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Swansea University’s Dr Bridget Kerr has won the 2019 Research Award of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) for her PhD research on evaluation systems for probation services.
The CEP is the body that brings together all providers of community correctional services in Europe, and is their leading professional body at European level, and the research award is presented once every three years.
The award was first introduced in 2016, when it was also won by a Swansea University criminologist. This places the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law in a privileged position as the only law school to have won the award.
This year’s prize was presented to Dr Bridget Kerr – who graduated from Swansea University’s School of Law earlier this year - at the CEP’s General Assembly in Dublin.
Speaking of receiving her award, Dr Kerr said:
“I am both proud and honoured to receive the 2019 Research Award of the Confederation of European Probation, not least because it means the importance of this work has been recognised by the profession.
“My research is all about measuring and improving probation services, and the truth is that it would have next to no worth were it not valued by the professionals working in the field.
“It’s because of awards like this that research such as mine might have longevity and real-world impact beyond the initial study. It is immensely satisfying that probation services across Europe will be involved in taking forward work to bring evidence-based evaluation approaches and instruments, such as my PhD output, the Swansea Service Evaluation Inventory – Women’s Projects, out of academia and into practice.
“Recognition at this level ensures that the work can be put to use where it is most needed, supporting front-line services in using the best available strategies and skills to reduce reoffending for the benefit of practitioners, service-users and the public as a whole.”
Professor Peter Raynor of the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, who won this award when it was introduced in 2016, and supervised Dr Kerr’s PhD, says:
“I am delighted that Bridget has won this award. This is the second time this award has been made, and on both occasions it has been won by Swansea criminologists. This international success shows the quality of our research on offender rehabilitation, which has been a feature of our work in Swansea since the 1970s. Bridget’s achievement is remarkable for an early-career researcher and holds great promise for the future.”