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Jenny Mackay

Jennifer Mackay

Principal Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Staff Group(s)
Psychology

Role

Dr Jenny Mackay is Principal Lecturer (forensic psychology/forensic mental health) with responsibility for outreach and student volunteering. Jenny is a Fellow of Advance HE and Chartered Psychologist. She teaches on both the undergraduate and postgraduate psychology courses in specialist areas related to forensic mental health, trauma, and offending behaviour. Jenny co-leads the Qualitative Forensic Lab for final year research project students.

Jenny is currently on supervision teams for several doctoral students on the following topics: violence fascinated individuals; image-based sexual abuse; unwanted sexual attention in the night time economy; legal definitions of sexual violence.

Jenny leads on the 'PriSim' lab at NTU - a mock prison cell  based on the city campus.

Career overview

Before joining NTU, Dr Jenny Mackay conducted her PhD titled, 'Comparing the treatment needs of women and men who perpetrate intimate partner violence'.

Prior to this, Jenny has spent her career in predominantly practitioner roles, working with vulnerable clients in a range of settings, both forensic and non-forensic. She has delivered substance misuse work, offending behaviour programmes and psychological one-to-one work in prisons with adults and young adults. She has worked in a Secure Children's Home with 10-17 year olds who have offended or who are considered 'at risk'. Jenny also gained experience carrying out in-depth functional analyses and was trained to write and evaluate Positive Behaviour Support plans whilst working as a Behavioural Clinical Specialist for the NHS with adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Jenny has also worked for the Probation Service, as a Project and Policy officer for an adult education research charity and has delivered workshops for expectant and new parents.

Jenny is currently a Trustee for YMCA Leicestershire.

Research areas

Jenny is primarily interested in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, particularly understanding the evidence base of pathways to perpetration and how these might inform interventions. She is particularly interested in how women come to perpetrate IPV and the psychological mechanisms that underpin this, and also interested in how trauma impacts on the lives of those who have perpetrated violence, whether men or women. Jenny is interested in policy and practice development in this area, specifically, how interventions for those who have perpetrated can be developed to reflect our most up-to-date understanding of the evidence base. Jenny has previously led Knowledge Exchange projects to map activity in the forensic mental health sector and the domestic violence sector across the Midlands, and is keen to work with external partners on progressing work in this field.

Jenny is keen to engage in Knowledge Exchange activities, and works with colleagues across the sector to build relationships and practice-related research activity, such as:

  • His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service
  • Secure Children's Homes
  • Leicestershire CAMHS
  • Leicestershire Police
  • YMCA Leicestershire

Jenny has recently been involved in a number of systematic reviews related to: paramedics experiences of working with male victims of IPV; risk factors for women's fire setting behaviour; risk and need profiles of IPV perpetrators; relational practices of criminal justice staff.

External activity

Jenny is currently completing consultancy as an academic member of The Chrysalis Centre's Expert Advisory Board.

Jenny regularly gives talk with various practitioner-facing forums that includes individuals working with bodies such as HMPPS, the NHS and third sector organisations working with vulnerable and/or offending populations.

Chartered Psychologist & Associate Member of the Division of Forensic Psychology (British Psychological Society).

Previous  external engagement activity has included:

  • Funded consultancy for Nottingham/shire Violence Reduction Partnership
  • Professional networking activity in the domestic violence sector
  • Funded evaluation for Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire OPCC
  • One of the founding members of EBDARN - Evidence-Based Domestic Abuse Research Network. Launched Autumn 2022.
  • Previously an Associate Member of the MoJ's Correctional Service Accreditation and Advise Panel (CSAAP).
  • Professional networking activity in the forensic mental health sector

Sponsors and collaborators

Jenny's research has been funded internally by Nottingham Trent University, and she has worked on projects externally funded by organisations such as the Home Office, Herts/Beds OPCC, and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Partnership.

Her work is conducted with external collaborators, including:

- Prof. Nicola Graham-Kevan (University of Central Lancashire)

- Curzon Consulting

- i3 Analytics

- Prof. Ben Hine (University of West London)

- Associate Prof. Liz Bates (University of Cumbria)

- Prof. Alexandra Lysova (Simon Fraser University, Canada)

Publications

Kitson-Boyce, R., Mackay, J., Bell, K., Gair, H., & Milani, S. Z. (2025). What Do We Know About the Risk Factors for Women’s Firesetting Behavior: A Systematic Review. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 0(0).

