Professor Marisa Silvestri

Contact

Email: m.silvestri@kingston.ac.uk
Location: Penrhyn Road
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
School: School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences
Department: Department of Criminology and Social Sciences

About

Teaching and learning

Research

Business, knowledge transfer and international

Professional practice, knowledge exchange and impact

Leadership and management

About

I am a Professor of Criminology and joined Kingston in 2024 as Head of Department for Criminology and Social Sciences. Previously, I was at the University of Kent where I was Director of Studies for postgraduate Criminology and School Director of Internationalisation. My research interests lie at the intersections of gender, crime, justice, policing and organisational cultures. Underpinned by an interest in the ways in which ‘care' and ‘control' are experienced, negotiated and enacted within the punitive context of the criminal justice system, I am interested in the gendered nature of organisational identities within criminal justice. More specifically, my work emphasises the gendered dimensions of policing, police culture and police leadership. With a strong emphasis on capturing and developing the relationship between theoretical and policy dimensions, I am committed to knowledge exchange and transfer, and am academic adviser to a number of organisation.

Academic responsibilities

School Head of Department

Qualifications

PhD in Criminology ( Goldsmiths College)
MA Criminology ( Brunel University)
BA Sociology & History ( University of Surrey)

Teaching and learning

I teach on CM5006 Policing and Punishment and make contributions to other criminological modules.

Undergraduate courses taught

Criminal Justice BSc (Hons)
Criminology and Criminal Justice BSc (Hons)
Criminology and Forensic Psychology BSc (Hons)
Criminology and Sociology BSc (Hons)
Criminology BSc (Hons)

Postgraduate courses taught

Criminology MSc
Criminology with Forensic Psychology MSc

Research

My main research interests lie at the intersections of gender, crime, justice, policing and organisational cultures. Underpinned by an interest in the ways in which ‘care' and ‘control' are experienced, negotiated and enacted within the punitive context of the criminal justice system, I am interested in the gendered nature of organisational identities within criminal justice. More specifically, my work emphasises the gendered dimensions of policing, police culture and police leadership. With a strong emphasis on capturing and developing the relationship between theoretical and policy dimensions, I am committed to knowledge exchange and transfer, and have been an academic adviser to a number of organisations, including the British Society of Criminology, Ministry of Justice, Griffin Society; Independent Police Commission on the Future of Policing, Home Office Affairs Select Committee and British, European and International Associations of Women Police.

I sit on the editorial board of 'Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy - Policing & Society' and am Series Editor (with Megan O'Neil & Steve Tong) for 'Key Themes in Policing' with Policy Press.

Research student supervision

Miss Chloe Moore

Publications

Number of items: 39.

Article

Silvestri, Marisa (2022) Book review of 'Chief police officers’ stories of legitimacy' by I. Shannon. Policing and Society, 32(5), pp. 695-697. ISSN (print) 1043-9463

Colliver, Ben and Silvestri, Marisa (2022) The role of (in)visibility in hate crime targeting transgender people. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 22(2), pp. 235-253. ISSN (print) 1748-8958

Brown, Jennifer, Fleming, Jenny and Silvestri, Marisa (2021) Policewomen’s perceptions of occupational culture in the changing policing environment of England and Wales : a study in liminality. Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 94(3), pp. 259-281. ISSN (print) 0032-258X

Brown, Jennifer and Silvestri, Marisa (2019) A police service in transformation : implications for women police officers. Police Practice and Research, 21(5), pp. 459-475. ISSN (print) 1561-4263

Brown, Jennifer, Fleming, Jenny, Silvestri, Marisa, Linton, Kenisha and Gouseti, Ioanna (2019) Implications of police occupational culture in discriminatory experiences of senior women in police forces in England and Wales. Policing and Society, 29(2), pp. 121-136. ISSN (print) 1043-9463

Silvestri, Marisa (2018) Disrupting the “heroic” male within policing : a case of direct entry. Feminist Criminology, 13(3), pp. 309-328. ISSN (print) 1557-0851

Silvestri, Marisa (2017) Police culture and gender : revisiting the 'cult of masculinity'. Policing, 11(3), pp. 289-300. ISSN (print) 1752-4512

