Uncover Truth, Seek Change. Criminal Behavioral Analyst Laura Richards.
Laura Richards, BSc, MSc, MBPsS, is a top criminal behavioral analyst known for her expertise in domestic violence, stalking, sexual violence, and homicide. After a decade at New Scotland Yard, she became the violence adviser to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and played a key role in reforming laws on stalking and coercive control in the UK, US, and Australia. In 2013, Richards founded Paladin, the world’s first National Stalking Advocacy Service, and developed the DASH risk assessment model used across the UK. Her work has influenced major cases and public protection strategies, and she continues to advise on public safety. She has also made her mark in media as an executive producer on projects like The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey and The Case of: Caylee Anthony, and as the host of the podcast The Crime Analyst. She’s been recognized as one of Marie Claire’s ‘Women at the Top’ for her groundbreaking efforts and continues to add to her impressive accolades.
Photo Credit: thelaurarichards.com
An award winning criminal behavioral analyst. An international expert on domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking, sexual violence homicide and risk assessment.
Boy Mom. Photo Credit: @LauraRichards999
Golden doodle mom to Beatrice, #SavageLittleBeast. Photo Credit: Crime-Analyst.com How do you find balance between the demands of your career and family life?
It is not easy juggling motherhood, cases, campaigns and podcasting, but women make it happen. The juggle is real, and I am one of many women who make it work. I love what I do, and I love being a mum. What other choice is there, because I want to leave a lasting legacy for my son and the next generation — one where women are better protected from violent men and one where boys are given a better template of what it means to be a man.
BSc in Psychology and Sociology and an MSc in Forensic and Legal Psychology. Applied your degrees to analyze violent crime from a behavioral and preventive perspective. You began your career as a criminal behavioral analyst. What initially drew you to this field, and how did your experiences shape your understanding of violent behavior?
I am very curious about people and behaviour and have always been analytical and wanted to understand why people do what they do. There have been numerous domestic abusers in my family and many women feel powerless about violent and abusive men and that piqued my interest in psychology. I wanted to understand the psychology of why a man would abuse those whom he is supposed to love and care for. I joined the police because I wanted to be an analyst and profiler and apply that knowledge to stop violent men and help victims. I have stayed true to that mission.
Photo Credit: @LauraRichards999
Trained at New Scotland Yard and the FBI Behavioral Analysis Units. Advocate for victims as an author, producer and podcaster. After a decade of analyzing violent crime at New Scotland Yard, became the violence adviser to the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC). Your advocacy has led to significant legislative changes, including the introduction of new national frameworks to pursue dangerous perpetrators. What was the process like working with lawmakers to push these changes forward?
My first law change was relatively straightforward working with the then Solicitor General Harriet Harman to create multi-agency domestic homicide reviews in 2004, having started them in London when I was at New Scotland Yard. She’s an incredible woman and advocate for women. Spearheading stalking law reform and coercive control law reform was somewhat harder. With each campaign, we supplied overwhelming and compelling evidence for a new stalking and coercive control law. We did — and victim’s voices were at the center of both campaigns.
Once we won the campaigns, which was incredible, the Home Office lawyers were not so easy to work with. They wanted both laws shaped their way and, sadly, were reluctant to listen to experts, which resulted in launching a new campaign to increase the 5-year maximum sentence for stalking to 10 years. This was successful, but it takes a lot of time and effort to create the evidence and campaign to create change. The maximum sentence for coercive control remains at 5 years — a new campaign is needed to change that as well as remove the perpetrator’s intention from the law.
The former Government also went against our advice to invest in mandatory training for all agencies before both laws were implemented, with grave consequences. Scotland learned from our experience and did it the right way, investing in training and removing the intention of the perpetrator from the new legislation. I have helped shape new coercive control laws in Australia and America, which I am proud of. They have the benefit of learning from our experience to improve the laws and training.
Zoe Dronfield, John Clough and Laura Richards campaigning for anti-stalking legislation at Number 10 Downing Street in 2017 Photo Credit: @LauraRichards99
The longest and hardest fought campaign is for serial and high-risk domestic abusers and stalkers to be proactively identified, assessed and managed by police, probation and prison services just like terrorists — which is common sense (and work I started in 2001 at New Scotland Yard). We did it with great success and we wanted it to be placed on a national footing because victims and offenders travel and move.
Over the last 23 years, victims and bereaved families have been at the center of the campaign and we have produced overwhelming evidence of women being failed and murdered by serial perpetrators. Hundreds of briefings have been written and there have been many meetings to discuss it and debates in Parliament. We defeated the former Government on at least two occasions in the House of Lords, but we were voted down countless times with the former Government agreeing only to update guidance, create a perpetrator strategy and update the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register. We warned them this would not create the cultural change required and women would pay with their lives.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that was needed, and a blueprint of how to make it a reality, including a number of individual police services doing it with great effect, they voted us down. We never gave up because we know a joined up, consistent national approach to protecting women and children is urgently needed. Women deserve better, but the previous Government failed to act — despite our warnings that male violence and murders of women by men would only get worse. And it has — which has been hugely frustrating and angry making. I often think about all the lives that could have been saved if they did as we asked. It is common sense and should not be this hard.
