Dr James Rowlands
I am a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social Sciences. I completed a PhD in Gender Studies at the University of Sussex in 2023. My thesis investigated Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) in England and Wales. DHRs are a statutory review process that was first introduced in 2011. My focus was on how DHRs are understood, operate and are used and what that makes possible in terms of knowledge generation.
While I am based in criminology, my background is practice based. I originally trained as a Social Worker and then became an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA). Before completing my PhD, I worked in frontline, strategic and policy roles in the domestic abuse sector.
My research interests encompass domestic abuse, specifically domestic homicide, and are located within the broader fields of gender, crimes of violence, and policy and practice. My research is focused on domestic homicide, including DHRs in England and Wales and other versions of this review mechanism internationally (known as Domestic Violence Fatality Reviews or Domestic Violence Death Review Committees). I am interested in how these state mandated review systems operate and if they bring about change, as well as the experience of those who participate in them (including the emotional labour involved). In terms of domestic abuse, I have a particular interest in the experience of LGBTQ victims/survivors.
I am currently working on a monograph based on my PhD, provisionally titled: 'The Potential and Peril of Reviewing Domestic Homicides and Domestic Abuse-Related Deaths by Suicide'.
