Professor Hannah Smithson

Profile

Professor Hannah Smithson has worked within the field of criminology for over 20 years and specialises in the area of youth justice. Hannah is the co-convenor of the award winning Greater Manchester Youth Justice Partnership - a partnership between Man Met and each of the 10 Greater Manchester youth justice services. The partnership has led to the creation of a transformative new framework: Participatory Youth Practice (PYP). PYP is the first framework to be co-created with justice-involved children based on their lived experiences. PYP has had an impact on youth justice practice, on national and international youth justice strategies, and, most importantly, on justice-involved children themselves. Hannah works collaboratively with a variety of local, national and international communities and stakeholders, including professionals, activists and third sector organisations. Her research has been instrumental in shaping agendas in research and policy across the interconnected areas of: youth justice, serious youth violence and child criminal exploitation. She has written extensively on the problematic reductionism of SYV to involvement in gangs. Her most recent publications explore the benefits and challenges of participatory practice with justice-involved children. She is currently leading a UKRI funded project, in partnership with the Alliance for Youth Justice, exploring the impacts and implications of Covid-19 on the youth justice system and justice-involved children.

Research

Expertise