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 been affiliated with the Faculty of Law at Leiden University since 2010. She combines expertise in criminology and criminal law with a strong focus on educational innovation, science communication and societal impact. Before joining Leiden, she worked at Maastricht University, Utrecht University and Erasmus University Rotterdam/Erasmus Medical Centre. In 2010 she obtained her PhD at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (EUR) with the dissertation Adult Consequences of Child Psychopathology.

Teaching

Joni is recognised for her innovative teaching. She lectures in criminology and criminal law and, together with Michiel van der Wolf, teaches Forensic Psychiatry. She was appointed a Teaching Fellow of the Leiden Teachers’ Academy, obtained the Senior Teaching Qualification (SKO), and became both a Comenius Teaching Fellow and Senior Fellow. As coordinator of the Criminology bachelor curriculum reform, she helps shape future-oriented education. Her approach emphasises transformative and experiential learning, impact-driven teaching, and integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Inner Development Goals. She also applies her expertise in scientific infographics to make complex concepts accessible to students, colleagues and wider audiences.

Prison education

Through Learning Behind Bars, Joni developed a transformative programme in which students, lecturers and imprisoned persons work together on criminological and societal questions. This fosters inclusivity, student engagement and contributes to more humane prison practices.

Research

With over 15 years of experience conducting research in Dutch prisons, Joni has studied the social and psychological effects of imprisonment, fatherhood in prison and mental health. In recent years she has focused on forensic psychiatry and the Dutch terbeschikkingstelling (TBS) system, particularly long-term forensic placements and the historical development of the TBS measure.

Publications