- Centre for Social Justice Research
About me
Charlotte is a sociolegal scholar who has previously worked in the legal field and voluntary sector, prior to entering academia. She holds an LLB in Law, MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (LPC) and PhD in Criminology. She has worked with women leaving prison and has experience of providing support and guidance to survivors of stalking and harassment. Her research sits at the intersection of gender, sexuality and law, exploring the way in which law and policy impact those subjected to it.
Her experience and expertise inform her teaching, research areas and methodological considerations. She advocates for the inclusion of marginalised groups in all stages of research that concerns them, contributing to discussions about how institutional ethics policies and research governance can better support participatory, community-engaged scholarship, particularly in areas concerning gender, sexuality and law. By questioning conventional assumptions embedded within research ethics and legal frameworks, her work seeks to create more inclusive and accountable practices that respect autonomy while addressing structural inequalities.
Teaching
Charlotte's teaching is informed by her work experience and academic expertise. She co-leads modules on Youth Crime and Justice, Gender, Crime and Justice and Media and Crime. Her research informs her teaching on these modules considering, where relevant, the impact of the criminal law and policy. She draws on contemporary issues in the respective fields bringing up-to-date research into the classroom to inform discussions on a variety of areas, including the impact of modern technology on the criminal legal landscape.
Research
Charlotte's research sits at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and law, critically examining how legal and regulatory frameworks are often shaped by assumptions about vulnerability and stigma, that can undermine the rights, agency, and lived realities of those they seek to protect. She has undertaken a range of projects including, research on digital intimacies, the sharing of intimate images without consent, and sexual consent, her current research focuses on sex work and adult content creation.
Across her research, the rights of sex workers are understood within broader debates about gender justice, human rights, and legal reform. By foregrounding lived experience and challenging stigma-based assumptions, her work contributes to a growing body of scholarship and advocacy that promotes evidence-based, rights-affirming approaches to sex work and the development of more equitable legal and policy responses. Importantly, her research advocates for the decriminalisation of sex work on this basis.
Charlotte has secured grants for her research, most recently from the Socio-Legal Studies Association for her project on the use of intimacy coordinators in adult content creation. She has also had her work published in a number of peer-reviewed journals.
Publications
For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.