Ciara Farrelly

Thesis: Acquired brain injury and responses to perpetrators of family violence

Biography

Ciara Farrelly is a PhD candidate in criminology within the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre. She commenced her PhD with Monash in 2021, after completing her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Criminology and Sociology in 2009, followed by a Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University.

In between degrees Ciara worked in the community services sector. She worked predominantly with men who were living in crisis accommodation and who had multiple and complex needs. Following this, Ciara worked as a Team Leader of the Homelessness and Drug Dependency program and later as a Team Leader for an Organisation who cared for ‘Forgotten Australians’- Australians who had grown up in the ‘care’ system.

More recently, Ciara has gained some experience as both a teaching and research assistant.

Thesis summary

Ciara’s PhD research examines the backgrounds of perpetrators of family violence to identify acquired brain injury (ABI) and the associated risk factors. Her work explores the broader life circumstances that contribute to the complexity of these perpetrators, with the aim of deepening understanding of their offending. Ciara’s research also investigates how sentencing practices respond to perpetrators of family violence with risk factors for ABI, highlighting the intersection of health, justice, and accountability.

Supervisors:  Associate Professor Anna Eriksson, Dr Jasmine McGowan.