Rate My Professor Helena Menih

Dr. Helena Menih served as Lecturer in Criminology within the School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences at the University of New England from January 2016 to May 2020. She is an anthropologist and criminologist proficient in qualitative research techniques, including ethnography and in-depth interviewing. Her academic qualifications include a PhD in Criminology from Griffith University awarded in 2015, a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice with Honours from Griffith University in 2010, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of Primorska in Slovenia. Menih's research focuses on women's experiences of homelessness, constructions of risk and desistance pathways, domestic and family violence in the context of family law proceedings, prisoner re-entry challenges in rural Australian communities, and gender-related issues in criminology.

During her appointment at the University of New England, Menih delivered a Criminology Research Seminar Series presentation titled 'People need to understand why we are who we are: an ethnographic study of homeless women in Brisbane' in August 2016, drawing from her fieldwork involving ten months on Brisbane's streets engaging with homeless women. She co-presented 'Understanding prisoner re-entry challenges in rural areas in Australia' with Natalie Thomas at the Rural Crime and the Law Conference in 2018. Her peer-reviewed publications include 'Women’s experiences of homelessness, risk and desistance' in the British Journal of Criminology (2020), which examines risk perceptions among homeless women; 'Intimate partner violence and “expert” assessments in family courts: Asking the victims about their “risk”' in Victims & Offenders (2019, co-authored with Zoe Rathus, Samantha Jeffries, and Rachael Field); and contributions to 'Good Evidence, Safe Outcomes in Parenting Matters Involving Domestic Violence: Understanding Family Report Writing Practice' (University of New South Wales Law Journal, 2016). Menih has also co-authored works on ethical principles in researching vulnerable populations and sentencing discourses involving female drug offenders. Her scholarship has contributed to policy discussions, including submissions on family law reforms and critiques of parental alienation concepts.