University

Overview

Session 2026/27 – Closing Date 17:00 (UK time) 11 March 2026

The online application form can be found at: ESRC White Rose DTP Collaborative Studentships 2026

This fully funded project is a collaboration between the University of Leeds (Dr Matt Tidmarsh) and HM Inspectorate of Probation.

This project explores the organisational and cultural implications for the Probation Service in England and Wales of the expansion of electronic monitoring (EM) and its impact on those subject to supervision.

The prison population is at a record high. In an attempt to alleviate the prison capacity crisis and increase public confidence by rendering community sentences "tougher", the Sentencing Bill 2025 includes a presumption that an additional 22,000 prison leavers will be 'tagged' on release as part of 'intensive supervision'. The Probation Service will assume responsibility for implementing this policy shift, with practitioners assessing prison leaver suitability for EM and enforcing licence conditions.

In the wake of the Sentencing Bill 2025, probation’s increased involvement in enforcing EM and the implications for EM wearers demand urgent scrutiny. This PhD’s overarching aim is to investigate probation’s role in the expansion of EM, from the perspectives of probation staff and individuals subject to monitoring. The research questions are:

• How do probation practitioners understand and enact their role in implementing, managing and enforcing EM?
• What are the organisational and cultural implications of EM expansion for the Probation Service?
• How is EM experienced by prison leavers? How are their relationships with probation practitioners impacted by the Service’s role in implementation and enforcement?

Aim:
The project speaks to a pressing need for research on probation’s role in implementing the expansion of EM, while making an original, empirical contribution to academic knowledge on the intersection of EM, probation practice, and organisational culture. More broadly, it will contribute to debates on multi-agency relationships and the growing role of technology in criminal justice.

A 3-month Research in Practice placement will be provided by HM Inspectorate of Probation.

For further information about the application process, please contact the Admissions Team

For further information about the project, please contact Matt Tidmarsh