Ethel Quayle

Personal Chair of Forensic Clinical Psychology

Background

I am a clinical psychologist who has worked with both sex offenders and their victims.  For over 20 years I have researched technology-mediated crimes against children, collaborating internationally with government and non-government agencies in the context of research, policy and practice. Recent EU-funded research examined the function of coercive and non-coercive self-produced sexual images by adolescents and NSPCC-funded research on deterrence of possession of images. I play an active role in a number of government and non-government organisations.

 

CV

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Undergraduate teaching

I teach subjects related to adult mental health and qualitive research on the Doctoral Clinical Programme and am course co-ordinator for adult mental health as well as an undergraduate programme, Psychological Therapies.

Postgraduate teaching

I teach subjects related to adult mental health and qualitive research on the Doctoral Clinical Programme and am course co-ordinator for adult mental health as well as an undergraduate programme, Psychological Therapies.

Research summary

My primary research interest relates to Internet sex offending, and in particular to the role of abuse images in the offending process. This is collaborative work, largely funded by the EU STOP, DAPHNE and SAFER INTERNET programmes. Projects have included the development of a therapeutic programme for Internet sex offenders, a web-based self help (currently managed by Lucy Faithful Foundation), an analysis of adolescents displaying problematic sexual behaviour related to the Internet, a victim identification and the study of p2p networks.

In REF2014 I submitted an impact case study (REF3b) in 2013 (Defining the scale and demographics of technology-mediated crimes and illegal images of children, leading to new international accord and sentencing guidelines). Since this submission, my research has added to the evidence base concerning the dynamics of online victimisation, and has helped influence the global policy move toward deterrence and prevention of these crimes. My work with the Global Alliance (a joint US and EU initiate) has culminated in the recent Declaration of Rome which was formally accepted by Pope Francis. Strategically, the declaration operationalises 13 goals recognising the urgent need for an inter-sectoral strategic collaboration which calls upon technology leaders, political and religious leaders, health and social care professionals and others to share responsibility for achieving them. My work has been part of this process from 2008 when I helped coordinate, and presented at, a G8 meeting in the US. At a national level, my recent work has been recognised and used by the Home Office, the National Crime Agency, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. The guideline on self-produced sexual images by young people will be used by the National Crime Agency to develop further training materials for professionals. More recently, the Home Office has given additional funding to LFF to further develop and promote an online self-help therapeutic platform for online offenders which I developed (with Spain, Poland and Italy) as part of an EU funded project and is now translated and used by 8 countries. We are currently publishing offender-related data from research funded by the NSPCC.

Current research interests

My research interests remain the same but with an increased focus on deterrence, particularly situational crime prevention.

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