Biography
Dr Katrina Morrison BSc (hons) PhD FHEA is a lecturer in Criminology (part-time) within the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University.
Dr Morrison’s interests include prisons and imprisonment, specifically prison cultures and workforces; penal policy and politics; qualitative research methods. Her work to date has focused on Scottish criminal justice policymaking with a focus on devolution and penal change, and latterly a greater focus on Scottish imprisonment, prison officers, and healthcare in prisons.
Dr Morrison has published in both peer-reviewed and edited collections in the fields of Scottish criminal justice, Scottish penal change, prison officers and prison officer learning and development. She has co-authoring a textbook on Scottish criminal justice due for publication in Autumn 2025.
Dr Morrison has been a PI and co/PI in projects funded by the Chief Scientist Office, Carnegie Trust, UKRI, the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Government.
Dr Morrison’s research has been discussed in the national press and she has been interviewed and quoted on national television and radio.
Dr Morrison has supervised PhD students to completion and is currently open to receiving queries about further PhD supervision.
External Roles
Dr Morrison is an Associate Director at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, with a responsibility for the Early Career Researcher portfolio across the Centre.
Dr Morrison is a passionate advocate for penal reform, and in that capacity, sit as a Board member for the Howard League Scotland.
Teaching Responsibilities
Dr Morrison teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in criminology and social sciences, as well as supervising undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations. She is module leader for Penology (3rd year) and Comparative and International Criminology (4th year). She has developed new courses for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, as well as for students taking courses in prison. Dr Morrison played a central role in the development of a professional qualification for prison officers at the Scottish Prison Service between 2016 and 2018. She was awarded the best lecturer at School of Applied Sciences by the Edinburgh Napier Students Association in 2019.
Career History
Dr Morrison graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a PhD in 2012. She worked at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (University of Glasgow) as a research assistant, before beginning as a Lecturer in Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University in December 2012. Dr Morrison was seconded to the Scottish Prison Service between 2016 and 2018 where she led a team developing a professional qualification for prison officers.