Dr. Lesley Mcara

Biography

Lesley McAra is a Professor of Penology at the University of Edinburgh, where she has been on the faculty since 1995. She initially served as a Lecturer in Criminology and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2005 and appointed Chair in Penology in 2009. Lesley has led significant research evaluating social work and criminal justice services, collaborating with the Scottish Office, and has established major research initiatives focusing on the intersections of sociology, law, and deviance. She currently directs the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and has held various leadership roles, including founding the Leadership Foundation for Women in Law and the Empirical Legal Research Network. Lesley is committed to interdisciplinary cooperation, focusing on youth crime, juvenile justice, gender justice, and political aspects of crime control. As Co-Director of the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, she has conducted extensive longitudinal studies influencing youth justice policies in Scotland. Additionally, she serves on several advisory boards related to youth justice, contributing to national and international discussions on age and criminal responsibility. Lesley's teaching encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate criminology courses, and she actively mentors doctoral researchers in her fields of expertise.

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Awards