The more society understands about sexual violence, the more effective the systems that can be put into place to keep people safe, according to Leigh Harkins, PhD, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. The same principle applies to offenders; the more researchers understand about sexual offenders, the better informed treatment protocols and rehabilitation methods can be to ensure these approaches are as effective as possible for corrections services and agencies. Leading the investigation into the psychology of sexual violence at UOIT, Dr. Harkins' research agenda focuses on sexual aggression, offender rehabilitation and offenses committed by multiple perpetrators. She joined UOIT in January 2013, and her latest research examines whether those with deviant sexual interests process emotional information differently than those without such interests; as well as the perceptions of victim weight in sexual coercion cases. Ongoing work also investigates the factors that contribute to the proclivity of multiple perpetrators offending including peer influence, rape supportive attitudes and psychopathic traits. Dr. Harkins collaborates with the Good Lives Model of Offender Rehabilitation program which takes a strength-based approach to rehabilitation and focuses on enhancing offenders’ well-being while also reducing their risk of further offending. Her research aims to assess the reliability and validity of a new measure which evaluates the nature of a person’s priorities in life and how these relate to offending behaviour. She also has experience working in sex offender treatment groups at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and within the Correctional Service of Canada. Inspired by the complex and dynamic nature of applying theoretical aspects of psychology to each offender’s unique case, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science and Psychology from the University of Toronto (U of T). During a placement in forensic psychology, studying the rehabilitation of a group of sex offenders, she began to recognize the human side of their behaviour. She completed a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology for Psychology Specialists from U of T’s Ontario Institute of Education Studies (OISE), and obtained her Doctorate in Forensic Psychology from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, where she spent four years as a lecturer in the university’s School of Psychology, before returning to Canada.