Criminologist whose research cut across social science boundaries and sought to inform public policy
The work of the criminologist Keith Soothill, who, has died aged 72, was characterised by his drive to understand people's behaviour rather than to blame, by a willingness to examine the darker side of criminality and by a determination that research should be used not only to understand behaviour but to influence policy and practice.
All these hallmarks were present in Soothill's pioneering work, alongside his wife Jenny, with the Apex Trust, an agency established in 1965 to employ former prisoners, and in his promotion of the right of women to anonymity when reporting rape.
In the 1970s Keith had collected evidence suggesting that many more women would report rape if their anonymity were to be guaranteed. When the matter came before the House of Commons in 1976 he made sure that every MP had a copy of his evidence, and though the subsequent introduction of anonymity was not a direct consequence of his initiative, he certainly contributed to the change. His intervention also demonstrated the importance he placed on publicising research findings so they could inform public policy.
Keith was born in Whetstone, north London. His father was a salesman and also taught for the Workers' Educational Association. His mother worked in a butcher's shop before she married. During his primary school years the family moved to Raynes Park, south London, and Keith was awarded a scholarship to King's College school, Wimbledon.
From there he went to work in advertising, and entered Exeter University as a mature student of philosophy and psychology. He gained a first in 1965 and went on to take a PhD in sociology with Terry Morris at the LSE.
Keith joined Lancaster University in 1974, and he wrote and taught there for 40 years, becoming professor emeritus of social research and continuing his work even after his formal retirement in 2006. An independent thinker, he rejected the "lone wolf" model of research and forged strong writing and research partnerships that cut across traditional social science boundaries – an approach that was fundamental both to his huge productivity and to his extensive influence across academic disciplines.
From the early 1970s he made a close study of criminal careers – of middle-class offenders, sex offenders, female offenders and those involved in organised crime. He used data from Denmark as well as the UK, trying to understand why people chose, or were caught up in, a life of crime. He looked into why homicide rates in Scotland were higher than in England and Wales, and compared the offending histories of perpetrators of the most serious offences. He also studied blackmail, perjury, incest, rape and bigamy.
Many of his books were co-written with former students, who often spoke of his generosity, enthusiasm and humour. He wrote accessible texts for students and interested lay readers, as well as for scholars. In recent years he was also an important contributor to national and international criminology conferences.
His earliest work lay in the tradition of forensic psychiatry – an interest he never abandoned – but he also wanted to use sociological theory to understand types of offender whose behaviour had usually been attributed to physical or psychological traits – notably serial killers in general and Harold Shipman in particular. Frequently his findings turned out to be relevant to policy, helping, for example, to improve the way the Home Office predicts reconviction rates, and showing that heavy intervention in the lives of young offenders can actually be counter-productive in terms of future offending.
Keith also worked extensively on, among other things, press coverage of crime, on sex work and on policing. As well as work in criminology he did important research on nursing, cancer patients and residential care, and in his spare time immersed himself in local history, writing a history of the Lancashire village of Glasson Dock.
He was also an enthusiastic member and tireless administrator at Lunesdale Lawn Tennis Club in Caton, Lancashire, and was largely responsible for the fact that on three winter evenings each week about 50 members would turn out to play under floodlights, few daring to cancel because of petty complaints about the lashings of the weather for fear of upsetting Keith's carefully crafted playing schedule.
He was also devoted to newspaper reading, and in particular the Guardian. A friend told me once that he had met Keith on his return from a long holiday, pulling a suitcase behind him in Lancaster. Inside the case was not his holiday attire but the newspapers that had accumulated during his absence.
He is survived by his wife Jennifer, his children, Anthony and Debbie, and his grandchildren, Iván, Tom and Joe.
• Keith Leonard Soothill, social researcher, born 25 March 1941; died 12 February 2014