Nashville, TN (November 25, 2025) — Internationally renowned criminal behavioral analyst Laura Richards has been awarded the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa)from The University of Law in London, recognizing her extraordinary professional achievements and her tireless commitment to social justice. The University of Law is one of the UK’s most established providers of legal education and professional training, with a longstanding commitment to advancing justice, public protection, and excellence in law and criminology.
The award highlights Richards’ decades-long mission to transform how the criminal justice system identifies, assesses, and responds to dangerous offenders. Her evidence-based work has reshaped legislation, protected victims, and set new global standards for public safety.
Richards’ pioneering contributions include driving transformative reforms in stalking and coercive control law, creating widely adopted risk-assessment models, advising major police bodies, and founding Paladin, the world’s first National Stalking Advocacy Service. Her work continues to empower survivors, influence policy, and inspire cultural change across generations.
Presenting the award, Dr. John Kerr, Head of Policing and Criminology at The University of Law, said:
“Her career reflects a consistent commitment to applying analytical rigour to real-world problems, bridging the gap between behavioural science and practical law enforcement. Today, we recognise her outstanding professional achievements. For her tireless commitment to social justice, Vice Chancellor, it is my great pleasure to present Laura Richards for the award of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.”
Richards expressed her gratitude, saying:
“Thank you to the University of Law for this award. I am deeply humbled to receive this honorary doctorate recognizing my professional achievements and tireless commitment to social justice. It’s been a long journey and I am only just getting started. This recognition is not mine alone. It belongs to every victim and family member who has shared their story with me and every professional who stood with me and refused to accept it was just ‘a domestic’ or ‘low-level nuisance behavior.’
I also want to acknowledge my extraordinary colleagues and mentors, campaigners and survivors who have walked beside me. And to every listener of the Crime Analyst podcast who has taken action to amplify victims’ voices and let legislators know that women matter — thank you. Change doesn’t happen by chance — it happens by choice and by us using and amplifying our voices. Together we can change and save lives. There is no greater honor than that.”
This honorary doctorate not only recognizes Richards’ global expertise, but also celebrates her relentless commitment to protecting women and children: work that continues to influence law, policy, and public understanding across multiple countries. Her ongoing efforts include advocating for coercive control legislation in the United States and Australia, as well as reforms to ensure serial domestic abusers and stalkers are proactively identified, assessed, and managed by criminal justice agencies.
About Laura Richards:
Laura Richards is a renowned criminal behavioral analyst and international expert on domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking, sexual violence, homicide, and risk assessment. After a decade analyzing violent crime at New Scotland Yard, she became the Violence Adviser to the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC). With advanced training from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and New Scotland Yard, she applies behavioral science to prevent violence before it escalates.
She holds a BSc in Psychology and Sociology and an MSc in Forensic and Legal Psychology, and has led 10 successful law reforms, including the criminalization of stalking and coercive control. Richards founded Paladin, the world’s first National Stalking Advocacy Service, and helped draft and deliver the UK’s first national training on coercive control.
A former head of the Metropolitan Police’s Violent Crime and Intelligence Analysis Unit, Richards continues to advise agencies across the UK and internationally on public protection. She developed the widely adopted DASH Risk Model, now a cornerstone of domestic abuse and stalking investigations.She is a recognized subject matter expert to the UK Home Office on stalking and has advised on national policy, legislation, and professional practice. She also serves as a subject matter expert to the Texas Governor’s Office Family Violence Task Force, providing expertise on coercive control and stalking to improve prevention, risk assessment, and systemic response.
Richards is also a prolific media contributor, serving as executive producer of The First Wife: John Meehan’s Reign of Terror, Dirty John: The Dirty Truth, The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey, and Netflix’s Killer in the Family. She is the creator and host of the award-winning podcasts Crime Analyst and Real Crime Profile, which have reached millions of listeners worldwide.
For more information, visit www.thelaurarichards.com and follow Laura on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. Become part of the Crime Analyst Squad by joining Patreon today!