Dr Tara Young

Dr Young is a Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Criminology at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. She has over 15 years’ experience in developing and managing research projects specialising in research with underrepresented groups and minoritised communities.

The central focus of her research is on young people as perpetrators and victims of violent crime. She is interested in the manifestation of the ‘gang’ as a social problem in the UK and statutory responses to youth crime. Dr Young has published works on mentoring as a strategy for ‘at risk’ young people, gangs and street-based offending, sexual violence (including multiple perpetrator rape) and gang-associated girls and young women. Her current research focus is on the application of the law on secondary liability (more commonly referred to as joint enterprise) in cases of group-related serious violent crime.

Dr Young has a PhD in Criminology (by prior output) from London Metropolitan University, an MSc in Criminology from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BSc in Sociology from Bristol University, West of England.

Dr Young has over 15 years’ experience in developing and managing research projects and specialises in social research with ‘hard to reach’ and ‘vulnerable groups’. 

The central focus of her research is on marginalised young people as perpetrators and victims of anti-social behaviour and violent crime. She is interested in the manifestation of the ‘gang’ as a social problem in the UK in the context of an increasingly punitive statutory response to youth crime, and how gang-associated girls and young women formulate their identity, exercise control and power, and avoid victimisation.

Dr Young has also conducted research on mentoring as a strategy for ‘at risk’ young people, crime displacement, sexual violence (including multiple perpetrator rape) and domestic violence. 

Currently, Dr Young is Co-Investigator on an ESRC - funded project (with Dr Susie Hulley at Cambridge University - ES/POO1378/1) examining friendship, violence and legal consciousness within the context of Joint Enterprise.  

Dr Young teaches modules on Victims and Crime (SOCI7540), Young People and Violence (SOCI7540) and Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice (SOCI3290) at undergraduate level. At postgraduate level, Dr Young supervises PhD theses. 

Dr Young welcomes PhD proposals focusing on issues related to gangs, violent crime, joint enterprise and criminal justice policy related to any of these areas. 

• Member: British Society of Criminology
• Member: Race Matters Network (britsoccrim.org)
• Member: European Society of Criminology
• Trustee: Chaos Theory Violence Interruption Project (since 2013)