Pepper, Melissa and Silvestri, Marisa (2017) 'It's like another family innit' : building police-youth relations through the Metropolitan Police Service Volunteer Police Cadet Programme. Policing : A Journal of Policy & Practice, 11(1), pp. 1-13. ISSN (print) 1752-4512

Crowther-Dowey, C. and Silvestri, M. (2017) The gendering of violent crime. British Journal of Community Justice, 4(3), ISSN (print) 1475-0279

Silvestri, Marisa (2016) Book review of 'Accountability of policing' edited by S. Lister and M. Rowe. Policing and Society, 26(7), pp. 852-855. ISSN (print) 1043-9463

Silvestri, Marisa (2016) Gender and policing : narratives of crisis, change and continuity. European Police Science and Research Bulletin, S1, pp. 143-153. ISSN (print) 2443-7883

Silvestri, Marisa (2015) Book review of 'The Oxford Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Crime' edited by R. Gartner and B. McCarthy. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 54(5), pp. 533-535. ISSN (print) 0265-5527

Silvestri, Marisa (2015) Gender diversity: two steps forward, one step back. Policing: A Journal of Policy & Practice, 9(1), pp. 56-64. ISSN (print) 1752-4512

Silvestri, Marisa (2013) Reflections on a 'depressing inevitability'. Sociological Research Online, 18(4), ISSN (online) 1360-7804

Silvestri, Marisa, Tong, Steve and Brown, Jennfier (2013) Gender and police leadership : time for a paradigm shift? International Journal of Police Science and Management, 15(1), pp. 61-73. ISSN (print) 1461-3557

Silvestri, Marisa (2012) Book review of: 'Women, crime and social harm: towards a criminology for the global era' edited by M. Cain & A. Howe. The Howard Journal Of Criminal Justice, 51(5), pp. 544-545. ISSN (print) 0265-5527

Silvestri, Marisa (2007) "Doing" police leadership : enter the "new smart macho". Policing & Society, 17(1), pp. 38-58. ISSN (print) 1043-9463

Silvestri, Marisa (2003) Visions of the future: the role of senior policewomen as agents of change. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 1(2), pp. 148-161. ISSN (print) 1461-3557

Book

Davis, Claire and Silvestri, Marisa (2020) Critical perspectives on police leadership. Bristol : Policy Press. ISBN 9781447349648

Ramshaw, Pauline [Editor], Silvestri, Marisa [Editor] and Simpson, Mark [Editor] (2019) Police leadership : changing landscapes. Cham, Switzerland. : Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9783030214685

Silvestri, Marisa and Crowther-Dowey, Christopher (2016) Gender and crime : a human rights approach. 2nd ed. London, U.K. : Sage. 368p. (Key Approaches to Criminology) ISBN 9781473902183

Silvestri, Marisa and Crowther-Dowey, Christopher (2008) Gender and crime. London, U.K. : Sage. 273p. (Key Approaches to Criminology) ISBN 9781412911993

Book Section

Silvestri, Marisa, Brown, Jennifer and Fleming, Jenny (2023) Women in police leadership : making rank as a marker of progress? In: Prenzler, Tim, (ed.) Gender inclusive policing : challenges and achievements. New York, U.S.A. : Routledge. pp. 92-101. ISBN 9781032254548

Brown, Jennifer and Silvestri, Marisa (2020) Women policing in the United Kingdom : transforming leadership. In: Rabe-Hemp, Cara and Garcia, Vanessa, (eds.) Women policing across the globe : shared challenges and successes in the integration of women police worldwide. London, U.K. : Rowman and Littlefield. pp. 85-110. ISBN 9781538116128

Silvestri, Marisa (2019) In search of diversity : an embodied account of police leadership. In: Ramshaw, Pauline , Silvestri, Marisa and Simpson, Mark, (eds.) Police leadership : changing landscapes. Cham, Switzerland. : Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 99-120. ISBN 9783030214685

Silvestri, Marisa (2018) Pioneering women police chiefs : a tale of conflict and collaboration. In: Stevenson, Kim , Cox, David J. and Channing, Iain, (eds.) Leading the police : a history of Chief Constables 1835-2017. London, U.K. : Routledge. pp. 193-210. ISBN 9781138217249

Dick, Penny, Silvestri, Marisa and Westmarland, Louise (2013) Women police: potential and possibilities for police reform. In: Brown, Jennifer, (ed.) The future of policing. Abingdon, U.K. : Routledge. pp. 134-148. ISBN 0415821622

