Ester Ragonese
School of Justice Studies
Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies
Email: E.L.Ragonese@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 3941
Ester is the PQiP (Professional Qualification in Probation Training) Academic Lead and is based within the School of Justice Studies. Through her lengthy career at LJMU she has held a variety of different roles including the Associate Dean (Education) for APSS. and a Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice. Ester is research active, and with experience of working in the criminal justice system as a probation officer for a number of years she has a wide and varying range of research interests; however in the main these focus on the issue of social exclusion, particularly with regard to the homeless population and the management and treatment of people within the criminal justice system. Ester has a keen interest in the resettlement experiences of those who are incarcerated and works closely with local prisons and community organisations in a research and consultancy capacity to develop 'best practice' in this area. Ester has presented papers and been invited to speak at conferences in Britain, Europe and North America.
Ester is a National Teaching Fellow and as part of her responsibilities at LJMU she teaches on the PGcert working with staff to encourage them to focus on their teaching practice. Developing the student experience and understanding the process of higher education for the development of policy and practice is also a key research interest.
Languages
Italian
Certifications
2018, Advance HE, National Teaching Fellow
2015, Higher Education Academy, Senior Fellow
2012, The Higher Education Academy, Fellow
2012, Institute of Leadership and Management, United Kingdom, Award in First Line Management Level 3
2001, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, Certificate in Education (post complusory)
Academic appointments
PQiP Academic Lead, Liverpool John Moores University, 2022 - present
Associate Dean Education, APSS, LJMU, 2016 - 2021
Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice, Law, Liverpool John Moores University, 2004 - present
University Teacher, Social Policy and Social Work, University of Liverpool, 2001 - 2004
Postgraduate training
Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, United Kingdom, Nottigham Polytechnic, 1990 - present
Highlighted publications
Buck G, Lawrence A, Ragonese EL. 2017. Exploring peer mentoring as a form of innovative practice with young people at risk of child sexual exploitation. British Journal of Social Work, 47 :1745-1763 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Report
Moorhead J, Ragonese E, Marriott-Smith G, Atkins H, Aspinall K. 2024. Action on Abuse
Ragonese EL, Burke L, Owen PB, Marriott-Smith G. 2023. Evaluation of the Beyond the Gate Magazine pilot at HMP Liverpool Evaluation of the Beyond the Gate Magazine pilot at HMP Liverpool Public Url
Murray E, Moorhead J, Ragonese E, Currin H. 2022. Ex- Armed Service Personnel: Journeys to harmful behaviour.
Taylor S, Burke L, Millings MN, Ragonese EL. 2018. Through the Gate: the implementation, management and delivery of resettlement service provision for short term prisoners. Final Briefing Report. DOI Public Url
Taylor S, Burke L, Millings MN, Ragonese EL. 2018. Through the Gate: the implementation, management and delivery of resettlement service provision for short term prisoners. Executive Summary. Public Url
Ragonese E, OKeffe H. 2018. ‘A quantative needs analysis report of a Resettlement Services Survey’
Steele R, Murray E, Ragonese E, Moorhead J. 2018. Evaluation of EFAN Report
Ragonese EL, Murray E. 2017. Armed forces communities and social isolation: A needs analysis for service providers in Cheshire East
Ragonese EL, Askew R, Cross N. 2014. Evaluation of the Resettlement Practices and Procedures in HMP Altcourse
Ragonese EL, Hopkins J, Luxton A. 2012. Options outreach service: exploring and understanding the service user experience and impacts on health and wellbeing Publisher Url Public Url
Ragonese EL. 2009. AN EVALUATION OF THE SUPPORTING OFFENDERS ADVICE SERVICE IN NORTH LIVERPOOL (SOAS)
Journal article
Ragonese E, Marriott-Smith G, Owen PB, Burke L. 2023. ‘Beyond the Gate’: A resource for release planning Probation Quarterly, :45-49 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Burke L, Millings MN, Taylor S, Ragonese EL. 2020. Transforming rehabilitation, emotional labour and contract delivery: A case study of a voluntary sector provider in an English resettlement prison International Journal of Law ,Crime and Justice, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Millings MN, Taylor S, Burke L, Ragonese EL. 2018. Through the Gate: the implementation, management and delivery of resettlement service provision for short-term prisoners. Probation Journal: the journal of community and criminal justice, 66 :77-95 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Buck G, Lawrence A, Ragonese EL. 2017. Exploring peer mentoring as a form of innovative practice with young people at risk of child sexual exploitation. British Journal of Social Work, 47 :1745-1763 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Burke L, Taylor S, Millings MN, Ragonese EL. 2017. Transforming Rehabilitation during a penal crisis: a case study of Through the Gate services in a Resettlement Prison in England and Wales European Journal of Probation, 9 :115-131 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Burke L, Mair G, Ragonese E. 2006. An evaluation of service provision for short-term and remand prisoners with drug problems Probation Journal, 53 :109-123 DOI Publisher Url
Internet publication
Marshall D, Ragonese E, Altham S. 2022. Enterprising students: a values-driven, competency-based framework for embedding enterprise in the HE curriculum Publisher Url Public Url
Ragonese E, Marshall D, Altham S. 2022. Employability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship: Solving Wicked Problems Publisher Url
Chapters
Ragonese E, Altham S. 2019. Increasing Employability Beyond Getting a Job: Engaging Criminal Justice Students in Their Own Professional Development Diver A. Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability as Scholarship :513-523 Springer Nature 9783030263423 DOI Publisher Url
Books (authored)
Ragonese E, Rees A, Ives J, Dray T. 2014. The routledge guide to working in criminal justice: Employability skills and careers in the criminal justice sector :1-318
Other Professional Activity:
Member of the High Sheriff and Merseyside Police Fund Panel. 2022
Board Member of Genie in the Gutter.
