Criminology

Helen graduated from Keele with a BA in Criminology and History (1st class) in 1998, before spending two years working in a Magistrates' Court. She returned to Keele in 2000, and graduated with a Masters in Criminology (with distinction) in 2001. After a period as a Community Safety Officer, Helen once again returned to Keele and was awarded her Ph.D in January 2007. She was appointed as a temporary, part-time lecturer in Criminology in January 2007 and became a permanent lecturer in June 2007.

• Helen's research to date has focused on the controversies surrounding the use of speed cameras to enforce speed limits. This was the subject of her doctoral thesis entitled 'The fast and the furious: speeding and technologies of control in a risk society'.
• Continuing Dr Wells' interest in 'the crimes of the law-abiding', she intends to conduct further research into the regulation of a variety of 'minor' offences including, for instance, the forthcoming ban on smoking in public places. She is particularly interested in exploring the way in which the conceptualisation of harm in 'risk' terms has resulted in the problematisation of not just new behaviours, but whole new populations of 'risky' people.
• In partnership with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Staffordshire County Council, Helen has successfully competed for RoSPA/BNFL funding and is currently evaluating an educational intervention aimed at reducing crash involvement amongst new drivers.
• Helen is also one of eight funded participants on and ESRC/Surveillance Studies Network Seminar Series entitled ‘The Everyday Life of Surveillance’ and has recently won the Brian Williams Prize for the best first paper by a new academic  in a peer reviewed journal, awarded by the British Society of Criminology.

• Helen has recently taught on undergraduate Research Methods modules, as well as a special interest module entitled Risk and Criminal Justice.
• She has led tutorials on the Understanding Crime, Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, Key Actors in the Criminal Justice Process, and Criminal Justice: Process, Policy and Practice modules.
• She also led the third year Dissertation module and has taught on the Ethics in Policing and Criminal Justice Masters.