Newsletter of the CRIMINOLOGY IN EUROPE VOL. 2 …Criminology in Belgium has a long history. The first ‘cercle de criminologie’ was established at the Université Libre de Bruxelles

Newsletter of theEUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGYNewsletter of theEUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGYCRIMINOLOGY IN EUROPE

NEWSLETTER OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGYVOL. 2 • NO. 3 OCTOBER 2003

Eurobarometer ................................................. page 1Criminology in Belgium .................................. page 3Criminology in Ireland..................................... page 3Images of Helsinki ...................................... pages 6-7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Continued on page 16

There is somethingpleasantly disquieting aboutlanding in a city where youknow not one word of thelanguage: that rejuvenatingfrisson of apprehension as youleave the safe, multi-lingualno-man’s-land of the airportand hover on the brink of thegreat unknown.

Aboard the bus to the citycentre, I peer at thepolysyllabic street nameshoping I can decipher the right placeto get off. Clean across the (to me)indistinguishable babble of Finnish, anEnglish voice penetrates.

‘So what’s the latest on the deathpenalty then?’

Ah! At least I now know I am onthe right bus!

Helsinki 2003: Criminologists Head NorthBy Sara Harrop

How many times was this scene re-enacted on 27 August when 400people converged on the Finnishcapital for the third annual conferenceof the European Society ofCriminology? After the success of the2002 meeting in Toledo, conferenceorganiser Kauko Aromaa and his team

had quite an act to follow.How could they give the chillyBaltic venue the same appealas its balmy, labyrinthineSpanish predecessor?

Confining allaccommodation and venueswithin a small geographicalarea helped considerably.Rather than needing to accostbemused taxi drivers withbutchered requests to takethem to the corner of

Yliopistonkatu and Fabianinkatu,participants were able to wander alongclutching their ESC maps as badges ofidentification and, by following thestream of conversational snippetsabout sentencing, restorative justice,and recidivism, to arrive painlessly at

Continued on page 8

The third annual conference of the European Society ofCriminology in Helsinki, Finland gathered about 350participants, not quite as many as in Toledo last year butnevertheless a good result. The feedback has been largelypositive, flavoured with some deserved criticism. Plans forthe next conference in Amsterdam, 25-28 August 2004 areunderway (www.eurocrim2004.com).

The conference was opened by the Finnish Minister ofJustice, Johannes Koskinen, ESC President Paul Wiles, andorganiser Kauko Aromaa. The minister’s comments dealt

Third ESC Conferencea Smash SuccessBy Kauko Aromaa and Tuomas Finne

Continued on page 5

Eurobarometer:Crime & Rising Anxiety

By Maria João Costa

Europeans in 2002 generally were more apprehensiveabout safety in their neighbourhoods, and more consciousof drug-related problems, than in previous years, accordingto a special 2002 Eurobarometer report on public safety.Fear of crime was most pronounced in Greece, France,Luxembourg, Portugal, and the UK, and least in Austria,Germany, and several north European countries.

The Eurobarometer was established in 1973. It conductsopinion surveys two to five times per year on behalf of theEuropean Commission in all E.U. member states. Reportsare published twice yearly. Each survey includesapproximately 1000 interviews per country, usingrepresentative samples. The Eurobarometer is designed toprovide regular monitoring of social and political attitudes.

In autumn 2002, a survey was carried out on PublicSafety, Exposure to Drug-Related Problems, and Crime.Prepared by the European Opinion Research Group(EORG), it was published in May 2003 and is available on

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGYPAGE 2 OCTOBER 2003

VOL. 2, NO. 3OCTOBER 2003

Criminology in Europe is publishedby the European Society ofCriminology. Comments,criticisms, and suggestions forimprovements are welcomed.The editorial office is located atThe Institute of Criminology,Cambridge University,7 West Road,Cambridge CB3 9DT, UK .Tel: 44 1223 335369Fax: 44 1223 335356Email: [email protected]

President—Ernesto SavonaPresident-Elect—Sonja SnackenTreasurer—Martin KilliasSecretary—Anna Alvazzi del

FratteJournal Editor—David J. SmithNewsletter Editor—Michael Tonry

Communications should beaddressed as follows:

To the president:Ernesto SavonaCatholic University of MilanLargo Gemelli 120123 Milano, ItalyTel: 39 2 7234 3976Fax: 39 2 7234 2552Email: [email protected]

To the business office:Martin KilliasUniversity of LausanneSchool of CriminologyISPC/BCH, UNIL ,CH-1015 LausanneSWITZERLANDTel: 41 2169 24640Fax: 41 2169 24605Email: [email protected]

Concerning the 2004 meeting:Hen van de BuntDepartment of CriminologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 11051081 Amsterdam, The NetherlandsTel: 31 20 444 6231Fax: 31 20 444 6230Email: [email protected]

Message from the PresidentThe next twelve months will be full

of important issues, bothorganisational and substantive.Contributions from all of you will becrucial to help me and the newly-appointed boardmanage the Society.

Let me explainthe main changes wewish to see.

First, an electedpresident. Again thisyear the boardsolicited expressionsof interest andnominations but no-one was nominated.The new president-elect, SonjaSnacken, wasnominated by theboard and elected atthe general assemblyin Helsinki. Sonja,the other boardmembers, and I will attempt to makethe selection of the next president-elect the result of a genuine election.

Second, the appointment of apermanent secretariat and of anadministrative structure. We want thisstructure to be operative by the timeof the Amsterdam conference.

Let me move to more substantiveissues, which may be of interestduring the next twelve months.

Next year ten new countries willjoin the European Union, and in 2007its membership will be furtherenriched by two more. Europeaninstitutions have played an importantrole in combating crime and itsconsequences. In addition, the newconstitution will soon come into force.

Fresh ideas are needed on how toprevent crime. New people willoccupy new jobs in international andnational institutions. New curriculawill be developed by our universities.

The ESC can contribute to thisthrough the ideas and work of itsmembers. It can also help eastern andcentral European universities moveahead in their criminological curriculaand research.

What are the most urgent needs ofa larger Europe?

The first is the availability ofrelevant data for comparativeanalyses. The second relates touniversity curricula. There is anincreasing variety of undergraduate,

graduate, andpostgraduateprogrammes incriminology. Weneed to increase ourknowledge of suchinitiatives, and tofoster the training ofstudents incriminology inEastern Europeanuniversities.

These twoactivities imply thatthe ESC should findthe appropriatemeans to interactwith theinternationalinstitutions which

deal with European problems. Theseinstitutions recruit officers and lookfor experts. We will benefit fromopportunities offered to us and at thesame time contribute to animprovement in policies.

I think it useful to proposemeetings with the representatives ofthose international and Europeanorganisations that deal with crime-related issues, for which an agendashould be drafted, including topics inwhich mutual cooperation is useful.Why these meetings and with whichagenda? How can Europeancriminologists help?

Here are some issues wherecooperation could be reinforced: data forcomparative analyses; development ofmethods for evaluating crime policies;technologies for preventing crime; trade-offs between security and rights

How would the ESC and itsmembers benefit? Job opportunitiesand research opportunities.

These are my ideas and proposalsfor action. Please let me know yourideas and proposals. I’ll raise them atthe coming year’s board meetingsscheduled for October 18, 2003,January 17, 2004, and May 15, 2004.

See you all in Amsterdam.