Mackay, J. (2025, June). Constructing coercion and control: A workshop exploring professionals’ perceptions of coercive controlling behaviours in relationships Presentation given at BPS Division of Forensic Psychology annual conference. Glasgow, Scotland

Levy, A., Stafford, D., Stafford, S., Briggs Deardon, L., Mackay, J., Hardy, S., O'Reilly, M., Lewis, M. and Archard, P. (2025). Providing specialist mental health care to youth justice service-involved young people British Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 14(2)

Lysova, A., Hanson, K., & Mackay, J. (2025). Rates of Male and Female Physical Victimization and Perpetration in Intimate Relationships: A Comprehensive Review. Partner Abuse.

Lysova, A., Hanson, K., & Mackay, J. (2024). Bidirectional and Unidirectional Intimate Partner Violence: A Comprehensive Review. Partner Abuse.

Mclocklin, G., Kellezi, B., Stevenson, C., & Mackay, J. (2024). Disclosure Decisions and Help-Seeking Experiences Amongst Victim-Survivors of Non-Consensual Intimate Image Distribution. Victims & Offenders, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2024.2329107

McGrath, A., Mackay, J., & Baguley, T. (2024). The impact of childhood adversity on female‐perpetrated intimate partner violence in young adulthood. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 29(2), 147-165.

Hine, B. A., Mackay, J., Baguley, T., Graham-Kevan, N., Cunliffe, M., & Galloway, A. (2022).  Understanding Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Home Office.

Mackay, J. (in press) “Throwing the first punch before I got hurt” An exploration of the offence process and function of intimate partner violence and abuse perpetrated by imprisoned women. In N. Booth, I. Masson & L. Baldwin (Eds.), Intersectionality, family justice and violence. Bristol University Press

Mackay, J., Bowen, E. & Walker, K. (in press) “What’s the point in talking about it, when I’m the one being punished for it?” Men as both perpetrator and victim of intimate partner violence. In E.A. Bates & J. Taylor (Eds.), Domestic violence against men and boys: Experiences of male victims of intimate partner violence. Routledge.

Hine, B. A., Bates, E. A., Graham-Kevan, N., & Mackay, J. (2022). Comparing the demographic characteristics, and reported abuse type, contexts and outcomes of help-seeking heterosexual male and female victims of domestic violence: Part II – Exit from specialist services. Partner Abuse

Hine, B. A., Bates, E. A., Mackay, J., & Graham-Kevan, N. (2022). Comparing the demographic characteristics, and reported abuse type, contexts and outcomes of help-seeking heterosexual male and female victims of domestic violence: Part I – Who presents to specialist services? Partner Abuse

Conference presentation Understanding the developmental pathways to men and women’s perpetration of intimate partner violence and abuse BPS Division of Forensic psychology annual conference

Mackay, J., Pritchard, C., Yan, R. J., Kuhn, I., Barker, E. (2021). Ambulance clinicians’ identification and management of male victims of intimate partner violence: a systematic review protocol. PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021253584

Newton, A., Mackay, J., Ikhile, D. & Wallace, L. (2020) Domestic abuse perpetrator interventions: Extended Rapid Evidence Assessment. Centre for Crime, Offending, Prevention and Engagement (COPE), Nottingham Trent University.

Conference presentation (Conference cancelled) Understanding the developmental pathways to men and women’s perpetration of intimate partner violence and abuse BPS Division of Forensic psychology annual conference, Solihull

Walker, K., Brown, S., Mackay, J. & Browning, B. (2019) Scoping the evidence on the design, implementation, evaluation and effectiveness of services for children who are vulnerable to, at immediate risk of, or being sexually exploited, or who need help recovering from sexual exploitation. NSPCC

Finalist for Coventry University’s Postgraduate Researcher of the Year award

Bowen, E. and Mackay, J. (2019) ‘Towards evidence-based treatment of female perpetrated intimate partner violence and abuse’. in Intimate Partner Violence: New Perspectives in Research and Practice. ed. by Bates, E. & Taylor, J. Routledge

Mackay, J., Bowen, E., Walker, K. & O’Doherty (2018) Risk factors for female perpetrators of intimate partner violence within criminal justice settings: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior 41, 128-146

Conference presentation ‘Comparing the pathways to IPV perpetration in women and men’ PsyPAG annual conference, University of Huddersfield

Conference presentation ‘Pathways to IPV perpetration in women and men’ Centre for Violence Prevention, University of Worcester

Awarded ‘People’s Choice’ at the final for Coventry University’s Three Minute Thesis competition

Conference presentation ‘Female perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: Do we know why and do we know what impact this has on children?’ National Centre for the Study and Prevention of Violence and Abuse, University of Worcester

Conference presentation ‘Risk factors for female perpetrators of intimate partner violence and abuse within criminal justice settings: A systematic review’ Violence and Interpersonal Aggression, Coventry University

Poster presentation ‘Risk factors for female perpetrators of intimate partner violence and abuse: A systematic review’ BPS Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference, Brighton

See all of Jennifer Mackay's publications...

Course(s) I teach on