Judith joined the GCCS in 2025 as an assistant professor affiliated to Durham Law School. Judith has expertise in conducting research involving children, using participatory methods. Her research mainly focuses on children’s rights and youth justice and emphasises upholding the best interest of children. Judith is passionate about conducting research that encourages participation from children and young people and ensures their voices are heard and valued in matters that concern them.
Judith has been supporting work on the Resourcing Safety and Prioritising Safety research projects since she joined the GCCS. Before joining the GCCS, her research focused on children and the appellate system in England and Wales, examined through the lens of children’s rights as outlined in the Council of Europe Child-Friendly Guidelines and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Throughout her research, she has collaborated with legal practitioners, professionals working with children in His Majesty’s Young Offender Institutes (HMYOI), the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), and most significantly, children and young people. She has also contributed to the Law Commission’s review of the law governing appeals in criminal cases, particularly in cases involving children and young people, through round-table consultations.
Additionally, her interest in ensuring that vulnerable persons are protected has led her to collaborate with academics from different disciplines to work on interdisciplinary scholarships. Her recent interdisciplinary work contributed to the Handbook for Criminal Justice Practitioners 2024 on Forensic Evidence Processing in Gender-Based Violence Cases.