ioannou, M. and Hammond, L. (2018). The dangers of co-witness familiarity: Investigating the effects of co-witness relationships on blame conformity. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 33(4), 316-326.
Yaneva, M., Ioannou, M., Hammond, L. and Synnott, J. (2018). Differentiating contract killers: A narrative-based approach. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 57(1), 107-123.
Ashton, S., Ioannou, M. and Hammond, L. (2018). Offending patterns of youth gang members and leavers. Journal of Gang Research, 25(2), 29-49.
Mojtahedi, D., Ioannou, M. and Hammond, L. (2017) Personality correlates of co-witness suggestibility. Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 4, 249-274.
Ioannou, M., Hammond, L. and Machin, L. (2017) Male-on-male sexual assault: Victim, offender and offence characteristics. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 14(2), 189-209.
Hammond, L., Ioannou, M. & Fewster, M. (2016) Perceptions of male rape and sexual assault in a U.K. male sample: Barriers to reporting and the impacts of victimisation. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 14(2), 133-149.
Williams, L., Ioannou, M., & Hammond, L. (2016). Proposal for a community-based perpetrator, primary caregiver and child victim sexual risk assessment tool - The ‘Sexual Allegation Form Evaluating Risk (SAFER)’. Assessment and Development Matters, 8 (1).
Ioannou, M. & Hammond, L. (2015) The changing face of homicide research: The shift in empirical focus and emerging research trends. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 5(3); 157-162.
Hammond, L. & Ioannou, M. (2015) Age effects on juvenile homicide perpetration. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 5(3); 163-176.
Ioannou, M. & Hammond, L. (2015) A model for differentiating school shooters characteristics’. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 5(3); 188-200.
Evans, L., Ioannou, M. & Hammond, L. (2015) A predictive model of criminality in civil psychiatric populations’. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 5(1); 1-12.
Ioannou, M. & Hammond, L. (2014) The detection of deception within investigative contexts: Key challenges and core issues. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 12(2); 107-118.
Hammond, L. (2014) Geographical profiling in a novel context: Prioritising the search for New Zealand sex offenders. Psychology, Crime and Law; 20(4); 358-371.
Canter, D., Hammond, L. & Youngs, D. (2013) Cognitive bias in lineup identifications: The impact of administrator knowledge. Science and Justice, 53(2); 83-88.
Canter, D., Hammond, L., Youngs, D. & Juzczak, P. (2013) The efficacy of ideographic models for geographical offender profiling. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 29(3); 423-466.
Hammond, L. & Youngs, D. (2011) Decay functions and criminal spatial processes: Geographical offender profiling of volume crime. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 8(1); 90-102.
Canter, D. & Hammond, L. (2007). Prioritising burglars: Comparing the effectiveness of geographical profiling methods. Journal of Police Practice and Research, 8(4); 371-384.
Hammond, L., Wagstaff, G. & Cole, J. (2006). Facilitating eyewitness memory in adults and children with context reinstatement and focused meditation. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 3(2), p117-130.
Canter, D. & Hammond, L. (2006). ‘A comparison of the efficacy of different decay functions in geographical profiling for a sample of U.S. serial killers. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 3(2), p91-103.
Book Chapters
Hammond, L. & Ioannou, M. (2017) ‘Mock Jurors’ Understanding of Forensic Science and Its Perceived Importance in Judicial Processes’. In: Psychology and law in Europe: When West meets East. : CRC Press. pp. 103-124. ISBN 978-1498780988
Hammond, L. & Youngs, D. (2013) ‘Geographical Offender Profiling’. In Youngs, D. (Ed.) ‘The Behavioural Analysis of Crime’. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Hammond, L. & Thole, K. (2008). ‘Interviewing and Testimony’. In Canter, D. (Ed.) ‘Criminological Psychology’. London; Hodder Arnold.