Dr Danna-Mechelle Lewis

Assistant Professor

School: Humanities and Social Sciences

Danna-Mechelle Lewis is a Assistant Professor in Criminology and Sociology (after sitting as Senior Vice-Chancellor's Fellow for three years), sitting within the Centre for Crime and Policing, at Northumbria University. Her Primary research interests are Risk and Mattering. She is interested in risk, risk-taking and risk-management practices within family and criminal courts and probation. She is also interested in the effect of mattering on risk-taking behaviour and desistence from offending. Her other research interests include coercive control, in particular gaslighting, at individual and organisational levels.

Danna-Mechelle enjoys travel, running, dance, knitting, being creative and design.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Danna-Mechelle is currently working across two research projects.

Outcome measures linked to desistence: This is a policy fellowship study in partnership with Ministry of Justice and HM Inspectorate of Probation. The project seeks to explore the range of outcome measures needed to better understand desistance and (reductions in) reoffending. There is interest in developing measures that work for (i) children and (ii) adults, ensuring that they are sufficiently tailored to these differing age groups. The study is sponsored by Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) and funded by UKRI Research England. Principle Investigator - £50,000.00, June 2022 £13,914, March 2023

Centring the domestic abuse survivor experience through digital resources for their journey: let’s change the narrative through impact on practice: working with colleagues Rima Hussein and Kayleigh Richardson (faculty of Business and Law / School of Law) this study aims to answer the Ministry of Justice research question ‘How can we minimise the harm to survivors of abuse engaging with the family justice system’, by providing innovative and accessible digital ‘self-help’ videos (Vlogs) to better equip survivors of domestic abuse and their families, when navigating the Family Court process. This project will be delivered in partnership with Cardiff Women’s Aid and Support through Court, and the Ministry of Justice. The study is sponsored by Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) seed funding and funded by UKRI Research England. Co-Investigator £13,759.00, June 2022

Danna-Mechelle currently teaches across the Criminology and PCDA programmes. She also provides NVivo training to academics, postgraduates, and researchers. Please feel free to contact her to discuss hosting an NVivo training event.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
A Holistic Practitioner’s Toolkit for Supporting Desistance and Desistance-informed Practice, Lewis, D. 24 Feb 2026
Desisting from Offending and Harmful Behaviours: An Evidence-based review, Lewis, D. 15 Dec 2025
Our Possible Future Selves: Free activity worksheets for kids aged 5 -10 years, Lewis, D. 26 Jan 2024
Living on the Edge: Young Offenders and Emotive Offending, Lewis, D. 2 Jan 2018, In: Deviant Behavior
A Matter for Concern: Young Offenders and the Importance of Mattering, Lewis, D. 2 Nov 2017, In: Deviant Behavior
Book Review: Making Sense of Reality: Culture and Perception in Everyday Life, Lewis, D. 1 Mar 2016, In: Cultural Sociology
The risk factor – (Re-) visiting adult offender risk assessments within criminal justice practice, Lewis, D. 17 Jun 2014, In: Risk Management
Dealing with Disaffection: Young People, Mentoring and Social Inclusion, Lewis, D. Oct 2006, In: Crime Prevention and Community Safety
How Important are Prisons as a Locality within the Community?, Lewis, D. 2005, In: Prison Service Journal
Changing Face of Crime, Lewis, D. 2003

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Cape-Centring the domestic abuse survivor experience through digital resources for their journey; let’s change the narrative through impact on practice, Hussein, R. (Principal Investigator), Lewis, D. (Co Investigator), CAPE Fund - Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement, 01/06/22 - 31/12/22, £13,759.00

Further Information

Danna-Mechelle is available for collaborative research and writing projects in her field of expertise. She is also available for guest lectures, conferences, and PhD supervision.

Qualifications