Steering Group member SOVA.
Research Grants Awarded:
LJMU Quality Research Funding, Amplifying the Student Voice, Phil Carey, Grant value (£): 2000. 2022
LJMU Quality Research Funding, Beyond the Gate: An evaluation of a magazine designed to support desistance from reoffending., Paul Owen and Lawrence Burke, Grant value (£): 2000, Duration of research project: six months. 2021
Liverpool John Moores University QR Funding, Understanding the Retention Continuum, Bleddyn Davies, Grant value (£): 2,000, Duration of research project: 5 months. 2019
HMP Altcourse, HMP Altcourse - Quantative Needs Analysis, Grant value (£): 2,500, Duration of research project: 2 months. 2017
Interserve Justice, Evaluation of the EFAN Project, Rachael Steele, Emma Murray, Grant value (£): 15,000, Duration of research project: 12 months. 2017
Liverpool John Moores Univeristy Quality Research Fund, A study of the extent to which the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda-led emphasis on resettlement is consumed by prisoners and embedded into the organizational working culture of the staff., Stuart Taylor, Lol Burke, Matthew Millings, Ester Ragonese (all LJMU), Grant value (£): 14,500. 2016
HMP Altcourse, Evaluation of the Resettlement Practices and Procedures in HMP Altcourse., Rebecca Askew, Grant value (£): 10,000, Duration of research project: nine months. 2013
The Citizens Advice Bureau, An Evaluation of The Supporting Offenders Advice Service in North Liverpool, Grant value (£): 5,000. 2009
Conference presentation:
Will you miss me when I am gone?: Learning from student voices in Higher education, Advance HE Teacbing and Learning Conference: Teaching in the Spotlight, Virtual, Oral presentation. 2020
Building a resettlement culture within a local prison: A case study of partnership working between practitioners, researchers and educators, Redesigning Justice: Promoting civil rights, trust and fairness: Howard League for Penal reform, Oxford University, Oral presentation. 2018
"The missing piece of the jigsaw? : The role and value of prison education in the resettlement journey", European Society of Criminology, Cardiff, Oral presentation. 2017
What Makes Students Stay, EAIR, Porto Portugal, Oral presentation. 2017
Re-evaluating resettlement: best practice and challenges to the reintegration of offenders, American Society of Criminology, USA/New Orleans, Oral presentation. 2016
What Makes Students Stay, LJMU Teaching and Learning Conference, Liverpool, Oral presentation. 2016
Re-evaluating resettlement: best practice and challenges to the reintegration of offenders, Justice and Penal Reform: Re-shaping the penal landscape, Keble College Oxford, Oral presentation. 2016
Re- evaluating Resettlement: Best Practice and Challenges to the Re-integration of Offenders, European Society of Criminology, Portugal/Porto, Oral presentation. 2015
Other invited event:
Interview on Prison Radio HMP Altcourse, HMP Altcourse, Interviewed on HMP Altcourse Prison Radio by a prison officer. Broadcast across the prison.. 2019
Blackpool and the Fylde Colleger (Lancaster): Criminology Re-Validation, Remotely, External Expert on Re-Validation Panel.. 2018
Shaping the Future: Veterans Substance Misuse: Integration of Health and Social Care, Newcastle, Invited to speak at the above event organised by The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research. Talk focused on Needs Analysis conducted in Cheshire East.. 2017
External Revalidation of FdA and BA (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Justice, Blackburn College/Lancaster University, Invited external advisor to the re-validation of FdA and BA (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Justice Programmes. 2016
External committees:
LIPA Assessment Group, LIPA, Committee member. 2018
Top 20 HMP Liverpool Task and Finish Group, National probation Service/CRC/HMP Liverpool, Member. 2018
Reducing Re offending Group, Chaired by Community Director/ Head of Operations Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company Ltd, Group member - Academic Representative. 2018
Fellowships:
National Teaching Fellowship, Advance HE. 2018
Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy. 2015
Membership of professional bodies:
Professional Member, The Howard League for Penal reform, https://howardleague.org/. 2018
Member, SEDA: Supporting and Leading Educational Change, https://www.seda.ac.uk/. 2018
External collaboration:
http://www.uwe.ac.uk/, University of the West of England, Kathy Brown - Law School. 2017
https://www.tees.ac.uk/, Teeside University, Jonathan Eaton. 2017
Award:
Vice Chancellors Individual Teaching Award, LJMU. 2014