Dr Lystra Hagley-Dickinson

Professional biography

I am a Senior Lecturer and Regional Academic (Staff Tutor) in Criminology at the Open University.  I chair the Racial Justice Working Group in the Department of Social Policy and Criminology, School of Global Studies and Social Sciences. I am also a founder and senior leader of the Black Women Academy, responsible for leadership and mentorship of Black women at the OU. Migrated to the UK in the early 1990s from a career in the Trinidad and Tobago Government service as a  Senior Planner and Policy Advisor to the European Union,  World Bank and the IADB. I gained my PhD at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Professor Maureen Cain. After working in various criminal justice roles at Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS), West Midlands Probation Service, Birmingham City Council, the University of Birmingham, Northampton University, The University of the West Indies, and Plymouth Marjon University.

Professional and Academic Affiliations include: 

Current

Executive Director and Trustee of the Exeter Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd., Advisor on Equality and Diversity - The Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee, Director of the Bishop of Exeter Diocese Council and Diocesan Synod

Parish Safeguarding Officer- Diocese of Exeter Parish (Fordor Valley), with specific responsibility for DBS checking of volunteers, safeguarding offenders’ protection plans in the community and training and safer recruitment of volunteers.

Parish Councillor, Forder Valley, Eggbuckland, Plymouth, the Diocese of Exeter

Senator The Open University

The British Society of Criminology (Executive Director and Trustee; Chair of the Postgraduate Committee, 2003-2011)

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

WHEN - Women in Higher Education Network, Higher Education Academy - 100BWPN Programme

Director and Trustee /Chair of the Postgraduate Committee: British Society of Criminology (2003-2012) and Conference Committee (2004-2010)    

Vice-Chair / Company Director (2003-2011) of SIFA/ Fireside a voluntary sector company that provides service to young people suffering from alcohol abuse and homelessness.

Company Director and Board Member of CLINKS (2002-2011), supporting at the national level non-governmental agencies working with prisons.

Board of Governors (2010-2012) (Curriculum, Performance and Management) – Northamptonshire England CE Primary School

 Rainsbrook Young Offenders Training Centre Community Forum HMPS (2009-2011.

Research interests

My research centres on reducing social inequalities and promoting social justice for minority ethnic groups, specifically in the Criminal Justice System and in wider society, both nationally and internationally. My research falls under four themes: Prisons and Prisoner Rehabilitation; Race, Gender and Crime; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; and Caribbean  Criminologies. Relatedly, I am dedicated to and passionate about developing policies and strategies that affect the higher education of Black and ethnic minorities, both in recruitment and in promoting academic leadership. I strive to foreground these aims in my research, teaching and scholarship.

Current Research projects include:

Two Open Societal Challenges Projects:  The effect of ethnicity in the courtroom (open.ac.uk) and Existential Dis/Connections (open.ac.uk)

Centre of Thanatology (group) wels-open-thanatology@groups.open.ac.uk

Publications in Press

Ethnicity and Race in Pre-Enquirer and Recruitment Gap in Higher Education: A Multidisciplinary Exploration of Motivations and Decision-Making 

Flavour of Publications

‘Educational leadership: The way forward to reducing offending amongst incarcerated juveniles’ (with L. Archer-Thomas, M. and Seepersad, R. (2024/25) In Journal of Small State Territories SST 7(1), May 2024, Available at https://www.um.edu.mt/sst/

Hagley-Dickinson, L.  ‘An offer of standpoint: law and ethics’, Ethics, Religion and Philosophy Journal, IAFOR-Japan, Volume 3 Issue 2. 2017, ISSN-2187-0624.

Hagley-Dickinson, L.  (2011). Imprisonment in Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, VDM Publishers.

Hagley-Dickinson, L. (2010) ‘Rape and Murder –but no crisis: an overview of Crime and Criminal Justice in St Vincent and the Grenadines’ in Sung, H and Stamatel, J. (Eds) (2010),  Crime and Punishment around the World, Vol.2,. pp. 300-3007, ABC-CLIO, LLC, California, USA.

Hagley-Dickinson, L.  (2010) ‘Montserrat’s Criminal Justice’ in Sung, H and Stamatel, J. (Eds) Crime and Punishment around the World, Vol.2, pp. 230 -238. ABC-CLIO, LLC, California, USA. (1223 papers mention these papers)

Hagley-Dickinson, L. (2010) ‘The degree attainment of BME students: student and staff Perceptions’, Higher Education Academy (HEA), with Pilkington, A., Armstrong, S., and Horton, J.

Hucklesby, A and Hagley-Dickinson, L. (2007). Resettlement of Offenders, Willan Publishers

Hagley-Dickinson, L. (1996) ‘How the Inside Affects the Outside: prisoners and survivors in Trinidad and Tobago’, Caribbean Quarterly, Vol. 42:2-3, 1996 pp.131-157. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40654202

Hagley-Dickinson, L. (1994) ‘Imprisonment in Trinidad and Tobago from 1935 -1990: Policy, Practice and Prisoners’ Experiences’. Caribbean Journal, April 1994. St. Augustine, Dept. Sociology UWI.