Ernesto Savona

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY OCTOBER 2003 PAGE 3

Continued on page 12 Continued on page 19

Criminology in Belgium has a long history. The first‘cercle de criminologie’ was established at the UniversitéLibre de Bruxelles in 1880, headed by the lawyer AdolphePrins and the psychiatrist Paul Héger. In 1907, the Revuede Droit Pénal et de Criminologie was founded, offering amix of articles on penal issues, jurisprudence, andcriminology.

University DegreesWithin the universities, schools of criminology were

founded in the law faculties at Leuven (1929), Brussels(1936), Gent (1937), and Liège (1937). Training consistedof legal and clinical courses and offered a complementaryinterdisciplinary specialisation following another basictraining (law, medicine, psychology). The courses led to adegree in criminology after a one- or two-year study, andcould be followed by a PhD. There were a few dozenstudents per university.

This picture changed radically at the end of the sixties.With sociological approaches becoming more influential,criminology evolved into a critical social science,broadening its focus from the etiology of crime to includethe functioning of the criminal justice system. Independentuniversity research gained importance, and the number ofPhDs increased. An additional, preparatory year wasintroduced to allow such professionals as social workers orpolice officers to obtain a criminology degree in threeyears. Some professional functions required a criminologydegree (prison director, chief of police).

The Flemish universities (Leuven, Gent, Brussels-Flemish) eventually introduced full four-yearundergraduate programmes in criminology, offering a largerange of interdisciplinary training (juridical, sociological,clinical), criminological theories, and social sciencemethodologies. Student numbers soared from a few dozenper university to several hundred. The French-speakinguniversities still offer two- or three-year programmes.

Postgraduate programmes have been introduced inseveral universities. The international attraction of post-graduate programmes in the French-speaking universities isguaranteed by the French language. Flemish universitiesoffer postgraduate degrees in English.

Separate, fully-fledged criminology degrees such asthose offered by the Flemish universities are uncommon inEurope. This has advantages and disadvantages. On thepositive side, it has enhanced the visibility and recognitionof criminology.

The four-year course is very attractive to youngstersfinishing high-school (although not always for the rightreasons). They previously had to complete at least twoyears of additional training, usually in law, beforebeginning criminology (this sometimes gave criminology

Criminology inBelgiumBy Sonja Snacken

Criminology in the Republic of Ireland is in its infancy.Recent years have, however, seen a sudden growth ofinterest and this is reflected in the number of universitycourses coming on stream. Funding has also begun toemerge and, if this continues, a new thread may appear inthe international criminological tapestry.

The first Institute of Criminology in the Republic ofIreland was established in 2000 in the Faculty of Law atUniversity College Dublin (UCD).

The Institute aims to be a centre of excellence thatundertakes high quality research on crime, criminal justice,and the penal system in Ireland, enhances publicunderstanding, and collaborates with national andinternational organisations.

The Institute has already recruited five PhD studentswith wide research interests: police-led restorativeconferences, the impact of probation supervision ondesistance from crime, psychological profiling of computervirus writers and hackers, sentencing of juvenile offenders,and the management of racist crime.

Academic CoursesA taught course is not available at UCD; the emphasis is

on research and doctoral training. However, a number ofother institutions offer programmes, all of recent origin.University College Cork offers a one-year LLM in criminaljustice. It has a strong practical component and everystudent is required to complete a placement with a criminaljustice system agency. The first cohort of up to twentystudents enrolled in October 2003.

The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) offers afour-year part-time BA in public management. It has fiveoptional streams, one in the administration of justice, andhas an annual intake of approximately fifteen drawn fromthe police and prison services. Since 2002 the IPA hasoffered a two-year part-time MA degree in publicmanagement (criminal justice). The first group of tenstudents is now halfway through. Distance learning is theusual mode of study.

A four-year BA in criminal justice is available fromHibernia College, an on-line third-level institutionestablished in 2000 to offer flexible web-enabled learningopportunities.

A centre for criminal justice was established at LimerickUniversity in 1997. It has carried out a number of projectsincluding studies of community service and cross-borderpolice cooperation. No taught programme is available.

In Northern Ireland the University of Ulster offers a BScin criminology and criminal justice. This undergraduateprogramme is available on both part-time and full-timebases. The Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justicewas established in 1995 at Queen’s University Belfast. It

Criminology in theRepublic of Ireland

By Ian O’Donnell


Criminal Justice StudiesEditor: Roslyn Muraskin, Long Island University, USA

Volume 17, 2004, 4 issues per year

Police Practice & ResearchEditor: Dilip K. Das, State University of New York, USAVolume 5, 2004, 5 issues per year

Policing & SocietyEditor: Martin Innes, University of Surrey, UK

Volume 14, 2004, 4 issues per year

Contemporary Justice ReviewEditor-in-Chief: Dennis Sullivan, Institute for Economicand Restorative Justice, USAVolume 7, 2004, 4 issues per year

Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminologyand Crime PreventionEditor: Felipe Estrada, Stockholm University, SwedenVolume 5, 2004, 5 issues per year

Psychology, Crime & LawEditors: Clive Hollen, University of Leicester, UK;Peter Van Koppen, Netherlands Institute for the Study ofCriminology and Law Enforcement at Leyden, TheNetherlands; Stephen Penrod, John Jay College, USAVolume 10, 2004, 4 issues per year

SARA is a free email contents alertingservice designed to deliver tables ofcontents in advance of the printed edition.Please visit www.tandf.co.uk/sara formore information

For further information on any of the above journals, or to request aprinted sample copy, please contact Jennifer McMillan at the following addressand quote reference: Ecrim

Taylor & Francis, 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon. OX14 4RNEmail: [email protected]: + 44 (0) 1235 829003

Online access is included with all institutional journal subscriptions.For further information, or to request an online sample copy, please visit:

www.tandf.co.uk/journals

TAYLOR & FRANCIS

Global CrimeFormerly Transnational Organised CrimeNow Published by Taylor & FrancisEditor: Mark Galeotti, UKVolume 10, 2004, 4 issues per year

Radzinowicz LibraryThe Institute’s library has one of the world’s pre-eminent criminology research collections, including a wide selection of books, papers,

periodicals, and historical materials. The library holds over 50,000 books and 18,000 pamphlets, receives nearly 300 periodicals, and has anaggressive acquisitions policy.

The Institute offers a wide range of graduate programmes:· M.Phil. Degrees in Criminology or Criminological Research (the largest full-time graduate criminology courses in the UK)· Ph.D. in Criminology· M.St. in Prison or Police StudiesStudents come from around the world, with strong undergraduate records in law, or social or behavioural science subjects, or

extensive professional experience. The Institute admits approximately 40 M.Phil. students and 4-8 Ph.D. students each year. Anumber of awards and studentships are available, including Gates Cambridge Scholarships for non-UK citizens.

For UK StudentsArts and Humanities Research Board, University of CambridgeDomestic Research Studentships, Millennium Scholarships,ESRC Studentships, Newton Trust Fellowships

Further information is available from:The Graduate Secretary, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, 7 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DT, UK.

