Maria João Leote de Carvalho

Maria João Leote de Carvalho holds a PhD in Sociology from the NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Portugal. Since 2017, she has been a full-time researcher at NOVA FCSH—Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences, Portugal. She currently leads the project Cyberdelinquency@Child‐Justice, financed by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (doi.org/10.54499/2021.00384.CEECIND/CP1657/CT0022). Her research career stems from her professional experience as a special education teacher, having first worked with young offenders in a custodial institution (1987-2003) and later in state schools in social housing neighbourhoods (2003-2017).

Maria João's main research interests include child justice, children’s rights, child and youth public policies, and the regulation of children and youths' digital practices and media use. In recent years, she has been a member of the National Council of the National Commission for Promotion of Rights and Protection of Children and Young People, the Commission for Follow-up and Monitoring of the National Strategy for the Rights of the Child, and the Commission for Integrated Analysis of Juvenile Delinquency and Violent Crime.

She is actively involved in several international networks, including the Child-Friendly Justice European Network (since 2019), the European Council for Juvenile Justice of the International Juvenile Justice Observatory, the Research Committee Sociology of Law of ISA - International Sociological Association, and the Thematic Working Group on Juvenile Justice of the European Society of Criminology. Maria João frequently coordinates or participates in advanced training for professionals (such as magistrates, prosecutors, police, and social/health/education workers) in collaboration with public, private, and NGO sectors. She is also the author or co-author of numerous books and articles in national and international scientific publications, and she plays an active role in organising scientific events.