Jacki joined the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth in 2000, having previously worked as a Probation Officer in Dorset. It was during her training as a Probation Officer that she became interested in the victims of crime and went on to complete a PhD thesis which focused on victims of violent crime and their experiences and perceptions of the criminal justice system. Jacki now specialises in teaching and research relating to victims of crime, the police and the CPS, and has work published in the areas of domestic abuse, victims of fraud and the role of victims in the criminal justice system. 

Jacki is the Independent Facilitator for the Wessex CPS Violence Against Women Scrutiny Panel and is currently undertaking an evaluation of a domestic abuse support service to assist professionals who may come into contact with individuals experiencing abuse.