Amy Johnson

Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Criminology and Programme Leader for Criminology Related Courses

School of Health and Wellbeing

Department of Community, Social Justice and Health

Contact Details

email: a.johnson@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 542899

Amy is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Worcester, where she manages and oversees all undergraduate and postgraduate criminology programmes. Amy has worked with a wide range of client groups across criminal justice and support services, bringing a person-centred, empathetic approach to both practice and pedagogy. Her academic interests lie in exploring the complex intersections between offending behaviour, forensic practice, risk, and the socio-economic factors that underpin crime, particularly poverty, marginalisation, and exploitation. Amy is a passionate educator and researcher, committed to delivering inclusive, high-quality teaching that empowers students to critically engage with real-world issues. Her teaching draws on both theoretical frameworks and practical experience, with a strong focus on trauma-informed approaches and social justice.

Amy’s teaching is rooted in the belief that higher education should be transformative and accessible. She is dedicated to supporting students from all backgrounds, particularly those who have experienced adversity, to develop confidence, critical thinking, and professional identity.

Qualifications:

MSc Applied Psychology
MSc Forensic Psychology (Stage 1)
BSc Counselling Psychology
Postgraduate Certificate Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (FHEA)
PhD due to be completed in 2027

Teaching Interests

Amy’s teaching focuses on the intersections of criminology, social justice, and applied practice. She specialises in areas such as offending behaviour, forensic criminology, domestic abuse, risk assessment, and the socio-economic factors that underpin crime. Amy is particularly passionate about trauma-informed education, supporting marginalised groups, and empowering students to critically engage with real-world challenges in criminal justice. In addition to Amy supervising research as part of the dissertation modules, she teaches on a range of modules, such as:

Undergraduate:

CRMN1405 – Human Rights and Miscarriages of Justice

CRMN2502 – Penology, Punishment and Rehabilitation

CRMN2505 – Victimology

CRMN3608 – Criminal Profiling

CRMN3605 – Mental Health and Substance Use in the Context of the Criminal Justice System

Postgraduate:

CRMN4703 – Risk Management

CRMN4705 – Complex Criminal Investigation

CRMN4706 – Lived Experience, Equality and Diversity

Research Interests

Marginalisation and social exclusion
Domestic abuse and its wider societal impacts
Offending behaviour and rehabilitation
Poverty, vulnerability, and exploitation

Membership of Professional Bodies

British Psychological Society Membership
Associate Fellow Higher Education Authority
Criminology Society Membership

Recent Publications

Gilchrist, E. and Johnson, Amy (2022) Rehabilitation of Offenders in the Scottish Criminal Justice System. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Global Rehabilitation in Criminal Justice. Palgrave Handbooks . Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 505-524. ISBN eBook ISBN 978-3-031-14375-5

Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, Huntley, A., Gilchrist, Elizabeth, McMurran, M., Henderson, J., Feder, G., Howard, L.M. and Gilchrist, G. (2021) Interventions to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration by Men Who Use Substances: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Efficacy. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 22 (5). pp. 1262-1278. ISSN 1524-8380 Online: 1552-8324

Wilkinson, D.J. and Johnson, Amy (2021) A systematic review of quantitative studies capturing measures of psychological and mental health for Gay and Lesbian individuals of faith. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 24 (9). pp. 993-1016. ISSN Print: 1367-4676 Online: 1469-9737

Radcliffe, P., Gadd, D., Henderson, J., Love, B., Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, Gilchrist, Elizabeth and Gilchrist, G. (2021) What Role Does Substance Use Play in Intimate Partner Violence? A Narrative Analysis of In-Depth Interviews With Men in Substance Use Treatment and Their Current or Former Female Partner. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36 (21-22). pp. 10285-10313. ISSN Print: 0886-2605 Online: 1552-6518

