Mr Ross Little

Ross leads modules on the Criminology and Criminal Justice programme focussing on Young People and the Criminal Justice System. He also leads our Learning in Prison and Probation Network, part of the Research and Innovation Institute for the Social Sciences. Ross has designed courses with prison to bring together students in prison and students at De Montfort University for shared higher education study experiences. He is undertaking his PhD by concurrent publications to further understanding about pedagogy, in prison and beyond.

He is committed to understanding how the criminal justice system works from the perspective of people involved in it, including children and younger people. He is a Trustee for The National Association for Youth Justice, having previously served as Chair for three years.

Prior to life as a lecturer, Ross developed considerable experience working in a wide range of roles across academic criminological research (University of Leicester), research consultancy (Ecorys) youth work policy and practice (National Youth Agency) and on a national youth justice participation project at The Howard League for Penal Reform.

Institute for Research in Criminology Community Education and Social Justice 

British Society of Criminology - Prison Research Network

Little, R. E. (2024). Co-producing learning space in a prison-university partnership. Journal of Prison Education Research, 8(1). https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/joper/vol8/iss1/10

Little, R. (2023). Moral sight and ethical praxis in the prison classroom. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958231197817  

Little, R. (2023) The Prison Mug: Perceptions of Permission, Sensory Criminology

Little, R., & Warr, J. (2022). Abstraction, belonging and comfort in the prison classroom. Incarceration, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/26326663221142759

Little, R. (2020) Paying the Price: Consequences for Children's Education in Prison in a Market Society. International Journal of Educational Development, Vol.77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102212

Solitary Confinement of Children in Prison (2020) The National Association for Youth Justice, 7 May 2020 https://thenayj.org.uk/news/ 

Little, R. (2018) ‘Where are we going?’ Context and directions for policy and practice in children’s education in secure accommodation in Gallard, D. et al (eds), ch.18, Children and their education in secure accommodation. Abingdon: Routledge.

'Congratulations, you're ten! Now you can be arrested', The Conversation, 1 November 2018

Little, R. (2015) 'Putting education at the heart of custody? The views of children on education in a young offender institution', British Journal of Community Justice, 13(2), 27-46. http://www.cjp.org.uk/bjcj/volume-13-issue-2/

Little, R. (2015) ‘Participation and Practice in Youth Justice’, Eurovista (3) 3

Little, R. (2014) ‘Participation and practice: youth justice’, ECAN Bulletin, London: The Howard League for Penal Reform.

Little, R and Creaney, S. (2014) Participation and youth justice, paper given at Transforming youth justice?, hosted by DMU and the NAYJ (2014)

Little, R. (2014) Universities of Crime, paper given at Re-imagining youth justice conference, hosted by The Howard League for Penal Reform (2014)

Getting closer to justice (2013) – a presentation with young advisors working with the U R Boss project at The Howard League for Penal Reform, What is Justice?, Oxford: Keble College.

‘Education in youth custody: what do young people say?’ (2012) Blog post for The British Council website. 

 ‘Education in HMYOI Warren Hill’ (2012) Report for The Howard League for Penal Reform

Little, R. (2023). Moral sight and ethical praxis in the prison classroom. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958231197817    

Little, R., & Warr, J. (2022). Abstraction, belonging and comfort in the prison classroom. Incarceration, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/26326663221142759

The perspectives of people in prison on education and learning. Creating  trustworthy learning spaces in prison, and beyond.

Children's education in prison contexts.

Youth justice research, policy and practice, particularly in relation to children's perspectives and interests.

Module leader: Young people and the criminal justice system

Module leader: Introduction to Criminology; Critical Criminology

Module contributor: Introduction to Law and Policy (for Social Work students)

Module contributor: Adult Learners and Lifelong Learning (for Education Studies students)

PGCertHE, De Montfort University (2015)

MA Criminology, Univeristy of Leicester (1999)

BSc Psychology, University of Sheffield (1998)

Young people and the criminal justice system

Learning Together (HMP Leicester, HMP Gartree)

Introduction to Criminology (module leader, undergraduate)

Punishment and Society

Youth justice

Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA), formerly the Higher Education Academy (December 2019). 

Ross was part of the DMU Local team nominated in 2018 for the Guardian University Award for social and community impact and the Times Higher Award 2018 for outstanding contribution to the local community.

Previously Member of Editorial Board at the British Journal of Community Justice

The Howard League for Penal Reform (start: 2002, ongoing)
A national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison. They campaign on a wide range of issues including short term prison sentences, real work in prison, children in prison and community sentences.  

The National Association for Youth Justice (NAYJ) campaigns for the rights of and justice for children and young people in trouble with the law.  

PGCertHE

SFHEA (Advance HE)

Distance Learning in Welsh Prisons - evaluation for the Prisoners Education Trust

STREAM project

British Education Research Association (BERA) conference (Birmingham, 2023)

European Prison Education Association (EPEA, Norway, 2023)

Criminal Justice Alliance Research Symposium on Trust (London, 2023)

Desistance in the context of youth justice (NAYJ, 2021)

The State of Youth Justice 2020 (NAYJ, 2020)

British Society of Criminology Conferences (2015, 2017, 2019)

Youth Justice Board Convention (2018) Birmingham

European Prison Education Association (EPEA) conference, Vienna, 2017

Child Friendly Youth Justice? (NAYJ, SCYJ, CCGSJ), University of Cambridge, 2017

Prisoner Education Trust Conference, Institute of Criminology, Cambridge (2015)

Transforming youth justice?, hosted by DMU and the NAYJ (2014)

• Presented workshop on participation in youth justice

Re-imagining youth justice, hosted by The Howard League for Penal Reform (2014)

• Presented paper on Universities of Crime

British Society of Criminology Conference, Liverpool (2014)

Little, R. (2023). Moral sight and ethical praxis in the prison classroom. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958231197817 

Little, R., & Warr, J. (2022). Abstraction, belonging and comfort in the prison classroom. Incarceration, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/26326663221142759

Little, R. (2020) Paying the Price: Consequences for Children's Education in Prison in a Market Society. International Journal of Educational Development, Vol.77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102212

I worked with Learning and Work Institute 2016-19 on the 'Improving Language, Improving Lives 'project, enhancing screening and curriculum for people with ESOL needs in the prison system. The work also worked with ESOL tutors to improve the way they're able to work with people in prison.

I worked with staff at HMP Gartree to develop an eight-week course for university students to learn alongside prison students. 

Worked on the STREAM project, funded by the European Union, creating the structure and content for the evaluation guidance.

 Successfully applied for a Teacher Fellow Funding Application to develop a prison education course with HMP Gartree.

PGCertHE (2015)

Senior Fellowship (Advance HE, 2019)