Now with the new Government and having worked closely with the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and Jess Phillips, the Minister for Safeguarding and Women, it was announced on August 18, 2024, it will happen. The worst and most dangerous domestic violence perpetrators will be treated and managed and monitored like terrorists, which is fantastic. It’s overwhelming having fought so long for this to become a reality — and it has come at a very high cost. I am now interested in the next steps to make this a reality across the UK.
Creator and host of the award-winning podcasts including Real Crime Profile.
Another podcast, Crime Analyst, provides deep dives into various cases and issues related to your advocacy work. What motivated you to start these and how have they influenced your advocacy?
I recognised that podcasting is an intimate experience, and many want to understand the granular details of violent crime and the psychology of victimology and perpetrator behaviour. They don’t just want the broad strokes told in 40 minutes, where most often the victim is blamed or overlooked.
⚡️ WOW WOW WOW ⚡️ I WON the Listeners Choice Award…..Because of MY LOVELY LISTENERS! YOU ARE THE BEST! This is for all the victims, survivors & family members whose stories I have told. Thank you so much! This means the world to me! Thank you @truecrimeawards 🔥 #TrueCrimeAwards #CrimeAnalyst #Truecrime #Podcast #TrueCrimeCommunity
Photo Credit: @laurarichards999
I was also sick of hearing the perpetrators being centered, and yet no one could remember the victim’s names. They became footnotes in their own stories and so I wanted to correct that imbalance and center victims in the true crime space. I wanted to educate people about the psychology of offenders and victimology using my professional expertise and good storytelling, so that people understood murders did not come out of the blue, women were not to blame, and I wanted to share the warning signs and patterns that are almost always overlooked so my listeners could use that knowledge in their everyday lives.
I created a risk model whilst I was at New Scotland Yard, called the DASH, based on data analysis so police and partner agencies working with victims of domestic abuse, stalking and sexual violence and so-called ‘honour-based violence’ pick up the high-risk factors and prevent what I call ‘murders in slow motion.’ I’m mainstreaming the knowledge to the public so that mum’s, dad’s, brothers, sisters, best friends, etc. can help identify the warning signs as victims will talk to them first before going to the police.
I also recognised people want more than to listen to another horrible story of a woman who was brutally murdered by a man — because that is the bulk of the cases. They don’t want to be passive bystanders. They want to be activists and advocates and do something about it — so, I launched Crime Analyst, which is a deeper dive into cases and ‘the why dunnit’ and I highlight patterns of behaviour and invite my audience to assess and analyse cases with me and understand how I analyse cases. I also seed my campaign work there and together we have ensured dangerous psychopaths, like Colin Pitchfork and Robert Brown, have not been released from prison.
I know from many of my listeners that Crime Analyst has been a lifeline for them. In April, I launched the Crime Analyst Squad on Patreon for those who want to learn more and do more to help themselves and others, and it’s a brilliant, fast-growing dynamic community!
To join, go here.
Recently on ABC/Hulu’s The Interrogation Tapes, executive producer of The First Wife: John Meehan’s Reign of Terror on Audible and consulting producer and on-screen expert for the two-hour documentary special Dirty John, The Dirty Truth.
What impact do you hope the documentary specials has on viewers in understanding the dynamics of coercive control?
Educating people and mainstreaming that knowledge is key. With coercive control, my mantra is ‘once you see it, you can’t unsee it.’
Executive producer of the CBS show, The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey, and on Oxygen, The Case of: Caylee Anthony. Host of the Netflix series Killer in the Family. You’ve been a strong advocate for public awareness regarding the dangers of coercive control. How can the public help support victims of such abuse?
Believe them, support them, don’t judge them — signpost them to Domestic Violence Hotlines and experts who can help.
“Given how prevalent domestic abusers and stalkers are and the increasing femicide rate, everyone should be trained to understand the risks and dangers.” Feeling emotionally safe with someone. What are some key red flags to be aware of when entering a new relationship?
Love bombing, ‘too good to be true’ notion, keeping their life private/not sharing information about themselves or over sharing intimate information before intimacy has been established (it takes time), asking too many questions about previous relationships, describing exes in a disrespectful way, jealousy, control and/or possessiveness, trying to move the relationship along too quickly/whirlwind — anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Know what your deal breakers are and if one is broken — end it. Always trust your gut instinct and go with that every single time.
“Taylor Swift is a super successful woman & artist who has put so much good & joy in the world. Men feel so much hatred for women & girls getting together at her concerts & dance classes they want to kill us. Men are the common denominator. Misogyny the ideology = TERRORISM. Men say, ‘it’s not terrorism.’ Tell that to the little girls & teachers who were stabbed in Southport at a Taylor Swift dance class. Three little girls were murdered in cold blood. Those who survived will live with that fear & terror for the rest of their lives.” Swift herself responded to the attack, “The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to even convey my sympathies to these families.” How do we prevent gender-based violence and inequality?
There needs to be accountability and responsibility taken and I firmly believe it starts and ends with men — men holding other men to account, men teaching boys a healthy blueprint about themselves — including having empathy for themselves and others and to value girls and women. It is not up to women and girls to solve the problem of inequality and male violence. It is up to men.