Dr Karen Sharpe

Background and Research Interests

Karen has a First-Class Honours degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology, and an MA and Ph.D. in Criminology. Her PhD was an ethnographic study of the policing of sex workers and kerb crawlers. Prior to working at The Open University, she held various lecturing and research posts at several universities and worked on both independent and collaborative multidisciplinary research projects across the disciplines of criminology and social policy. This included Home Office commissioned research about sex work, youth justice, restorative justice, sex offenders, risk assessment and risk management, violence, and policing. Alongside these areas, her research interests are centred around the mass media and socio-historical perspectives of crime, punishment and the social control of marginalised and stigmatised groups.

Karen joined The Open University as an Associate Lecturer in 2007 and worked across a range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate modules; she was also a consultant on several modules in production and mid-life reviews. She was appointed Staff Tutor in Criminology in 2020 and is currently the Lead Staff Tutor for Social Policy and Criminology. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Teaching

Karen is currently the module chair and cluster manager of the Postgraduate module DD804 ‘Crime and Global Justice’ and the cluster manager of DD315 ‘Researching Current Issues in Criminology’ (and was also part of the production team), and DD212 'Criminological Theories and Concepts’.

Publications

(a) Books

Sharpe, K. (1998) Red Light, Blue Light: Prostitutes, Punters and The Police, Aldershot: Ashgate. 

(b) Chapters in books

Sharpe, K. (2023) ‘Protection and safety’, in E. Dimou, L. Downes, D. McCulloch and C. Speed (eds) Researching current issues in criminology. Milton Keynes: The Open University, pp. 165–201.

Sharpe, K., (2000) ‘Sad, Bad and (sometimes) Dangerous to Know: Street Corner Research with Prostitutes, Punters and The Police’, in King, R., and Wincup, E. (Eds) Doing Research on Crime and Justice, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

(c) Reports for Government and Charitable bodies

Goldie, S., Sharpe, K., and Payne, S. (2005) A Restorative Enquiry into Bullying and Challenging Behaviour at the Chase Family of Schools, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Youth Offending Service and Worcestershire Children’s Fund, April 2005.

Goldie, S., Sharpe. K., and Payne, S., (2005) Leisure Provision for Adults with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities in Gloucestershire, Good Moves, January 2005. 

Goldie, S., and Sharpe, K. (2004) Offending in Warwickshire, The Warwickshire Crime and Reduction Partnership, Warwickshire County Council. 

Newburn, T., Crawford, A., Earle, R., Goldie., S , Hale, C., Masters, G., Netten, A., Saunders, R., Sharpe, K., and Uglow, S. (2002) The Introduction of Referral Orders into the Youth Justice System: The Final Report, London: Home Office Research Study 242.

Newburn, T., Crawford, A., Earle, R., Goldie. S, Hale, C., Masters, G., Netten, A., Saunders, R., Sharpe, K., and Uglow, S. (2001) The Introduction of Referral Orders into the Youth Justice System: The Second Interim Report, London: RDS Occasional Paper No 73. 

Newburn, T., Crawford, A., Earle, R., Goldie., Hale, C., Masters, G., Netten, A., Saunders, R., Sharpe, K., and Uglow, S. (2001) The Introduction of Referral Orders into the Youth Justice System: The First Interim Report,  London: RDS Occasional Paper No 70.

Miers, D., Maguire., M., Goldie, S., Sharpe, K., Hale, C., Netten, A., Uglow, S., Doolin, K., Hallam, A., Newburn, T., and Enterkin, J. (2001) An Exploratory Evaluation of Restorative Justice Schemes, London: Home Office, Crime Reduction Series, Paper 9.

Maguire, M., Kemshall, H., Noaks, L., Wincup, E., and Sharpe, K. (2001) Risk Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders; The Work of Public Protection Panels, London: Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit, Police Research Series Paper 139. 

Sharpe, K. (2001) ‘Community Matters: Making a Difference to Tackling Youth Crime’, in Criminal Justice Matters, No 45, Autumn 2001: 26-27.

Sharpe, K. (1997) ‘Working with Prostitutes: Reporting Incidents of Violence’, Policing Today, 3(2), 38