Tel: 44 1223 335363, Fax: 44 1223 335356, Email: [email protected]: www.crim.cam.ac.uk, www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/

For International StudentsCambridge Commonwealth Trust, Cambridge Overseas Trust,Cambridge European Trust, Gates Cambridge Trust, Institute ofCriminology Wakefield Scholarships, Lopez-Rey Scholarships

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGEINSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGYThe Institute of Criminology has a strong international reputation for academic excellence. The Institute has a

distinguished senior faculty which includes Sir Anthony Bottoms, Manuel Eisner, David Farrington, Loraine Gelsthorpe, AdrianGrounds, Alison Liebling, Shadd Maruna, Michael Tonry, Per-Olof Wikström, and Andrew von Hirsch. Its multi-disciplinary staffhave backgrounds in criminology, sociology, psychiatry, psychology, philosophy, geography, history, and law.


with basic rights and the EUconstitution and with the integrationof criminal legislation in Europe. Heconcluded by pointing out that it iscrucial that penal policy decision-making be based on facts and reliableresearch and that decision-makersinteract regularly with experts andpractitioners. ESC President PaulWiles welcomed participants andobserved that the choice of Finland ashost country should remind all of themerits of Nordic crime policy.

ESC-Helsinki attracted 333participants who presented 270 papersin 81 panels. Five plenary sessions (oncrime control and integration; victimsof crime; crime trends in Europe;constitutionalizing European criminaljustice; Europeanisation of criminallaw) were complemented by a smallposter session, a sizeable bookexhibit, and two visits to Finnishprisons - the most modern Vantaaprison, and the traditional 19th-century Central Prison of Helsinki.

Participants also had opportunities tomeet others at refreshment breaks,over meals, and at the receptionsoffered by the City of Helsinki and theFinnish Ministry of Justice. Thursdayevening was free for attending any ofthe hundreds of events that togethermade up the annual “Night of theArts”, organised by the Board of

Culture of the City of Helsinki.Participants came from 37

countries, including Albania,Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada,Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,Georgia, Germany, Greece,Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Israel,Italy, Japan, Lithuania, theNetherlands, Nigeria, Norway,Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Russia,Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain,Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, theUnited Kingdom, and the UnitedStates. The most represented countrieswere the UK (62, 19 percent), Finland(41, 13 percent), Sweden (32, 10percent), the USA (25, 8 percent), theNetherlands (23, 7 percent), Italy (19,6 percent), Norway (16, 5 percent),Belgium (15, 5 percent), Germany(15, 5 percent), and Denmark (12, 4percent). This year’s conference had aparticularly strong Nordicparticipation, with 78 participantsfrom Denmark, Finland, Iceland,

Norway, andSweden. Thiswas in partbecause theScandinavianResearchCouncil forCriminologywas co-organiser of theconference.

Like lastyear, womenwere wellrepresented.Forty-threepercent ofpresenters werewomen, aswere 36percent ofsession chairs.

In addition, 44 percent (four out ofnine) plenary speakers were women,as were 40 percent (two out of five)plenary chairs.

The most popular themes wereorganised crime, trafficking, andprostitution (5 panel sessions), drugpolicy and connections between drugsand crime (3 sessions), violence, in

Third ESC Conference Continued from page 1

Kauko Aromaa

Sami Nevala and Tuomas Finne

particular violence against women (5sessions), police-related research (5

sessions), juvenile delinquency andsanctions against juveniles (6sessions), insecurity in European cities(2 sessions), and fear of crime (3sessions). The conference programmealso introduced one teaching sessionabout methodology in criminologicalresearch and four author-meets-criticsessions at which new Europeancriminological books were presentedand discussed.

Plans are underway for next year’sconference in Amsterdam, with thetheme “Global similarities, localdifferences”. Abstracts are due nextspring to Henk van de Bunt,Department of Criminology, VrijeUniversiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, theNetherlands, tel. +31 20 444 6231, fax+31 20 444 6230, Email:[email protected].

General information may befound [email protected].

For registration and logistics:Symposium Secretariat ESC2004,c/o Convenience ConferenceManagement, P.O.Box 77, 3480 DBHarmelen, the Netherlands, tel. + 31348 567667, fax + 31 348 446057,e-mail: [email protected].


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Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003


EEEEEUROPEANUROPEANUROPEANUROPEANUROPEAN S S S S SOCIETYOCIETYOCIETYOCIETYOCIETY OFOFOFOFOF C C C C CRIMINOLOGYRIMINOLOGYRIMINOLOGYRIMINOLOGYRIMINOLOGY

Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003Conference 2003 • Helsinki, Finland, August 27-30, 2003


Criminologists Head North Continued from page 1

the University of Helsinki’s Porthaniabuilding and the conferenceregistration desk.

The City of Helsinki may not havebeen able to guarantee warmth andsunshine but it was able to providecopious quantities of fine food andalcohol and a sumptuous setting (theCity Hall) for the welcome reception.An air of anticipation was palpable aspeople glanced around the room,scanning the assembly for familiarfaces. There were old friends to becaught up with, newcontacts to be made,and who knows?Perhaps researchstrategies to bedreamed up,collaborations to beformed, plans forinnovative hard-hittingbooks to be hatched,and maybe even theseeds of fruitfulcriminal justice policiesto be sown.

At an event of thissort even more ideasare exchanged on aninformal basis at socialgatherings than atofficial sessions. Onefunction of a conference is, after all,to enable young aspiring academics tomingle with the good, the great, andthe eminent. After hearing a plenarypresentation by someone who waspreviously just a name on the cover ofa thought-provoking book, more timidconferees enjoy the opportunity toconverse with their more prominentcolleagues away from a microphoneand several hundred curious eyes. Thesocial programme is as crucial as theacademic one to the success of aconference.

A dinner cruise around the Helsinkiarchipelago was arranged for theThursday night and, on the Friday, weall had the chance briefly to feel likecharacters from a Tolstoy novel at areception by the Finnish Ministry ofJustice in the splendiferous,chandelier-decked GovernmentBanquet Hall. A number ofparticipants continued their Balticsojourn with post-congress tours to

Tallinn and St. Petersburg. For thosetruly intent on a busman’s holiday,tours of two local prisons, onetraditional and one progressive, werearranged.

The theme of this year’s conferencewas ‘Crime and Crime Control in anIntegrating Europe’, a topic eminentlyappropriate to the venue. The FinnishMinister of Justice, JohannesKoskinen, pointed out in his openingaddress that this topic will provecrucial as the European Union

develops, and ESC president PaulWiles remarked that Finland, with itsforward-thinking criminal justicepolicies and its gracious capital city,made an inspirational backdrop forsuch discussions.

When a conference runs smoothly,participants are blissfully unaware ofthe amount of preparation involved inarranging more than 250 presentationsin ten parallel panel sessions, andkeeping participants informed,entertained, and intellectuallystimulated for three days. It isgenerally only when problems arisethat the organisers come to theforefront. At the Helsinki event,fortunately, they remained very muchin the background.

Practice makes perfect, of course,and Professor Aromaa admits that theseamless running of the Helsinkiconference owes much to advice fromthe organisers of last year’s Toledomeeting. However, he stresses that

every conference venue is unique andcomes complete with its own set ofspecial circumstances. You can relyonly to a limited extent on copyingideas picked up from predecessors andmust always be prepared for theunexpected. Amsterdam, take note!

The path to a perfect conferenceseldom runs smoothly and disasteralmost struck back in January whenOlli Rikala, the original conferencesecretary, was enticed away by theoffer of a permanent job in marketing.

