People
Project Team
Dr Chloe Holloway
Dr Chloe Holloway an ESRC post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Nottingham. Her research aims to improve the support of autistic individuals in police custody through changes to practice, policy and the custody environment. In 2019, she was winner of the Future Promise award and runner up for the Outstanding Early Career Impact award as part of the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize.
Dr Holloway's thesis titled 'Facilitating Access to Justice: Exploring the Experiences of Autistic Individuals Arrested and Detained in Police Custody' examined the difficulties that might be experienced by autistic individuals in police custody and the support they may require to enable them to participate in the police custody process effectively. She regularly works with police forces to deliver autism training for custody staff and offer advice on how they can make their custody suites more 'autism-friendly'.
Dr Holloway is currently investigating the need for national autism training for police forces in the UK and is trialling an autism training package to gather feedback on whether it improves custody staff’s knowledge of autism. View more information about her work.
Dr Nell Munro
Dr Danielle Ropar
Dr Danielle Ropar is a developmental psychologist who explores individual and group differences in clinical (for example, autism) and non-clinical populations within the areas of social understanding and sensory processing. She established the Autism Research Team at Nottingham and leads the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee in the School of Psychology.
Danielle has over 20 years research experience exploring autism and has over 50 peer-reviewed publications in the field. She collaborates with Nell Munro, Chloe Holloway, and John Jackson, in partnership with the Nottinghamshire Police and autistic individuals, researching how to improve support for autistic individuals in the Criminal Justice System. In 2018, the team were awarded a Research Impact Fellowship by the University of Nottingham to co-develop an autism training package for detention officers in collaboration with the Nottingham Autism and Police Partnership (NAPP) group they established.
Professor John Jackson
Members
Dr Larry Arnold
Nicholas Clarke
Nicholas Clarke is an autism advocate campaigner for fairer treatment and understanding for autistic individuals that find themselves in the criminal justice system. On Friday 3 June 2005 at Birmingham Magistrates Court, Nick was convicted for Actual Bodily Harm and criminal damage following an incident at a hostel where he had been moved following a period of transition in his life. Nick regularly speaks about his experiences in the criminal justice system and has recently been involved in the ERC VOICES Project coordinated by Dr Eilionóir Flynn at the National University of Ireland in Galway. As part of this, he co-wrote a book chapter with Dr Nell Munro and Dr Chloe Holloway about his experiences titled 'Going to Pot: Nick's Journey through the Criminal Justice System'.
Inspector Duncan Collins
Inspector Duncan Collins is a serving police officer at Nottinghamshire police. He has been a police officer for over 25 years and has worked in the police custody environment as a custody sergeant and inspector for more than a decade. Duncan is currently the project manager on a new 50 cell custody suite being built in Nottingham. He is keen to promote the wellbeing of all of those detained in police custody as well as staff themselves. Duncan is interested in how the built environment can be adjusted to contribute to the wellbeing of those working or detained there.
Alice Corbally
Alice Corbally is a PhD student at the University of Sheffield. Her thesis titled "Promoting Neurodiversity Through Police-Community Partnerships" examines the effects of neurotypical police practices on the police of neurodivergent citizens in local communities. It also investigates the role that partnership working may play in mitigating the potential risks of criminalisation and victimisation of neurodivergent people due to their differences. Alice currently works for West Yorkshire Police and has been involved in the development of the Neurodiversity Partnership Hub in North Yorkshire Police. She also works in a number of community settings with autistic people, including Spectrum Theatre, Sheffield, which is an integrative theatre group for autistic and non-autistic people. View more information about Spectrum Theatre.
Kleio Cossburn
Kleio Cossburn served as a police officer with Cheshire Constabulary until her retirement. Since leaving the police force, she has graduated with a Masters degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Keele University and a Post Graduate Certificate in Autism from Sheffield Hallam University. Kleio's research draws on her experience as a former police officer, as well as her knowledge of autism. She has been involved in writing a number of book chapters looking at the ways in which police and other emergency services respond to autistic people.
Sophie Phillips
Sophie Phillips is an autistic researcher. She is currently an ESRC funded PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on autistic women's experiences at university, with specific regard to academic achievement and wellbeing. This research involves using creative interviewing. Sophie also manages a Saturday Playgroup for disabled young children (many of whom are autistic).
Panda Mery
Panda Mery is an almost too calm neurodivergent researcher, bricoleur, productive irritant and flâneur. He is a research partner on the autistic-led project 'An Auternative' investigating the strategies used by autistics to understand social situations and other people’s reactions, and to empower themselves; and the barriers to participation in decision making, the economy and communities.
Panda is also an Independent Custody Visitor, making unannounced visits to police stations to check on the treatment and welfare of detainees; an advisor to Autism Injustice, a support and campaign group set up to hold the government and other public bodies accountable for injustices and abuses against autistics; a team member of AutAngel, an organisation run by and for autistic people; a volunteer with the Restart Project, a social enterprise that aims to change our relationship with technology; and a human rights campaigner. View his personal website.