Rebecca's research interests lie in the areas of youth crime, youth justice, desistance from offending and the role of voluntary sector organisations working with criminalised populations.

Rebecca's research is currently focused on two areas. Firstly, investigating Work Integration Social Enterprise and their role in supporting criminalised individuals desist from crime. Secondly, to greater understand the changing picture of serious youth violence in the Northeast of England and the interventions and best practices that can support young people impacted by violence and child criminal exploitation. 

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Exploring how employment schemes for young offenders aid desistance from crime, Oswald, R. 1 Mar 2023, In: Probation Journal
• Exploring Young Offenders’ Conceptions of Meaningful Employment, Oswald, R. 1 Mar 2023, In: Trends in Psychology
• “Improving the Hope of Young People impacted by Serious Violence and Child Criminal Exploitation”. Interim Report April 2023, Oswald, R., Soppitt, S., Walker, S., Irving, A. 26 Apr 2023
• ‘Safe spaces and places’: the value of design-led methodologies in developing online narratives, Oswald, R., Soppitt, S., Spencer, N., Powell, L., Richardson, C., Coombs, S. 23 Jan 2023, In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology
• The Digital Turn in Social Work Education and Practice, Toros, K., Falch-Eriksen, A., Lehtme, R., Saia, K., McInnes, A., Soppitt, S., Oswald, R., Walker, S. 27 Sep 2023, Smart Learning Ecosystems as Engines of the Green and Digital Transition, Singapore, Springer
• The role of environmental work in supporting child desistance, Oswald, R. 18 Dec 2023, In: Safer Communities
• Condemned to precarity? Criminalised youths, social enterprise and the sub-precariat, Soppitt, S., Oswald, R., Walker, S. 15 Jun 2022, In: Social Enterprise Journal
• Serious Youth Violence and First Time Entrants to the Youth Justice Service in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: Serious Youth Violence Pathfinder (April 2022), Soppitt, S., Oswald, R., Powell, L., Spencer, N., Richardson, C. Apr 2022
• The impact of employment upon young offenders' identities, Oswald, R. 1 Jun 2022, In: Howard Journal of Crime and Justice
• Do Flood Mitigation and Natural Habitat Protection Employment Reduce Youth Offending?, Long, M., Oswald, R., Stretesky, P., Soppitt, S. 1 Jun 2019, In: European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

• PhD November 28 2020
• Criminology MA June 30 2016
• Law LLB (Hons) June 19 2012