Dr. Teresa Ferraz da Silva

Teresa joined the School of Psychological, Social & Behavioural Sciences as a lecturer in Forensic Psychology in 2014. She completed her undergraduate and Masters degrees in Clinical Psychology in Portugal at the University of Coimbra. Her longest work experience (12 years) was at a prison for young male offenders where she worked as a psychologist with prisoners, both individually and in group. She completed a PhD in Forensic Psychology in 2014 at the University of Birmingham on multiple perpetrator rape (MPR). In this PhD, lone and MPRs were compared, and simultaneously the effect the number of perpetrators involved in MPRs has on offence characteristics was examined. Additionally, cross-cultural differences between MPRs committed by juveniles in Portugal and the Netherlands were examined. Furthermore, a qualitative study was carried out which analysed the reasons given by convicted perpetrators of MPR for participating in the offence. Teresa has published some papers in international journals and contributed with a chapter in the first book on MPR. She has also presented her research in national and international conferences. Her research in this area is ongoing and currently she is completing a study on leadership in MPR and has recently interviewed UK offenders convicted of this crime. 

Journal Articles

• da Silva, T., Woodhams, J., and Harkins, L. [forthcoming] ‘Multiple perpetrator rape: A critical review of existing explanatory theories’. Aggression and Violent Behavior.
• da Silva, T., Woodhams, J., and Harkins, L. (2014) ‘Heterogeneity within multiple perpetrator rapes: A national comparison of lone, duo and 3+ perpetrator rapes’. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. 26 (6), 503-522.
• da Silva, T., Harkins, L., and Woodhams, J. (2013) ‘Multiple perpetrator rape as an international phenomenon’. In Handbook on the study of multiple perpetrator rape: A multi-disciplinary response to an international problem. ed. by  Horvath, M., and Woodhams, J. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Woodhams, J., Cooke, C., Harkins, L., and da Silva, T. (2012) ‘Leadership in multiple perpetrator stranger rape’. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 27 (4), 728-752.

Conferences and Presentations

• da Silva, T., Woodhams, J., and Harkins, L. (2014) ‘Interviewing juvenile multiple perpetrator sexual offenders: What they have to say about their involvement in the assaults’. 4^th EFCAP congress; Youth, Risk and Mental Health: Multiple Roads to Recovery. held 7-9 May 2014 in Manchester, UK.
• da Silva, T., Woodhams, J., and Harkins, L. (2013) ‘Interviewing multiple perpetrator sexual offenders: What they have to say about their involvement in the assaults’. The European Association of Psychology and Law (EAPL) 2013 Conference. held 3-6 September 2013 at Coventry University, UK.
• da Silva, T., Harkins, L., and Woodhams, J. (2012) ‘Heterogeneity within multiple perpetrator rapes: a national comparison of single, duo, and 3+ perpetrator rapes’. ATSA's 31st Annual Research & Treatment Conference. held 17-20 October 2012 in Denver, USA.
• da Silva, T., Harkins, L., and Woodhams, J. (2012) ‘Juvenile sexual offenders in Portugal: Differences between multiple perpetrators and lone offenders’. 12th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology; Criminology in the 21st Century: a Necessary Balance Between Freedom and Security. held 12-15 September 2012 in Bilbao, Spain.
• da Silva, T., Harkins, L., and Woodhams, J. (2011) ‘Heterogeneity within multiple perpetrator rapes: a national comparison of single, duo, and 3+ perpetrator rapes’. the Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference. held June 2011 in Portsmouth, UK.
• da Silva, T., Harkins, L., and Woodhams, J. (2011). ‘Multiple Perpetrator Rape’. Social Cognition and Neuroscience Research Group (SCoNe) Seminars. held February 2011 at the University of Birmingham, UK.