Kathryn Hollingsworth
School of Law
Professor of Law and Criminal Justice
Full contact details
School of Law
EF00
Bartolomé House
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
- Profile
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Kathryn Hollingsworth joined the University of Sheffield in October 2024 as Professor of Law and Criminal Justice . Prior to her appointment at Sheffield, she was a Professor of Law at Newcastle University (between 2010-2024) and before that she held academic posts at King's College London, Otago University in New Zealand, and Cardiff University. She has also been a visiting professor at Texas Tech University (USA), Melbourne University (Australia), and the University of New South Wales (Australia). Kathryn's research focuses on children’s rights in the context of criminal justice, and she has a particular interest in children's access to justice in the courts, children's sentencing, and judicial communication. Her co-authored article with Helen Stalford ('This case is about you and your future': Towards Judgments for Children') was awarded the 2021 SLSA Article Prize and her work has been used to inform judicial guidance and training in England and Wales and overseas. In 2023, she was joint runner up for Newcastle University's impact award (policy and practice). She was a trustee for Just for Kids Law from 2016-2019 and is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Youth Justice Legal Centre and chair and a director of the Children Rights and Youth Justice CIC
- Qualifications
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- BA (hons) Law, University of Sheffield
- PhD, University of Cambridge
- Research interests
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- Youth Justice
- Children's Rights
- Judging
- Children's Sentencing
- Communication in court
- Children's access to justice
- Publications
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Books
Journal articles
- Kinder justice: Communicating legitimacy to children in sentencing courts. Social & Legal Studies, 34(4), 532-557. View this article in WRRO
- Introduction to the special issue on judicial and lawyer well-being and stress. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 31(3), 315-319.
- Reinterpreting “genetic identity” in the regulatory and ethical context of heritable genome editing. New Genetics and Society, 40(4), 406-424. View this article in WRRO
- “This case is about you and your future”: towards judgments for children. The Modern Law Review, 83(5), 1030-1058. View this article in WRRO
- Assuming Responsibility for Incarcerated Children: A Rights Case for Care-based Homes. Current Legal Problems, 67(1), 99-134.
- Securing responsibility, achieving parity? The legal support for children leaving custody. Legal Studies, 33(1), 22-45.
- Theorising Children's Rights in Youth Justice: The Significance of Autonomy and Foundational Rights. The Modern Law Review, 76(6), 1046-1069.
- Youth justice reform in the ‘big society’. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 34(2), 245-259.
- Protecting Rights at the Margins of Youth Justice in England and Wales: Intensive Fostering, Custody and Leaving Custody. Youth Justice, 8(3), 229-244.
- Protecting the rights of children leaving custody: R (on the application of K) v Parole Board and R (on the application of K) v Manchester City Council. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 29(2), 163-175.
- Creating a children’s champion for Wales? The Care Standards Act 2000 (Part V) and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales Act 2001. The Modern Law Review, 65(1), 58-78.
- Environmental monitoring of government — the case for an environmental auditor. Legal Studies, 20(2), 241-263.
- Audit, accountability and independence: the role of the Audit Commission. Legal Studies, 18(1), 78-100.
- Responsibility and Rights: Children and Their Parents in the Youth Justice System. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 21(2), 190-219.
Chapters
- Child First in the Criminal Courts, Child First (pp. 203-233). Springer International Publishing
Reports
Preprints
- Research group
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Centre for Criminological Research
Children and the Law
- Teaching interests
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Kathryn's teaching interests reflect her research interests and as such they sit at the intersection of criminal justice, children and the law, children's rights, and access to justice. She previously taught public law for many years, and she brings her knowledge of accountability systems, the rule of law, legitimacy and human rights to bear on her criminal law, criminal justice and criminology teaching.
- Teaching activities
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- Contemporary Issues in Law and Justice
- Advanced Criminal Law
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Chair and Director, Children's Rights and Youth Justice CIC
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Youth Justice Legal Centre
- Member of the Steering Committee of the Academic Liaison Network of the Youth Justice Board
- Member of the Alliance for Youth Justice
- Member of the Society of Legal Scholars
- Member of the Socio-Legal Studies Association
- Member of the British Society of Criminology
Recognition
- Socio-Legal Studies Association Article Prize 2021 (with Helen Stalford)
- Vice Chancellor's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Staff) Award 2018 (Newcastle University)