Fortunately, by the endof February, a highlycompetent replacementwas found in TuomasFinne, a student of artsmanagement at HelsinkiUniversity. With fluentAmerican English, well-developedorganisational skills,and an unflagging senseof humour, Tuomas setabout keeping in dailycontact with the varioussubcontracted serviceproviders andanswering more than5,000 emails.

‘I don’t know,’ saysTuomas, ‘whether to

worry most about the people who sendme hundreds of emailed questions,some of them entirely gratuitous, orabout those who don’t ask meanything. They may drop a totallyunforeseen bombshell on me at thelast moment!’

Sami Nevala stepped in in June tohelp compile the programmeframework. A master’s student at theEuropean Institute for CrimePrevention and Control (HEUNI),writing a thesis on the fear of crimequestions in the International CrimeVictim Survey, Sami, unlike Tuomas,has a background and interest incriminology. His statistical andanalytical skills proved invaluable inhandling the formidable task ofjuggling the panel session timings toavoid potential overlaps of interest.

A veteran of several similarconferences, Sami had already metmany of the Helsinki participants andrelished seeing them all together on

Kauko Aromaa (right) with friends at the Ministry of Justice reception


his home turf. Bothhe and Tuomastalkedenthusiastically ofthe satisfaction offinally matchingfaces to the hundredsof emailpersonalities whohad been theirworkday companionsover the precedingmonths. Kauko feelspleased and proud tohave headed such alively and likeableteam. ‘The teamhave made theconference,’ he says.‘Without them, the whole thing wouldhave sunk months ago.’

Early PreparationKauko Aromaa cannot stress

enough the need to start conferencepreparations early. His own first roundof planning began a year in advancewith an initial quest for sponsors. TheAcademy of Finland and the FinnishCultural Foundation regularly supportthis kind of international scientificevent so he approached them withrelatively high hopes. The thirdimportant sponsor is the ScandinavianResearch Council for Criminologywhich provided a grant of €10,000 todeal with the initial preparation.Kauko is most grateful to all theseinstitutions. Registration fees coveronly about 25 percent of overall costs,so without their support the wholething would have been impossible.

Naturally, financial contributionsare not the only ones. A platoon ofpeople worked hard behind the scenesto ensure that the Helsinki conferencewould be memorable for all the rightreasons. Britta Kyvsgaard of theDanish Ministry of Justice, JerzySarnecki (Stockholm University) andPaul Larsson of the National PoliceDirectorate, Norway, formed thescientific programme board whodesigned the original plenaryprogramme.

Besides Tuomas and Sami, Kaukowould like to thank the secretariat ofthe Scandinavian Research Council ingeneral, and Anna Esko, the generalsecretary, in particular. Her

contributions were immeasurable. Heis also grateful to Professor JukkaKekkonen of the University ofHelsinki’s Faculty of Law for the useof the Porthania and main universitybuildings, and likewise to his troupeof smiling stripy-shirted studentvolunteers who were always on handto deal with practical problems anddispense advice from the cheapestplace to eat near the university to howto work the photocopier.

Paul Wiles officially handed hispresidential duties over to ErnestoSavona of the Catholic University ofMilan. Professor Savona will serve aspresident until the Amsterdamconference in 2004, when ProfessorSonja Snacken will step into that role.Thus the society’s aims of movingboth the presidency and the annualconference around Europe have beenfulfilled. Kracow as a 2005 venue willmean a welcome move eastwards.

Another Successful EuropeanConference

From snippets of conversationgleaned from people browsingthrough the criminology publishers’book stands during coffee breaks orsipping white wine beneath the crystalchandeliers of the GovernmentBanquet Hall, comments about theconference were very positive.Presentations were generally sharpand serious and the organisers hadincluded thoughtful little touches suchas a day-by-day road map of theprogramme with a map and list ofsuggested restaurants on each page.

The jovial,bearded figure ofKauko Aromaa wasomnipresent, andseeminglyomniscient,throughout. Usuallyto be seen wieldingplastic bags full ofspare programmesand ESC flags, hecould normally bespotted stridingpurposefully acrossthe ground floor ofthe PorthaniaBuilding, patientlyanswering a barrageof questions. ‘Kauko,

where’s the bathroom?’ ‘ProfessorAromaa, who’s speaking in the nextplenary?’ ‘Kauko, where are wesupposed to meet the boat tonight?’

Although the official language ofESC conferences is English, thegeneral atmosphere was agreeablyEuropean. English may be helping tointegrate Europe but the linguisticdiversity of our continent adds somuch interest! Huddles of German andDutch speakers switched to Englishmid-sentence in order to converse withsome Israelis. Snatches of Spanish,Italian, and Greek were in evidence atall the social gatherings, as was, ofcourse, Finnish. Scandinavians wereparticularly well-represented.

Timing the conference to coincidewith Helsinki’s ‘night of the arts’ wasalso a good ploy. On the Thursdaynight, the whole city became one hugefree show as dance performances andoperas were held in parks, art galleriesand museums opened their doors, andevery aspiring young band in townseemed to be setting up theirinstruments on street corners.

So if you missed out this year,remember the 4th annual ESCconference takes place in Amsterdamfrom 25-28 August, 2004. You willhave a whole new city to explore,secure in the knowledge that you willrun into someone you know at leastonce a day, you can stock up oncheese and diamonds, and you mighteven meet a future researchcollaborator and learn something newabout the penal system in the CzechRepublic too!

Helsinki, an appropriate setting


Justice in the Risk Society: Challenging and re-affirming ‘justice’ in late modernity

Barbara Hudson University of Central Lancashire

In Justice in the Risk Society, Barbara Hudson outlines traditional liberal perspectives on justice, risk and security, as well as

addressing some key concerns, including: the challenges to justice; the politics of risk and safety; communitarian and feminist

political and ethical theories; how to use current theories and perspectives such as Habermas’s discourse ethics and postmodern

perspectives on justice; and how to develop new methods of re-affirming and reconstructing theories and institutions of justice.

October 2003 • 272 pages

Cloth (0-7619-6159-3) • £60.00

Paper (0-7619-6160-7) • £17.99

Criminological Perspectives: Essential Readings, Second Edition

Edited by Eugene McLaughlin, John Muncie and Gordon Hughes all at The Open University

The Second Edition of Criminological Perspectives offers the most comprehensive guide to the major topics and areas of

debate that constitute contemporary criminology. It will be essential reading for students and researchers in criminology, criminal

justice studies, socio-legal studies, sociology, social policy and social work.

Published in association with The Open University

2002 • 612 pages

Cloth (0-7619-4143-6) • £60.00

Paper (0-7619-4144-4) • £21.99

Restorative Justice: Critical Issues

Edited by Eugene McLaughlin, Ross Fergusson, Gordon Hughes and Louise Westmarland all at The Open University

Restorative Justice: Critical Issues brings together key international writings that trace the development of restorative justice

from its diverse beginnings to current global policies and practices.

Published in association with The Open University

May 2003 • 224 pages

Cloth (0-7619-4208-4) • £60.00

Paper (0-7619-4209-2) • £18.99

The Female Offender: Girls, Women, and Crime, Second Edition

Meda Chesney-Lind and Lisa J Pasko both at University of Hawaii at Manoa

This Second Edition explores the gender and cultural factors in women’s lives that often precede a move into criminal behaviour

and addresses the question of whether female offenders are anymore violent today than in decades past.

