Marisa Silvestri is an Associate Professor in Criminology at Kingston University. Her main research interests lie at the intersections of policing, gender and criminal justice. More specifically her work centres on exploring the position and role of women in police leadership and the gendered nature of the criminal justice system in relation to its impact on women offenders and victims. As a strong advocate of participatory action research with an emphasis on practitioner involvement, her work not only advances theoretical understandings of these issues but aims to inform policy and practice.