Ann Browning

BA (Hons) Criminal Justice and Criminology, MA Criminology, MRes Research Methods

  • Research Associate
  • University Teacher

Research groups and centres

ORCiD Google Scholar

Having graduated from Birmingham City University in 2009 with a first-class BA (hons) degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology and an MA in Criminology with distinction in 2010, Ann continued her postgraduate studies here at Loughborough University and was awarded MRes Research Methods with distinction in 2011. Prior to and during her studies, Ann was a youth justice practitioner, working with, and supporting children involved in the youth justice system. 

In 2015 Ann took up an academic position as a Lecturer in Youth Justice at Nottingham Trent University before returning to Loughborough University in 2016 as a University Teacher in Criminology and Social Policy. Ann has also been a Lecturer in Community Justice, delivering teaching on the blended-learning Probation studies programme at De Montfort University, and has lectured in Youth Justice in the School of Law at The University of Sheffield. 

Since February 2020, Ann has also been a Research Associate on the Child First Youth Justice project led by Professor Stephen Case, culminating in Child First Justice: The Research Evidence-base, a substantive and influential report supporting the progressive ‘Child First’ approach in youth justice. A subsequent project, The child first strategy implementation project, exploring stakeholder understandings of Child First, exploring the potential challenges and opportunities of the implementation of this approach across youth justice provisions in England and Wales.  Ann continues to work with Professor Case and is currently consultant advisor to Medway Youth Offending Team's Youth Justice Board Pathfinder Project 'Digital ‘Child First’ Justice: Digital engagement with children in the Youth Justice System to support positive behaviours and outcomes'.

Ann’s key research interests focus upon autism and learning disability in youth justice settings and​ critical autism studies and vulnerability in institutional settings.

Since February 2020, Ann has also been a Research Associate on the Child First Youth Justice project led by Professor Stephen Case, culminating in Child First Justice: The Research Evidence-base, a substantive and influential report supporting the progressive ‘Child First’ approach in youth justice. A subsequent project, The child first strategy implementation project, exploring stakeholder understandings of Child First, exploring the potential challenges and opportunities of the implementation of this approach across youth justice provisions in England and Wales. Ann continues to work with Professor Case and is currently consultant advisor to Medway Youth Offending Team's Youth Justice Board Pathfinder Project 'Digital ‘Child First’ Justice: Digital engagement with children in the Youth Justice System to support positive behaviours and outcomes'.

Ann's teaching is informed by theoretical, policy and practice knowledge of youth and adult justice systems, particularly that concerning children in conflict with the law and is enriched by the inclusion​ of ‘real life’ case studies, issues, and dilemmas. Ann's teaching expertise is expansive, having taught across a range of criminology and social policy modules, including:

  • Crime and Criminal Behaviour
  • Child and Adolescent Development
  • Criminological Theory
  • Crime and Social Welfare
  • Crime Prevention
  • Green Criminology
  • Media and Crime
  • Poverty
  • Penal Policy and punishment of Offenders
  • Social Research Methods
  • Research and Study Skills
  • Youth Crime and Social Inclusion
  • Victimology
  • Women and Crime
  • Youth Justice