Rate My Professor Stephane Shepherd

Professor Stephane Shepherd is Professor of Forensic Psychology and Criminology in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University, affiliated with the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. He holds a PhD in Forensic Psychology, an MA, and a BA in Criminology. Shepherd's research specializations center on cross-cultural issues in psychology, crime, and the law, including violence risk assessment tools and their applicability across Indigenous and multicultural populations. His work examines mental health and psychological distress in prison settings, coping mechanisms among culturally diverse inmates, family violence among South Asian Australians, pathways to offending for multicultural youth such as Sudanese Australians, social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, and equity, diversity, and inclusion in forensic mental health.

Shepherd's career highlights include a 2015 Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship in Cultural Competence, the American Psychology-Law Society Early Career Award in 2019, and the Alfred Deakin Institute Research Excellence Award. He serves as a member of the Victorian Youth Parole Board and leads key projects at Deakin's Alfred Deakin Institute, such as the Youth Justice multicultural lived-experience program evaluation, addressing the educational needs of African-Australian young people, and the UBUNTU Youth Empowerment Program. With 101 publications and over 2,150 citations, notable works include 'Cross-cultural reliability and rater bias in forensic risk assessment: a review of the literature' (2021), 'The Handbook of Forensic Mental Health in Africa' (2021), 'Introduction to the special issue on cross-cultural issues in psychology, crime and the law' (2024), 'Devising a pathway from police contact to psychosocial support: reflective thematic analysis of interviews with youth, families, police and services' (2025), 'A comparative study of family violence among Hindi-speaking and third-generation English-speaking Australian women' (2025), and 'Understanding the Social and Emotional Wellbeing factors protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people from justice system involvement' (2025). His contributions shape culturally informed policies in youth justice, offender rehabilitation, and community empowerment.