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Staff profile

Overview

Professor Graham Towl

Professor

Affiliations
Affiliation
Professor in the Department of Psychology

Biography

Graham Towl is Professor of Psychology at Durham University (DU) and visiting clinical professor at Newcastle University. His current primary research area is mental health, particularly prisoner suicide. He was an expert member of the Ministerial Independent Advisory Panel on deaths in state custody including hospitals and prisons. Uniquely he is the recipient of the British Psychological Society Awards for Distinguished Contributions to both Professional Practice and Forensic Academic Knowledge. He is included in A&C Black's Who's Who for exceptional contributions in the field of equality and diversity. In 2003, he was acknowledged in a national peer survey as the most influential forensic psychologist in the UK. He has practical experience of working in hospitals and prisons. As a former Senior Civil Servant, he has thorough understanding of the machinery of government. His most recent post at the Ministry of Justice was as Chief Psychologist, where he enjoyed international reputation for innovations in service delivery. He devised and established a national infrastructure for more effective delivery of psychological services across prisons and probation services in England and Wales. He has maintained his research whilst undertaking the role of pro-vice-chancellor on DU's Executive Committee. He has overseen a number of innovative change-management programmes, e.g. giving DU national presence on provision of support services for university students who have experienced sexual violence.

Research interests

  • Addressing sexual violence at universities
  • Hate crimes and hate incidents
  • Mental health
  • Prisoner suicide

Publications

Authored book

Chapter in book

  • Trauma Informed Care in the Criminal Justice System
    Walker, T. (2021). Trauma Informed Care in the Criminal Justice System. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Forensic Psychology (735-750). (3rd). Wiley
  • Risk and Resilience.
    Towl, G. J. (2015). Risk and Resilience. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Forensic Psychology (415-424). (2nd ed.). Wiley
  • Concluding Themes: Psychological Perspectives and Futures.
    Towl, G. J. (2015). Concluding Themes: Psychological Perspectives and Futures. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Forensic Psychology (437-442). (2nd ed.). Wiley
  • Psychology in the UK National Offender Management Service: Prisons and Probation.
    Towl, G. (2011). Psychology in the UK National Offender Management Service: Prisons and Probation. In J. R. Adler, & J. M. Gray (Eds.), Forensic Psychology: Concepts, Debates and Practice (529-542). (2nd ed.). Routledge
  • Applied Psychological Services in HM Prison Service and the National Probation Service.
    Towl, G. J. (2008). Applied Psychological Services in HM Prison Service and the National Probation Service. In A. Needs, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Applying Psychology to Forensic Practice (222-235). John Wiley and Sons
  • Suicide, Attempted Suicide and Self-Injury
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Suicide, Attempted Suicide and Self-Injury. In G. J. Towl, & D. A. Crighton (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (185-201). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Prisoner Needs
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Prisoner Needs. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (57-70). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Problem Drug Use
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Problem Drug Use. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (151-166). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Post-Traumatic Stress. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (167-184). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Development and Criminal Behaviour
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Development and Criminal Behaviour. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (34-56). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Sex Offending
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Sex Offending. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (217-229). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Mental Disorder
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Mental Disorder. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (127-150). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Principles of Risk Assessment
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Principles of Risk Assessment. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (108-125). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Groupwork within Prisons
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Groupwork within Prisons. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (93-107). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Psychological Assessment
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. J. (2008). Psychological Assessment. In D. A. Crighton, & G. J. Towl (Eds.), Psychology in Prisons (71-92). (2nd Edition). Wiley
  • Drug-misuse intervention work
    Towl, G. J. (2007). Drug-misuse intervention work. In G. J. Towl (Ed.), Psychological Research in Prisons (116-127). Blackwell
  • Methodological issues in psychological research in prisons
    Crighton, D. A., & Towl, G. (2006). Methodological issues in psychological research in prisons. In G. J. Towl (Ed.), Psychological Research in Prisons (138-147). Blackwell
  • The modern context of psychology in corrections: Influences, limitations and values of “what works.”
    Thomas-Peter, B., & Towl, G. J. (2006). The modern context of psychology in corrections: Influences, limitations and values of “what works.”. In G. J. Towl (Ed.), Psychological Research in Prisons (24-39). Blackwell

Doctoral Thesis

Edited book

Journal Article

Other (Print)

Report

Supervision students

David Adlington-Rivers

Research Postgraduate

Dr Denis Fischbacher-Smith

Fleur Riley

Research Postgraduate

August Zheng

Research Postgraduate