Staff Profile
Dr Charlotte Walker
Level 6 Lead and Lecturer
In July 2022, I joined York St John University as a Lecturer in Social Sciences. Prior to this, I was a Doctoral Researcher and Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Sheffield. I have also worked as an Intelligence Researcher for South Yorkshire Police.
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Sheffield)
- MA International Criminology (Distinction - University of Sheffield)
- LLB Law and Criminology (First - University of Sheffield)
- School – York Business School
- Email – c.walker3@yorksj.ac.uk
- Postgraduate Research Supervisor
Further information
Teaching
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and I teach on a range of criminology modules at York St John.
In the 2024/25 academic year, I am teaching on the following modules:
- Prisons and Penology (convenor)
- Social Research Methods 2 (convenor)
- Advanced Research Methods 1 (convenor).
- Advanced Research Methods 2
- Law and Socio-Legal Studies
- Social Science Investigation
Research
My main research interests revolve around the criminal courts. My PhD examined unrepresented defendants’ experiences at court. As part of this study, I interviewed court actors and observed a range of court hearings (e.g., plea hearings, trials, and sentencing hearings). I compared my findings with those from previous studies and considered them in light of a number of theories and models: due process, crime control, liberal democratic, procedural justice, and human rights. This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Publications
Articles
Walker, C. (2024) ‘The pains of going to court: Unrepresented defendants’ ability to effectively participate in court proceedings’, Criminology & Criminal Justice. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958241228176
Walker, C. (2024) ‘Defendants' experiences: Video hearings from prison(s) to court(s)’, The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12554
Blog posts
Walker, C. (2024) 'An interview with Dr. Charlotte Walker', CrimSoc Blog, 6 September. Available at: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/crimsocblog/2024/09/06/an-interview-with-dr-charlotte-walker/
Walker, C. (2024) ‘Unrepresented defendants’ experiences in the magistrates’ courts’, Defending Vulnerability, 12 April. Available at: https://defendingvulnerability.wordpress.com/2024/04/12/unrepresented-defendants-experiences-in-the-magistrates-courts/
Walker, C. (2024) ‘How many defendants self-represent and has there been a change in the number of defendants self-representing?’, Defending Vulnerability, 16 February. Available at: https://defendingvulnerability.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/how-many-defendants-self-represent-and-has-there-been-a-change-in-the-number-of-defendants-self-representing-in-recent-years/
Walker, C. (2021) ‘The sights of criminal justice’, University of Sheffield, 22 September. Available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/law/news/sights-criminal-justice
Book reviews
Walker, C. (2024) 'Observing justice: Digital transparency, openness and accountability in criminal courts', The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, vol. 63(3), pp.351-353.
Walker, C. (2022) ‘Access to justice in magistrates’ courts: A study of defendant marginalisation’, Criminal Law Review, vol.11, pp.936-938.
McGourlay, C. & Walker, C. (2015) ‘Book review: The innocent and the criminal justice system: A sociological analysis of miscarriages of Justice’, The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, vol.54 (5), pp.546-547.
PhD thesis
Walker, C. (2021) A study examining the experiences of unrepresented defendants in the criminal courts, PhD thesis, University of Sheffield.
Professional activities
- Widening Participation Officer at York St John (October 2022 to present).
- Member of the Appeals and Conduct Committee at York St John (January 2023 to present).
- Member of the Research Ethics Committee at York St John (April 2023 to present).
- Member of the British Society of Criminology Vulnerability Research Network (January 2023 to present).
- External Examiner at Liverpool John Moores University (September 2024 to present).