August 2003 • 216 pages

Cloth (0-7619-2978-9) • £54.00

Paper (0-7619-2405-1) • £25.00

The SAGE Dictionary of Criminology

Edited by Eugene McLaughlin and John Muncie both at The Open University

‘Great dictionaries inform, intrigue and investigate. McLaughlin and Muncie’s perceptive collection does all three. The Sage

Dictionary of Criminology is wide and accessible enough to interest anyone concerned with crime, the law and the panoply of

issues and explanations that surround them. This admirable volume will inform, guide and contribute to debates in the years

ahead’ - Ellis Cashmore, Professor of Culture, Media and Sport, Staffordshire University

2001 • 352 pages

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EVENCrimTS IN 2003

University of Oxford

Centre for Criminological Research

MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice

For further information: www.crim.ox.ac.uk

Application forms for this one-year full-time course are available from: Graduate Admissions Office,

University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD, UK Tel: +44 (0)1865 270060 Fax: 270049

[email protected]


Criminology in Belgium Continued from page 3

Since the mid-1990s, theetiology and treatment ofsexual offenders hasgained importance, furtherfostered by the Dutrouxscandal.

students the reputation of failed lawstudents).

Finally, it allows for aninterdisciplinary training that turnscriminologists into something like‘generalists in criminal and penalmatters’, possible interpreters andcoordinators between the differentjuridical and social scienceprofessions.

With the the last 15 years’increased public and politicalattention to crime, demand forcriminological expertise has soared,leading to new jobs within thecriminal justice system, preventionprogrammes, local security initiatives,and private security.

ResearchMost criminological research is

carried out in the universities. Thisincludes fundamental and applied, thelatter being preponderantlyquantitative.

Fundamental research is financedthrough three channels: theuniversities, the National ScienceFoundation (FWO), and the Ministryfor Scientific Policy (Department forScientific, Technical and CulturalAffairs: DWTC).

The National Science Foundationfinances PhDs, 3-4 year researchprojects, and Belgian participation ininternational research networks.Criminological research longlanguished at the margins of otherdisciplines but slowly gainedrecognition in the 1990s. As part ofpublic support for universities,funding is provided for independentacademic research, to be decided bythe universities themselves, usuallythrough their own research councils.

The Ministry of Scientific Policy(DWTC) finances long-term (5 years),high-level inter-university, andinterregional research networks onselected topics.

Policy research is mainlyperformed in the universities withexternal funding, and is financed by avariety of ministries. This is linked todivisions of responsibility amongdifferent political levels: federal (e.g.,justice, police), regional (e.g.,education, welfare), and local (e.g.,

prevention). This led in the past tofragmented and dispersed researchprojects, aggravated by divisions oftopical interest among ministries.

Attempts at better coordination andmore transparent decision-making atthe federal level have resulted in thecreation of longer-term researchprogrammes on police matters withinthe Ministry of Interior (since 1985)and on justice matters within DWTC(since 1989).

Policy research on crime andjustice in Belgium was fostered overthe last twenty years by political

upheavals following several violentincidents, and by scandals aboutpolice and judicial ineffectiveness inaddressing them. Electoral successessince 1991 of extremist right-wingpoliticians focusing on immigrationand insecurity, and growing attentionto victims of crime, especially aftermedia coverage of the Dutroux case in1996, have also stimulated research.

These developments focusedpublic and political attention on crimeand security, the need for police andjudicial reform, and political andjudicial authorities’ lack of legitimacyin the eyes of the public. Manypolitical and legislative initiativeshave been undertaken, accompaniedby demands by the ministries, orproposals by universities, forevaluation and follow-up.

Internal research departments werecreated in the ministries of justice(National Institute for Criminalisticsand Criminology, Department forPenal Policy) and interior (GeneralPolice Support Service, Secretariat forPrevention) in the mid-1990s. Thesedepartments have had to fostercoordination of research. This has led,however, to new problems.

Because of the absence of a

tradition of internal research inBelgian ministries, many aspects ofthe functioning of the researchdepartments were unclear, includingtheir scientific independence frompolicymakers, relations betweeninternal and external policy research,and availability of internal data foruniversity research.

To enhance consultation andcoordination, transparency ofdecision-making and financing, accessto data, and quality control, a‘Consultation Platform for Justice andSecurity’ was set up in 2000 amongthe research departments and thepenal law or criminology departmentsof the universities.

There is no consensus on how toachieve these goals. For theministerial research departments, thebalance between coordination and adhoc considerations remains uneasy.Universities fear for theirindependence in proposing relevantresearch topics and for their co-optation as providers of politicallegitimation (Devroe 2003). Whetherthe development of the internalministry research departments willreduce financing for independentexternal policy research remains to beseen.

At European Union level, researchfinancing has long been limited tolegal aspects of EU cooperation. Withincreased focus on justice andsecurity, interest in criminologicaltopics should increase, as Paul Wilesnoted in his president’s message in theMarch 2003 ESC Newsletter.

Private commercial researchbureaus are (as yet) rarely involved incriminological research in Belgium,unlike in such neighbouring countriesas the Netherlands. Large consultancyfirms, however, increasingly are beingasked for assessments of financialefficacy, quality control, andimplementation of reform in thepolice, justice, and prison services.

Major Research TopicsMinistry control of financing of

university research projects hasresulted in a predominance of work onpolice and insecurity, criminal policy,and justice system functioning.


Etiological studies on such subjectsas juvenile delinquency and drugaddiction are rare and are usuallyconducted by psychologists orpsychiatrists linked to the universitycriminology institutes. Since the mid-1990s, the etiology and treatment ofsexual offenders has gainedimportance, further fostered by theDutroux scandal. Lack of integrateddata and statistical systems has led tomore descriptive studies of certaincrimes, especially drug offences, butalso hooliganism, transnational crime,and computer crime.

Criminal policy studies concentrateon a variety of subjects: feelings ofinsecurity, social exclusion, andprevention; specific crimes (drugoffences, sexual offences, organisedcrime); victims; administration of thecriminal justice system.

Police studies expandedsubstantially in the 1990s, andencompass the development ofintegrated police statistics, relationsbetween the police and the public,organisation and functioning of thedifferent services, inter-agencycooperation, and private security.

Judicial systems have been lessfrequently studied. Topics hereinclude the functioning, workload, andincreased competences of publicprosecutors; the use of remandcustody and its alternatives;sentencing of particular offences or

offenders (drug offences, sexualoffences, ethnic minorities, femaleoffenders); the relations amongsentencing, penal inflation, prisonovercrowding, and life sentences.

Research programmes of theministry of scientific policy currentlytackle topics such as changinginteractions between judicial andsocial or civil services (schools,mediation) and public attitudes tojustice.

With regard to prisons, the maintopics studied have beenovercrowding, lack of prisoners’rights, regimes for specific categoriesof prisoners, welfare and support forprisoners by external services,violence, electronic monitoring, andparole. Prison staff have also slowlygained increased attention.

Juvenile justice systems have longbeen studied in Belgium. Discussionsare underway about future policydirections uncluding from welfare,human rights, and restorative justicemodels. Empirical research concernsthe influence of these discussions onprofessional practice; the introductionof mediation, community service, andfamily group conferencing; andjuvenile institutions and treatment.

How can we assess developmentsin criminological research inBelgium? Police operations and courtshave been opened to scientific inquiry.Universities have generally succeeded

in maintaining their independencefrom the authorities. However, thisresearch has brought limited theoreticalinnovation, hence reducing theproportion of fundamental research.

