Joni Reef is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and a Research Fellow at the Department of Criminology, Leiden University.

More information about Joni Reef

Dr Joni Reef has worked at Leiden Law School since 2010. She is involved in various research projects and the development of innovative teaching and education within the fields of Criminology and Law. She also holds a number of administrative positions.

Before joining Leiden University, Dr Reef worked at Maastricht University, Utrecht University and Erasmus University/Erasmus Medical Center. In 2010, she was awarded a PhD for her dissertation entitled 'Adult Consequences of Child Psychopathology'.

Innovative education

Joni Reef is involved in various courses within Criminology and Law and actively serves on education-related committees. She is passionate about educational innovation and was selected as a Teaching Fellow by the Leiden Teachers' Academy in 2018. In 2020, she obtained the Senior Qualification in Education (SKO) and became a Comenius Teaching Fellow at the National Educational Research Organisation (NRO). In 2022, she was awarded a prestigious Comenius Senior Fellowship. She is part of the Criminology Department's Education Board and coordinates the bachelor's curriculum revision project. SDGs and Inner Development Goals are key elements of her educational innovations.

Prison education

Dr Reef has developed transformative education where students, teaching staff and prisoners collaborate on research questions related to crime, law enforcement and social issues. This method promotes inclusivity and social engagement among students. [Learning behind bars]

Research on prisons and forensic care

Her current research focuses on the social impact of detention, unintended generational effects and the role of fatherhood within judicial frameworks. She is involved in various research projects on the well-being of detainees and their familie, and the learning outcomes of prison education. She also conducts research into the Dutch terbeschikkingstelling (TBS), long-term placement in TBS (LFPZ) and broader forensic care. Dr Reef is a Research Fellow within the research programme Criminal Justice: Legitimacy, Accountability and Effectivity. As a senior researcher, she publishes articles on both a Dutch and international level within her areas of expertise and is active in various working groups.

Publications