Neal is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Salford. With over 25 years of experience in policy research, he specialises in youth justice, marginalisation and inclusion, and family support, working to provide clear research-informed solutions to complex problems.
At Salford, Neal has delivered more than 40 funded research projects. His research includes the first national studies in Britain parenting in poverty, parental discipline, and children’s experiences of online/offline crime.
Neal has led and contributed to numerous national initiatives and policy reforms. As member of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (2018-2024), he designed the “Constructive Resettlement” model for working with young people in trouble, and led the development of “Child First” as the new guiding principle for the youth justice system. Until 2015, Neal was HM Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation for England and Wales, where he designed the inspection methodology for assessing robustly any issues with privatised probation services.