Theoretical models and conceptsdeveloped or supported in the separatecriminological institutes, ofteninfluenced by interactionist andcritical theories, shape the wayscommissioned, policy-related researchis tackled. To give a few examples: theconcept of acteur social in thecreation, transgression, andapplication of the penal law(Université Catholique de Louvain);the concept of ‘social vulnerability’and restorative justice as a newparadigm in penology and victimology(Katholieke Universiteit Leuven); ahuman rights approach to penal law,police, penology, juvenile justice,medical power (Universiteit Gent,Vrije Universiteit Brussel); and penalwelfarism and actuarial justice(Université Libre de Bruxelles), etc.

ReferenceDevroe, E. 2003. ‘La rencontre

entre la recherche criminologique et lagestion de la politique criminelle.’Politeia p. 176.

Sonja Snacken is professor ofcriminology, penology and sociologyof law at the Vrije Universiteit Brusseland president-elect of the ESC.

I would like to invite ESC members with research interests in quantitative criminology to join the newly formedEuropean Quantitative Criminology (EQC) working group.

Apart from defining a pool of European criminologists with quantitative orientation and promoting communicationamong them, the EQC working group’s shape and objectives are open for discussion. Possible functions includeorganizing quantitative criminology or research methods panel sessions at ESC conferences or holding one-day EQCworkshops, establishing cross-national quantitative criminology research ties to aid in competing for EuropeanCommission funds, offering a student award for the best quantitative paper submitted to the ESC meetings, anddrafting guidelines for quantitative research methods courses, etc.

If you would like to join, please send your name, position, affiliation, and (optional) quantitative researchspecialization/expertise to [email protected]. Your views and suggestions for short and longer-term functions of theEQC group are greatly welcome. Please include the group’s abbreviation, ‘EQC’, in the subject field of your e-mailmessage.

Andromachi Tseloni

EUROPEAN QUANTITATIVE CRIMINOLOGY


The Department of Criminology at Keele University

The Department has established a national and international reputation as one of Europe’s premier

research training sites in criminology. Our position as a leading provider of postgraduate research

training is recognised by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council. And, in 2002, the

Department gained recognition as a Marie Curie Training Site (MCTS) in criminology from the

European Union.

Research and teaching in the Department is inspired by a broad concern with the study of crime

and the connected issues of social cohesion and social justice. The Department is home to a

number of internationally renowned scholars working on all aspects of crime, criminal justice and

crime prevention from a broad social science perspective. Members of staff come from several

countries across the EU and speak a number of European languages. Together with the Graduate

School of Social Sciences we offer a wide range of courses and training programmes for young

researchers. The beautiful rural campus of Keele University is situated between the cities of

Manchester and Birmingham in the heart of the English Midlands, and offers all the advantages of

a flourishing academic community of students and teachers.

Marie Curie Fellowships

The Governance of Urban Safety: Crime Prevention and Public Policy

MCTS fellowships are funded by the European Union with the aim of giving doctoral students the

opportunity to spend some time away from their home institutions at selected sites with proven

excellence in research and research training. Between 2003 and 2005 the Department of

Criminology at Keele offers a number of Marie Curie Fellowships to doctoral students from all

over the EU, and Associated States, who want to pursue their studies in a broad range of topics

related to community crime prevention. Fellows must not be UK nationals and must be registered

on a doctoral programme at a non-UK university. They may study in the department for periods

of between six months and a year. All fellows are welcome to take advantage of courses on the

Department's taught MA programmes and to undertake research training in the Graduate School of

Social Sciences.

Your application is welcome at any time. Applicants should contact the MCTS Co-ordinator,

Professor Susanne Karstedt by email ([email protected]) or by post at the address

given below.

MA Criminology and Research Methods/ MA Criminology

Our MA degrees provide students with a thorough grounding in criminological theory and

contemporary debates in crime control and criminal justice, as well as rigorous training in all

theoretical and practical aspects of criminological research. Well established links with teachers

and researchers across Europe, North America, Australasia and Southern Africa are amply

reflected in the scope of the taught postgraduate programmes. For further information contact the

MA Co-ordinator, Dr. Bill Dixon by e-mail ([email protected]) or visit us on the web at

www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cr/postgrad.htm.

Department of Criminology, Keele University, Keele Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK

www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cr

DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY

POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

MARIE CURIE FELLOWSHIPS

MA CRIMINOLOGY

MA CRIMINOLOGY AND RESEARCH METHODS


CENTRE DE RECHERCHES SOCIOLOGIQUES SUR LE DROITET LES INSTITUTIONS PÉNALES (CESDIP)

Advanced Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Fellowships available now!CESDIP is the main French research centre in the area of crime and criminal justice. A jointcentre of CNRS and the Ministry of Justice, it is part of an international network (GERN, Groupeeuropéen de recherches sur les normativités) and has a joint research program with the MaxPlanck Institut für internationales und ausländisches Strafrecht (Freiburg, Germany). It cooperateswith a wide range of specialized French and foreign agencies. CESDIP is located about 20 kmsfrom Paris, near Versailles and easily accessible by metro.One or more Marie Curie research fellowships are offered each year for periods of 3 to 12months. Research fellows may have a background in any of the social sciences or law.Research fellows have full access to the centre’s activities, facilities and library. They will beassisted in making contacts with other agencies. They will be supervised by one of the centre’ssenior researchers.

Main research topics:1. Socio-political analysis of the law-making process (substantive or procedural criminal law)2. Enforcement of legal norms and the criminal justice process

Public and private police organisationsLegal professionsSpecific crimes (homicide, violence, drugs, money-laundering, organized crime etc..), specificdeviant sub-populations (adults, women, juveniles, migrants etc.)SentencingCorrections

3. Victim surveys and fear of crime4. Theoretical and historical approaches

History of criminology and related sciencesHistory of crime and criminal justiceSociological theory of crime, deviance and norms

Post-graduate students will be selected on the basis of their scientific ability, current researchprogramme, and compatibility with the centre’s programme. They will be expected to have a

working knowledge of French.The CNRS is an equal opportunity employer.

Application deadline: None Starting date: by agreement with the selected fellow. Duration: 3 to 12 months

Send your application to Ms. Sylvie Zemb at the address below; please include CV, researchproject outline, letter of recommendation from doctoral supervisor.

CESDIP, Immeuble Edison, 43 boulevard Vauban 78280 [email protected] , [email protected], http://www.cesdip.msh-paris.fr

For further information see: http://www.cordis.lu/improving/fellowships/home.htm


the web (http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion).In 1996 and 2000, the Eurobarometer included

questions about street safety after dark and contact withdrug-related problems.

The 2002 special survey covers street safety after dark,drug-related problems, personal expectations regardingvictimisation, and opinions about crime and prevention.

The special report compares and contrasts its resultswith results from the 1996 and 2000 general surveys. Thedata are analysed country by country, and in terms of socio-demographic variables.

Fear of Crime – Street SafetyIn comparing the 1996, 2000, and 2002 findings, I

report absolute results without reporting statisticalsignificance. Across the EU, there was a slight increase inthe percentages of those feeling a bit or very unsafe, asfigure 1 shows. The largest increases between 1996 and2002 were in Greece, the UK, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland,France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The mostpronounced change occurred in Greece.

