Emma Alleyne

Dr. Emma Alleyne is a Reader in Forensic Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. She earned her BSc (Honours) in Psychology from McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada) before completing her MSc and PhD in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent, and began her academic career at Kent in 2011. While her broader research focuses on aggressive behavior, gang dynamics, animal cruelty, and sexual offending, Alleyne contributed to polygraph research through her collaboration with colleagues at Kent's Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP) on government-commissioned evaluations of polygraph use with sexual offenders.

Alleyne's polygraph research examined the effectiveness of post-conviction sexual offender testing (PCSOT) in UK police practice. Her 2020 report evaluated police use of mandatory and voluntary polygraph testing with individuals convicted or suspected of sexual offending, commissioned by the National Police Chiefs' Council. This work found that while polygraph examinations elicit risk-relevant disclosures to inform management of people who have offended sexually, use of PCSOT lacks robust empirical support. Her 2021 review in Aggression and Violent Behavior proposed mechanisms through which polygraphs would be expected to impact offending behavior and explored potential explanations for why PCSOT has not been found to reduce recidivism, suggesting that polygraphs may undermine trusting relationships and may be over-relied upon.

Alleyne's polygraph work represents a critical evaluation of an increasingly popular sex offender management tool. Her research with co-authors Jane Louise Wood, Theresa A. Gannon, and Caoilte Ó Ciardha contributed to the evidence base questioning the recidivism-reduction claims made for polygraph testing in this context. The 2020 evaluation represented one of the largest empirical studies of police polygraph practice in the UK, examining data from multiple police areas and including both quantitative outcome measures and qualitative interviews with offender managers and supervisees.

Alleyne's broader forensic psychology research examines the social, psychological, and behavioral factors that explain various types of aggressive behavior, including animal cruelty, gang-related violence, sexual offending, and firesetting. Her polygraph studies connect to this wider program through their focus on understanding what interventions effectively reduce sexual reoffending and improve community safety, examining both the psychological mechanisms through which interventions might work and the empirical evidence for their effectiveness.