Clare Allely
About our research Clare Allely
About Clare Allely
Clare Allely is a Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Salford in England. Clare is also an Honorary Research Fellow in the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences affiliated to the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. Clare acts as an expert witness in criminal cases involving defendants with autism spectrum disorder (and other neurodevelopmental disorders) and contributes to the evidence base used in the courts on psychology and legal issues through her published work. She is author of the book “The Psychology of Extreme Violence: A Case Study Approach to Serial Homicide, Mass Shooting, School Shooting and Lone-actor Terrorism” published by Routledge in 2020 and author of the book “Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Criminal Justice System: A Guide to Understanding Suspects, Defendants and Offenders with Autism” published by Routledge in 2022.
Research interests
Clare’s research specialises in how certain features of autism spectrum disorder may provide the context of vulnerability to engaging in a wide range of offending behaviours including: lone-actor terrorism, extremism, the viewing of indecent child imagery, mass shootings, school shootings, sexual offending, cybercrime, stalking, violence, zoophilia and arson. Clare has published in the field of autism spectrum disorder and the features of autism that may provide the context of vulnerability to being radicalised, engaging in extremist online material and engaging in terroristic behaviours. Clare also has a research interest in autism in the courtroom, prison and secure care.
Clare is also one of the team at the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Salford Hub at the University of Salford. Clare is collaborating with colleagues in this team on grant applications, PhD supervision, research articles and events.
Lastly, Clare’s research also explores the pathway to intended violence in extreme acts of violence such as mass shootings, school shootings and self-initiated terrorist attacks. She is increasingly interested in the threat assessment and management of extreme acts of violence.
Further reading
Publications
Contact information
Conversation
Clare is a regular contributor to the Conversation.
Are autistic people at greater risk of being radicalised?
People suffering from autism could be far more vulnerable to falling under the spell of terror organisations on the look-out for new recruits.
Why we can’t ignore the silent epidemic of traumatic brain injury in prisons
As prison populations rise this hidden issue is only making things worse.
Britain’s criminal justice system doesn’t know what to do about autism
Autistic defendants and prisoners are suffering at the hands of an out of date criminal justice system.
Deadly combination: the psychiatric disorders that might have made Anders Breivik into a mass shooter
New study finds potential cause of Breivik’s crimes.
How to help vulnerable dads be better fathers
Some dads need just as much help as mums, but society isn’t giving it to them.
Can we predict who will become mass shooters?
Telltale signs can identify people at risk of committing extreme violence.