The International Crime Victimisation Survey (ICVS)has asked the same question since 1992. ‘How safe do youfeel walking alone in the area you live after dark? Do youfeel very safe, fairly safe, a bit unsafe or very unsafe?’Countries are generally ranked in the same order1 in ICVSand Eurobarometer results. The major exception isBelgium where Eurobarometer respondents show higherlevels of anxiety.

Questions about feelings of safety differ significantlyfrom questions about perceptions of risk. The most recentICVS report points out that the relationship between ‘fear ofcrime’ and victimisation experience may be misleading as‘fear of street crime may be influenced by specific “cultural”pressures, such as media presentations of violent crime’ (vanKesteren, Mayhew, and Nieuwbeerta 2000).

Drug-related ProblemsRespondents were asked about their contact with drug-

related problems in their neighbourhood over the lasttwelve months. These included such things as seeingpeople dealing in drugs or taking or using drugs in publicspaces, or finding syringes left by drug addicts. Drug-contact responses were ‘often’, ‘from time to time’,‘rarely’, ‘never’, and ‘don’t know’.

Figure 2 combines ‘often’ and ‘from time to time’ answers.Across the EU, exposure to drug-related problems grewsteadily from 1996 (14%) to 2000 (17%) and again to 2002(19%). The number replying ‘never’ is decreasing morerapidly than the number replying ‘rarely’ is increasing.

Perceptions of RiskRespondents were asked ‘Over the next 12 months, do

you think there is a risk that you will personally be thevictim of one of the following (theft of mobile phone; theftof other personal property; mugging or robbery in order tosteal a mobile phone; mugging or robbery in order to stealsomething else; burglary or break-in at home; and assault

Figure 1 - Percentage feeling a bit or very unsafe walking alone after dark in their area

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Figure 2 - Percentage having observed drug-related problems 'often' or 'from time to time'

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*Countries are sorted by percentage of 'often' and 'from time to time' (2002)

or threat of assault)? Yes, no, don’t know?’Surveys generally find a relationship between people’s

concern about crime and actual risks. The Eurobarometerdoes not measure victimisation, so the relationship cannotbe evaluated. In victimisation surveys conducted locally,links are found between the likelihood of burglary and

Eurobarometer Continued from page 1


Figure 3 - Perceptions of risk of theft of mobile phone

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Figure 4 - Perceptions of risk of theft of other personal property

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perceptions of risk of burglary.International surveys depend upon similar

understanding of the questions asked. The administrationmust include strict translation to assure, as far as possible, thesame meaning, and allow respondents to provide equivalentresponses. In this part of the 2002 survey, comparisons of theaverage responses concerning theft with responsesconcerning mugging or robbery suggest some problems.

Scores are very different between countries. In somecases there were significant levels of ‘don’t know’ answers.Across the EU 18% of respondents could not or would notevaluate victimisation risk for four of the six types of crime.The following figures illustrate inter-country comparisons ofperceptions of risk. ‘Don’t know’ answers are not shown, butcan be calculated as the difference between the total and thesum of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ responses.

In the 2002 special report the figures are examined in lightof socio-demographic variables, and also in light of othersurvey results about respondents’ access in their household tofixed and mobile phones. In general, country rankings areconsistent across the countries involved. Perceptions of riskare generally lowest in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Denmark,and highest in Greece and France.· Perceptions of risk of theft of mobile phone and other

personal property are higher among women (23% and31%) than among men (21% and 28%).

· Younger respondents revealed higher anxiety aboutmobile phone theft over the next year. The 15-24 age-group registered highest anxiety concerning theft ofother personal property.

· The longer respondents had spent in full-time education,the greater the risk of theft perceived.

· The more urbanised the area, the more perception of riskof theft seems to rise.

· Across the E.U., perceptions of risk of burglary or break-inat home are greater among women (28%) than among men

Continued on next page

Figure 5 - Perceptions of risk of burglary or break-in at home

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Yes No

(25%) and among older people (rising from 21% for the15-24 age group to 30% for those 55 and above).

· An increased perception of burglary risk is found inurbanised areas and among those with access to amobile phone.

· The level of income does not predispose to a higher orlower expectation of burglary risk (28% among those inboth edge categories).

· An increased perception of risk of mugging or robberyto steal a mobile phone and to steal something else wasfound in urbanised areas and among women.

· Age appears to influence responses related to muggingor robbery to steal a mobile phone, with higher ‘yes’


Eurobarometer Continued from previous page

responses registered among younger people. Ageappeared to have no effect on responses concerned withmugging or robbery to steal something else.

· Income does not appear influential in perceptions of riskof mugging or robbery to steal a mobile phone. Inrelation to mugging or robbery in order to stealsomething else, the poorest and the wealthiest tend tofeel the most vulnerable.

· Those who said they had access to (but did not neces-sarily own) a phone reported a considerably higherconcern about theft (23%) than the E.U. average (18%).

· Average responses concerning theft are generally higherthan responses concerning mugging or robbery. Thepattern is maintained for every country except Portugal.This exceptional result could arise from inadequatetranslation of the inquiry.

· The figures for men who felt at risk of assault or threat ofassault were slightly lower (23%) than for women (25%).

· Perception of assault risk tends to decrease with age (28%in the 15-24 age-group, 22% in the 55+ age-group).

· The greater the degree of urbanisation, the greater the per-ceived assault risk (20% - 29% for the polar categories).

ReferencesEuropean Opinion Research Group. 2003. Public

Safety, Exposure to Drug-Related Problems and Crime -Public opinion Survey. Report prepared for The EuropeanCommission.

van Kesteren, J., P. Mayhew, and P. Nieuwbeerta. 2000.Criminal Victimisation in Seventeen IndustrialisedCountries – Key findings from the 2000 InternationalCrime Victims Survey. The Hague: Ministry of Justice.

Figure 8 - Perceptions of risk of assault or threat of assault

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* Countries are sorted by % of 'yes'Yes No

Figure 6 - Perceptions of risk of mugging or robbery in order to steal a mobile phone

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Note1 Comparing the survey results of the 2000 sweep of

ICVS and Eurobarometer concerning Belgium, Denmark,Finland, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.

Maria João Morgado Costa is head of the JusticeStatistics Department at the Legal Policy and PlanningOffice, Ministry of Justice, Portugal.


Criminology in Ireland Continued from page 3

offers a range of postgraduate coursesat diploma and degree level involvingup to 60 students each year. A master’sdegree in human rights and criminaljustice is offered jointly with theNational University of Ireland, Galway.

Other Research CentresA research unit was set up at the

Garda Síochána [Police] TrainingCollege in 1994. Its work is largelyoperational in nature and the findingsare seldom published or madegenerally available. There is noresearch unit in the Department ofJustice, Equality and Law Reform, thePrisons Service, or the Courts Service.The Probation and Welfare Servicehas a single member of staff allocatedto research duties.

The National Crime Council wasestablished on a non-statutory basis in1999. It has commissioned researchinto crime trends in Ireland between1950 and 1998, public orderoffending, and domestic violence. Ithas also carried out a number ofprojects in-house.

Finally, the Law Reform Com-mission has played a role addressingrape law, principles of sentencing, andconfiscation of criminal assets.

