Hannah Jenkins

I left university knowing that I wanted to use my degree to help people rehabilitate from previous criminality. I knew I didn’t want to be in the Police as I had been in the Special Constabulary whilst studying for my degree and realised I didn’t wish to do this full time. I waited for an opportunity to apply for probation after leaving university, whilst I did this I worked for TSB Bank for a year. Once the opportunity arose to apply for Probation I leapt at the chance and I’ve never looked back - I love my job.

What are you doing now?

Currently I work for Poole CRC, this is soon returning to the National Probation Service. I spend my days seeing service users, discussing their sentence and completing a sentence plan to decide what needs to be done in order to rehabilitate the person. I work closely with drug and alcohol agencies, housing agencies, debt relief agencies, the prison service and the police. All agencies work together to best help the people we see on probation and rehabilitate them in the community.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

I loved the campus and after looking at many other universities across the country, I found that the course at Northumbria was the most appealing. I compared the modules to other universities and the course structure and decided that I liked Northumbria’s the best. This combined with the accommodation options, faculty knowledge, library and overall campus made Northumbria my absolute number one first choice.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

I loved my time at Northumbria, I found the lectures to be engaging and taught by people who were passionate about the topic. I had a good balance of seminars and lectures and felt thoroughly supported with a great depth of knowledge at my disposal. I did both team projects and individual essays during my course, both of which I found beneficial and interesting. The feedback was always constructive and gave an idea of how to improve on the next piece of work.

How connected was your course with industry?

For different modules we saw guest lecturers and on some occasions (Police and Policing module) we had the Police come in and discuss how they operate with us. I also had the opportunity to work with the Police and some other students to discuss Anti Social Behaviour in some areas of Newcastle and I we worked with the Police to come up with solutions and ideas to improve this.

What was the best thing about your course?

I feel as though my course really prepared me for working within the criminal justice system and I went into my career already knowing lots of key information that helped me to get a better grip of my job from the beginning.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/ give your career an edge?

I think that my course at Northumbria prepared me for my career as the lecturers were experts in their field and I gained so much knowledge about real and current issues during my time at the University.

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now throughout your career?

I most use the knowledge that I gained from the modules Prisons and Punishment and Introduction to the Criminal Justice System. I also learnt valuable team work skills from doing group projects which I find to help me in daily life when I am involved in multi-agency meetings.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

I felt a sense of being at home whilst studying at Northumbria despite being hundreds of miles from my actual home. Everyone was so friendly and I really felt like I belonged there.

What advice would you give somebody who is considering studying at Northumbria?

Enjoy your time at Northumbria, every single minute, as three years goes unbelievably quick but it’ll be the best few years of your life.

How would you describe your time at Northumbria in three words?

Brilliant Fun Engaging