School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

The overall aim of my research is to understand the role of language, dialogue and representation in the response to criminal harm and injustice. My main research interests are: 1) the role of interaction in justice social work practice with people responsible for criminal harm; 2) the potential of restorative justice to enhance the response to criminal harm; and 3) the nature of discourse in relation to people who have experienced forced migration. My work is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on theory and methods from social psychology, discursive psychology, criminology, restorative justice, conversation analysis and refugee studies. 

I am a Co-Investigator with Dr Eve Mullins (PI) and Prof Peter Raynor on a research study applying conversation analysis to video recordings of probation sessions from the Jersey Supervision Skills Study, in order to better understand the interactional aspects of probation practice and how these may support people to desist from offending. We are currently undertaking knowledge exchange activities with probation officers and justice social workers, supported by ESRC Impact Accelerator Account funding.

I was the Principal Investigator on a research study on the history of restorative justice in Scotland.

I undertook a Research Fellowship funded by the Leverhulme Trust from January to August 2023 on a project entitled 'Forced Migration and Moral Repair', examining the potential for restorative justice in relation to people who have experienced forced migration. 

I was a Co-Principal Investigator (with Dr Muireann Ní Raghallaigh, University College Dublin) on 'A comparative case-study of refugee integration in Scotland and Ireland', part of the Scottish Irish Migration Initiative, funded by the Strategic Partnership Fund between University College Dublin and the University of Edinburgh. 

I was a Co-Investigator on the project 'Mitigation and Risk in Restorative Justice', funded by the Scottish Government, led by Prof Joanna Shapland (The University of Sheffield). 

I was a Co-Investigator on the project 'Criminal Justice Social Work: Exploring Gender Issues', with Prof Viv Cree and Dr Trish McCulloch, funded by Social Work Scotland. We used archival research, surveys and focus groups to examine the role of gender in the development and current operation of Criminal Justice Social Work in Scotland.

I was co-lead on the knowledge exchange programme 'Developing Restorative Justice in Scotland: Learning from local and international experience', funded by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute, which ran throughout 2017.

I analysed UK parliamentary debates on the European refugee 'crisis', focusing on the humanisation of refugees, integration and references to history.

I worked with colleagues at Ipsos MORI, the University of Stirling and the University of Glasgow to undertake an evaluation of the Scottish Government's Reducing Reoffending Change Fund.

I worked with Prof Viv Cree and the social media analysis company SoDash, exploring the potential for using Artificial Intelligence to assist with social science research on feminism and Twitter.

I was Co-Investigator on the Camphill Social Pedagogy Pilot Evaluation, with Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh and Sheila Cooper.

I have conducted a study that applies discourse analysis to video recordings of criminal justice social work groupwork sessions with people on community sentences.

Click here to view my Google Scholar page.

Click here to view my entry in Edinburgh Research Explorer, which includes links to open access versions of my publications.

You can follow me on Twitter: @KirkwoodSteve

Topics interested in supervising

I am happy to consider supervising PhD candidates on any topics broadly related to my research interests described above. In particular, I am interested in projects that relate to justice social work, restorative justice, asylum seeking, desistance from crime, discourse analysis and / or the study of interaction. Please note that I do not have capacity to take on new research students at this moment. 

If you are interested in being supervised by Steve Kirkwood, please see the links below (opening in new windows) for more information:

• PhD in Social Work
• MSc (R) Social Work