Funding OpportunitiesPrior to 1998 the Department of

Justice, Equality and Law Reform didnot have a research budget. An annualsum of around €500,000 is nowavailable. Most of this is spent onprison-related projects. The biggestwere a general healthcare study ofalmost 800 prisoners and a survey ofhepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIVprevalence in another 1,200. Othercommissioned research investigatespublic perceptions of crime, andattrition in rape and sexual assaultcases.

The government is committed tocarrying out a national victimisationsurvey in 2004 and bienniallythereafter. This will require asubstantial increase in funding . Awhite paper on crime is in preparationand may have implications forcriminological research agendas.

The other primary source offunding is the Irish Research Council

for Humanities and Social Sciences,which has made its first award forcriminological research. This is athree-year investigation of recidivismamong Irish prisoners. It will involveclose collaboration between UCD andcolleagues from the universities ofMissouri–St. Louis and Cambridge.

Sources of InformationThere is no society of criminology

in Ireland. Nor is there a dedicatedjournal. In general the quality of theofficial data is poor. Even wherecourses are on offer, criminologistsare scarce. Indeed there are probablyno more than a dozen academics in thecountry working in the broad area ofcriminal justice, and for most it is asecondary interest.

The knowledge base thus isunderdeveloped and much basicresearch has never been carried out.For example, there are virtually nodata available on sentencing and littleis known about how the constituentparts of the criminal justice systemoperate or interact. This can makesimple inquiries excessively laboriousand renders conclusions frustratinglytentative. Policy making often takesplace in an informational vacuum.

Despite these difficultiesinteresting studies have appearedspasmodically over the years andthese are to be found in longestablished publications that are notwell known outside Ireland. Theseinclude the Irish Jurist (founded in1848 and now in its fifth series),Administration (published four times ayear since 1953), the Irish CriminalLaw Journal (established in 1991),and the Economic and Social Review(in existence since 1969). A recentaddition is the Judicial StudiesInstitute Journal, now in its third year.

There is no Irish textbook ofcriminology and students rely heavilyon materials produced for otherjurisdictions, which are not alwaysappropriate. A number of attemptshave been made recently to locate theIrish experience in a wider historicaland comparative context and aselection of the relevant publicationsis listed below. However it remainstrue that the Irish voice is silent in

contemporary international debates.

InfluencesIreland offers a case study in policy

transfer. As a small island betweenBritain and the United States it canhardly avoid being buffeted by thewinds of change in its largerneighbours. This can be seen in suchdevelopments as the rapid expansionin the prison population since the late1990s, the introduction of mandatoryminimum sentences of 10 yearsimprisonment for possession of drugsvalued at over €13,000, and theinfection of political debate with therhetoric of ‘zero tolerance.’

However Ireland is different tooand there is important work to be donecharting areas where it has innovatedor managed to resist the pressure toyield to trends in the Anglo-Americanworld. Going forward it may be thatdifferent reference points are required,such as other small EU countries.Such a reorientation could have manybenefits despite the linguistic, legal,and cultural challenges it woulddoubtlessly present.

ReferencesScholars in other jurisdictions are

often starved of information about theIrish criminal justice system. Thefollowing publications might be ofsome interest:

O’Donnell, I. and F. McAuley, eds.2003. Criminal Justice History:Themes and Controversies from Pre-Independence Ireland. Dublin: FourCourts Press.

O’Donnell, I., and E. O’Sullivan.2001. Crime Control in Ireland: ThePolitics of Intolerance. CorkUniversity Press.

O’Malley, T. 2000. Sentencing Lawand Practice. Dublin: Round Hall.

O’Sullivan, E. and I. O’Donnell.2003. ‘Imprisonment and the crimerate in Ireland.’ Economic and SocialReview 34(1):33-64.

Dr Ian O’Donnell is deputydirector of the Institute ofCriminology, Faculty of Law,University College Dublin.


New Criminology Books from WNew Criminology Books from Willan Publishingillan Publishing

Criminal Visions: media representations of crime and justiceEdited by Paul Mason (Southampton Institute)

Media representations of law and order have been matters of keen public interest and debate, but few publications haveaddressed this subject head on. This book aims to meet this need by bringing together leading researchers in the field,addressing issues of fictional, factual and hybrid representations of crime and justice in the media.

September 2003 320ppISBN 1-84392-013-1 (paperback) £18.99 / US $29.95ISBN 1-84392-014-X (hardback) £40.00 / US $59.95

Repositioning Restorative JusticeEdited by Lode Walgrave (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

This book is based on papers presented at the 5th international conference held at Leuven, Belgium in 2002. The centraltheme is the positioning, or repositioning, of restorative justice in contexts where it can offer hope to communities both fearfulof crime and looking for more socially constructive responses to crime.

September 2003 352pp (234 x 156mm)ISBN 1-84392-016-6 (paperback) £28.50 / US $39.95ISBN 1-84392-017-4 (hardback) £50.00 / US $64.95

Sex Offenders in the Community: managing and reducing the risksEdited by Amanda Matravers (Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge)

This book brings together a leading group of authorities in the field to explore current criminal justice responses to themanagement of individuals who are convicted of sexual offences, aiming to help policy-makers, practitioners and studentsto develop an informed position on this complex and increasingly controversial issue.

November 2003 240pp (234 x 156mm)ISBN 1-84392-015-8 (hardback) £30.00 / US $55.00

Restorative Justice in Context: international practice and directionsEdited by Elmar G. M. Weitekamp (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and Hans-Jürgen Kerner (University of Tübingen)

This book brings together a selection of papers originally presented and discussed at the fourth international restorativejustice conference, held at the University of Tübingen. The contributors include many of the leading authorities in the bur-geoning field of restorative justice, and they provide a comprehensive review of developing international practice and direc-tions, and the context in which restorative justice practices are developing.

March 2003 368pp (234 x 156 mm)ISBN 1-903240-84-0 (paperback) £27.50 / US $39.95ISBN 1-90240-73-5 (hardback) £50.00 / US $64.95

Cambridge Criminal Justice Series Confronting Crime: crime control policy under New LabourEdited by Michael Tonry (Director, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge)

A distinguished team of academics and senior government policy advisors assess the broader issues underlying proposedcriminal justice reforms as well as the past record of the Labour Government – looking especially at proposals to develop amore flexible sentencing regime, and restoring public confidence in the legal process.

September 2003 272pp (234 x 156mm)ISBN 1-84392-022-0 (hardback) £30.00 / US $55.00

A Restorative Justice Reader: texts, sources, contextEdited by Gerry Johnstone (University of Hull)

This main of this book is to bring together extracts from the most important and influential contributions to the restorative jus-tice literature and its emergent philosophy, accompanying these with an informative commentary providing context and expla-nation where necessary. Includes work by both well known proponents of restorative justice and work by some of the keycritics of the restorative justice movement.

May 2003 512pp (246 x 171mm)ISBN 1-903240-81-6 (paperback) £26.00 / US $37.50 ISBN 1-903240-82-4 (hardback) £50.00 / US $69.95

For further information about these and other forthcoming books, or to place an order, please contactWillan Publishing on: (tel) +44(0)1884 840337, (fax) +44(0)1884 840251, E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.willanpublishing.co.ukor write to: Willan Publishing, Culmcott House, Mill Street, Uffculme, Devon EX15 3AT, UK

Documents

Newsletter of the CRIMINOLOGY IN EUROPE VOL. 2 …Criminology in Belgium has a long history. The first ‘cercle de criminologie’ was established at the Université Libre de Bruxelles