Laura Haas

Laura's doctoral project explores the way in which previous military service influences prison staff in the UK. Laura is particularly interested in the the effect of military experience on the culture of prison staff (their approach to their job, attitudes, and values) and its influence on their ethnic, gender and professional identity. Laura also investigates to what extent deployment experiences and potential trauma impact prison staff in their personal and work life. This project is supervised by Prof. Mary Bosworth and Hindpal Bhui and is funded by the Law Faculty and the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich scholarship fund.

Laura holds a BSc in Psychology from the Freie Universität Berlin (2018) and an MSc in Legal Psychology from the Medical School Berlin (2020), which she completed with distinction. Additionally, she completed the MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Oxford (2021).

During her prior studies, Laura interned at several psychiatric hospitals in Berlin. She also worked at Kind im Zentrum, an organisation that offers counselling and therapy services for victims of child sexual abuse as well as those who offended themselves. During her Masters and DPhil, Laura worked as a Research Assistant for Julian Roberts and Laura Hoyano on a project with the Criminal Bar Association, working on a report on day-to-day issues experienced by criminal barriers in the Crown Court. She also worked for the Sentencing Academy for a report on deferred sentences. In December 2023, she co-published a report with Prof. Bosworth on Detainee Escorting Staff, based on a survey they developed together.