Heidensohn, Frances and Silvestri, Marisa (2012) Gender and crime. In: Maguire, M. , Morgan, R. and Reiner, R., (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Criminology. 5th ed. Oxford, U.K. : Oxford University Press. pp. 336-369. ISBN 9780199590278

Silvestri, Marisa (2012) Managerial masculinity: an insight into the twenty-first century police leader. In: Barrie, D.G. and Broomhall, S., (eds.) A history of police and masculinities, 1700-2010. Abingdon, U.K. : Routledge. pp. 235-254. ISBN 0415696615

Silvestri, Marisa (2006) Gender and crime: a human rights perspective. In: Heidensohn, Frances, (ed.) Gender and justice: new concepts and approaches. Willan Publishing. pp. 222-242. ISBN 9781843921998

Conference or Workshop Item

Silvestri, Marisa (2014) Women in policing - a review of time, place and space. In: British Society of Criminology Conference; 9-12 Jul 2014, Liverpool, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Silvestri, Marisa (2013) Gender and policing: narratives of crisis, change and continuity. In: CEPOL European Police Research and Science Conference; 11-13 Sep 2013, Munster, Germany. (Unpublished)

Silvestri, Marisa (2013) Reflections on 'Sexualities: past reflections, future direction' ed. by Sally Hines & Yvette Taylor. In: Critical Diversities @ the Intersection: Policies, Practices, Perspectives. Seminar 2: Divisive Realities: Lived Experiences, Diversity Dis-junctures; 7 June 2013, London, UK.. (Unpublished)

Silvestri, Marisa (2013) Why gender matters in policing: radical transformation(s) or business as usual? In: Invited Annual Lecture, Canterbury Christ Church University; April 2013, Canterbury, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Silvestri, Marisa (2012) Women, policing and representation. In: Independent Police Commision into the Future of Policing Workshop; 4 Oct 2012, London, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Heidensohn, F. and Silvestri, M. (1995) The conformity of criminology. In: British Criminology Conference; 18-21 Jul 1995, Loughborough, U.K.. (The British Criminology Conferences: Selected Proceedings. Volume 1: Emerging Themes in Criminology) ISSN (online) 1464-4088

Monograph

Easton, H., Silvestri, M., Evans, K., Matthews, R. and Walklate, S. (2010) Conditional cautions: evaluation of the women specific condition pilot. (Project Report) Ministry of Justice. 78 p. (Ministry of Justice Research Series, no. 14/10) ISBN 9781840993981

Sound Recording

Langan, Debra [Producer], Sanders, Carrie [Producer], Moore Kloss, Avery [Interviewer], Silvestri, Marisa [Interviewee], Prenzler, Tim [Interviewee], Fleming, Jenny [Interviewee] and Brown, Jennifer [Interviewee] (2022) Women in Policing : the challenges facing equity and inclusion initiatives. (Interview). (49:33) (CRSP Talk Podcast, no. 13)

Other

Dick, Penny, Silvestri, Marisa and Westmarland, Louise (2013) Women police: potential and possibilities for police reform.

This list was generated on Wed Mar 5 05:11:52 2025 GMT.

Business, knowledge transfer and international

I have engaged in teaching, course design and development in an international sphere, most notably I was Co-Director for MSc Advanced Research in Criminology ( with Erasmus University Rotterdam & University of Ghent). I also engage in international research activities, attending international conferences and acting as special advisor to a range of European police training colleges. I have delivered a number of key note lectures, most recently, I participated in the International Symposium on the Women Police in Canada and the National Institute of Justice Research Summit on Women and Policing in Washington, US.

Professional practice, knowledge exchange and impact

I am committed to knowledge exchange and transfer, and have been an academic adviser to a number of organisations, including the British Society of Criminology, Ministry of Justice, Griffin Society; Independent Police Commission on the Future of Policing, Home Office Affairs Select Committee and British, European and International Associations of Women Police.

I am an active member of the British Society of Criminology. I ma currently senior academic adviser to the Policing Network ( BSC) and am former Chair of the Women, Crime and Criminal Justice Network (BSC).

Leadership and management

I am Head of Department for Criminology, Politics & Sociology.