A TIMPERLEY academic has won an inaugural prize for her research into the experiences of deaf prisoners.

Dr Laura Kelly, who is a lecturer in criminology at the University of Central Lancashire, received the Prison Service Journal outstanding article of the year 2017, for her work entitled Suffering in Silence: The unmet needs of Deaf prisoners.

Laura said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award from such a widely read journal within the sector.

“The Prison Service Journal Editorial Board is made up of some of the most well-known and established prison researchers, and senior members of the Prison Service, so for them to choose me as the winner is fantastic.

“My work is the most in-depth research yet to be carried out about deaf prisoners in England and Wales so it has provided a level of insight which has not been available previously.”

Her article presented findings from a doctoral research which explored the experiences of deaf prisoners in England and Wales via the use of interviews with prisoners and staff members from seven prisons in England.

The article concluded that the Prison Service was failing to meet the needs of deaf people in prison in any consistent way. Consequently, these individuals are often forced to live in a form of continual solitary confinement through no fault of their own.

Laura will be presented with her award at HMP Grendon on June 29.