Gilchrist, E., Johnson, Amy, McMurran, M., Stephens-Lewis, D., Kirkpatrick, S., Gardner, B., Easton, C. and Gilchrist, G. (2021) Using the Behaviour Change Wheel to design an intervention for partner abusive men in drug and alcohol treatment. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 7 (191). ISSN 2055-5784

Gilchrist, G., Potts, L., Radcliffe, P., Halliwell, G., Dheensa, S., Henderson, J., Johnson, Amy, Love, B., Gilchrist, E., Feder, G., Parrott, S., Li, J., McMurran, M., Kirkpatrick, S., Stephens-Lewis, D., Easton, C., Berbary, C. and Landau, S. (2021) ADVANCE integrated group intervention to address both substance use and intimate partner abuse perpetration by men in substance use treatment: a feasibility randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 21 (980). ISSN 1471-2458

Dheensa, S., Halliwell, G., Johnson, Amy, Henderson, J., Love, B., Radcliffe, P., Gilchrist, L. and Gilchrist, G. (2021) Perspectives on Motivation and Change in an Intervention for Men Who Use Substances and Perpetrate Intimate Partner Abuse: Findings From a Qualitative Evaluation of the Advance Intervention. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. ISSN Print : 0886 2605 Online: 1552 6518

Johnson, Amy, Love, B., Henderson, J., Stephens-Lewis, D., Gadd, D., Radcliffe, P., Gilchrist, E. and Gilchrist, G. (2021) The Challenges of Conducting Qualitative Research on “couples” in Abusive Intimate Partner Relationships Involving Substance Use. Qualitative Health Research, 31 (4). pp. 767-777. ISSN 1049-7323 Online ISSN: 1552-7557

Wilkinson, D.J. and Johnson, Amy (2020) A systematic review of qualitative studies capturing the subjective experiences of Gay and Lesbian individuals’ of faith or religious affiliation. Mental Health, Religion & Culture. pp. 1-16. ISSN 1469-9737

Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, Huntley, A., Gilchrist, Elizabeth, McMurran, M., Henderson, J., Feder, G., Howard, L.M. and Gilchrist, G. (2019) Interventions to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration by Men Who Use Substances: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Efficacy. Trauma, Violence and Abuse. ISSN 1524-8380 Online: 1552-8324

Radcliffe, P., Gadd, D., Henderson, J., Love, B., Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, Gilchrist, Elizabeth and Gilchrist, G. (2019) What Role Does Substance Use Play in Intimate Partner Violence? A Narrative Analysis of In-Depth Interviews With Men in Substance Use Treatment and Their Current or Former Female Partner. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. ISSN Print: 0886-2605 Online: 1552-6518 (In Press)

Gadd, D., Henderson, J., Radcliffe, P., Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy and Gilchrist, G. (2019) The Dynamics of Domestic Abuse and Drug and Alcohol Dependency. The British Journal of Criminology, 59 (5). pp. 1035-1053. ISSN 1464-3529

Huntley, A., Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, McMurran, M., Henderson, J., Gilchrist, Elizabeth, Howard, L., Feder, G. and Gilchrist, G. (2017) Determining the Efficacy of Interventions to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Perpetration by Men who Use Substances: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews.

Conferences

Gilchrist, Elizabeth, Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, Huntley, A., McMurran, M., Henderson, J., Howard, L., Feder, G. and Gilchrist, G. (2017) Determining the Efficacy of Interventions to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Perpetration by Men Who Use Substances: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. In: II European Conference on Domestic Violence, 6th -9th September 2017, Porto, Portugal. (Unpublished)

Henderson, J., Stephens-Lewis, Danielle, Johnson, Amy, Gadd, D., Dennis, F., Radcliffe, P., Love, B. and Gilchrist, G. (2017) English Substance-using Perpetrators' and Their Ex/Current Partners' Narratives of What Contributes to IPV. Findings from Qualitative Interviews. In: Lisbon Addictions Second European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, 24th - 26th October 2017, Lisbon, Portugal. (Unpublished)

External roles

External Examiner for Criminology Courses at Staffordshire University