Hagley-Dickinson, L. (1993) ‘Crime and Structural Adjustment in Trinidad and Tobago: On the Exercise of Judicial Discretion Caribbean Affairs (January-March) 1993 6:1:1993 pp.147-154.1997.

Impact and engagement

As a strategic leader across various sectors nationally and internationally, I have consulted and published on the effects of imprisonment and prisoner resettlement, drawing on my work in Brussels, Birmingham, Northampton, Leuven, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and the West Indies.  Below is an example of one of my most valuable, impactful contributions:  

I have consulted and published on the effects of imprisonment and prisoner resettlement from my work in Brussels, Birmingham, Northampton, Leuven, Ireland, the United States, Canada and the West Indies.  My career comprises with overlap: 7 years in civic project planning and management, 11 years in criminal justice and now 14 years in HE, teaching, leadership and management.

My career comprises overlap: 7 years in civic project planning and management, 11 years in criminal justice and now 14 years in HE, teaching, leadership and management. I am a Second Examiner at The University of the West Indies Global Campus (UWIGC) for its Ed.D in Education Leadership and Management and Solent Southampton’s Criminology and Law programmes.  My most recent roles are as Associate Professor of Law and Criminology and Head of Department of Social Sciences at Plymouth Marjon and Visiting Adjunct Professor at UWGC, where I teach and manage teaching in the ODL environments.  It is in this area of ODL teaching and learning and in the discipline of criminology that I would like to continue to contribute, and so the OU offers the ideal opportunity. 

I joined the OU in 2020 as a practising criminologist of over 25 years, having taught in Online and Distance Learning (ODL) for the past 8 years. I have experience both as an academic and a criminal justice professional, and of the systems and structures of crime. My passion is for teaching, learning and researching the phenomenon.  At the time of my entry into the discipline as a working part-time student, I wanted to abolish prisons! But this is still a work in progress? Shaped by feminist theorising and a Howard Becker-directed academic career, which always asks the ethical question, “whose side am I on”?  These have influenced my job roles in several directorships in professional bodies and voluntary organisations, and my championing of the issues of disparity of treatment of the Disabled and Black, Asian, Ethnic Minority persons in the criminal justice system. I have also worked in Her Majesty's Prison Service, the Probation Service, and Community Safety Partnerships, and have undertaken research into prison administration and alternatives to custody.  My career has been underpinned by a focus on criminology, teaching and learning, and strategic leadership, with management and mentoring of staff and students in HE. 

Teaching interests

Modules (Teaching)

Crime, Harm and the State | Open University | DD311

Understanding Criminology | Open University | DD212

DD105 Introduction to Criminology

DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences

Modules (Produced)

DD315 Researching Current Issues in Criminology

Social Research: Crime, Justice and Society | Open University | DD215

Qualifications

BA (Honours) Criminology (R21)

BA (Honours) Criminology and Law (Q92)

BA (Hons) Criminology and Psychology | Open University | Q98

BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology | Open University | R46

BA (Hons) Social Sciences (Criminology) | Open University | R23

BA (Hons) Social Sciences (Sociology) | Open University | R23

BA/BSc (Hons) Open degree | Open University | QD

I have supervised six PhD students to completion, the most recent being the Lead Supervisor for Nourideen Mohammed, PhD student, with a thesis title: British Multiculturalism Policies and Muslim Parents’ School choices in Northern England: culturally Sensitive Schooling and Moments of choice - Awarded 2023: Plymouth (Marjon) University.

Examined 12, both in the UK and the Caribbean. The most recent 2024 is Angel Charles's entitled Black women in prison: exploring the intersection of race and gender in experiences of imprisonment.

Current Supervisor for Therrain Davis, PhD. Student at the University of the West Indies Global campus (UWIGC), thesis title: “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma in Justice- Involved Youth in Children’s Homes in Jamaica- Indications for the Development of Trauma-Informed Practice Curriculum

I am a Second Examiner at The University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOC) for its Ed.D in Education Leadership and Management, and its BSc Criminology and Law and Business Degrees; and at  Solent Southampton’s Criminology and Law programmes.  My most recent roles are as Associate Professor of Law and Criminology and Head of Department of Social Sciences at Plymouth Marjon and Visiting Adjunct Professor at UWGC, where I teach and manage teaching in the ODL environments.  It is in this area of ODL teaching and learning and in the discipline of criminology that I would like to continue to contribute, and so the OU offers the ideal opportunity. 

Lead the development of the criminology programmes at three universities (University of Northampton, The University of the West Indies Global Campus and Plymouth (Marjon) University before coming to the OU. 

At Plymouth- Pioneered the introduction, development from scratch and led the design through to validated marketing and recruited over 80 initial students registered to the programme.  Including the design and operationalisation of a crime house, the first of its kind in the southwest.  

Developed and validated Cyber security programmes- BSc Cyber Security, BSc Forensics and Cyber security and four-year Cyber Security Resilience 

Contributed to the validation of its Theology’s the FDA and BA degree in theology; Psychology, and contributed to the structure, design and recruitment of the new B.Sc. in Psychology and its BPA Accreditation.  These programmes are still attracting students to the University.

At Northampton- Developed Criminology MSc. and Youth Justice MA