COVID-19: Prisons as Public Health Risks

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the public health risks that prisons pose as reservoirs of contagious disease. Confinement involves close contact and shared facilities, which is inherently a risk factor for contagions.

Chase Burton • May 28, 2020

Uber and criminal background checks: Balancing safety and second chances

Dependency on pre-screening and risk-prediction instruments has become a side effect of rapid modernisation. But, in reality, how effective are these tools for crime-prevention and safety?

Jenika Ekovich • March 16, 2016

On discretion and the necessity of interdisciplinary research

To fully grasp the complexity of many criminal justice matters, much research would benefit from closer ties between legal and empirical scholarship. By exploring the concept of discretion this blog makes a claim for more interdisciplinary research.

Maartje van der Woude • April 15, 2015 • 1 comment

The Legitimacy of the Stays of Proceedings in the Trial of Thomas Lubanga

Following the withdrawal of charges against Uhuru Kenyatta at the ICC, parallels can be seen with the trial of Thomas Lubanga when assessing the Court’s legitimacy. Clearly there is a need to move away from legal absolutism and towards a balancing method.

Hanna Byrne • January 07, 2015 • 1 comment

With Liberty and Background Checks for All

In light of US immigration reform, employment eligibility screening is designed with businesses and citizens in mind. But, are we really fostering opportunity or just exclusion and a false sense of control?

Jenika Ekovich • December 07, 2014 • 1 comment

Boxed-In and Locked-Out of the Workplace

In making informed employment decisions, businesses in the United States evaluate applicants on the basis of their merits, but also rely heavily on criminal background checks. Are we promoting security or just condoning discrimination?

Jenika Ekovich • October 05, 2014 • 1 comment

The RUC, The Bobbies and the Gardaí: The Transfer of Northern Irish Policing Policy

‘The Troubles’ of Northern Ireland instilled public fear and anxiety with lasting consequences in not one, but three jurisdictions. But how lasting? Here, I will assess the success of the transfer of RUC policing policy to both the UK and Ireland.

Hanna Byrne • October 04, 2014

Is The Emergency Really Over?

California's AB 109 Public Safety Realignment Act has been touted as one of the biggest experiments in criminal justice history. As a state response to relieve overcrowded prisons, are we really fixing the problem or simply shifting the burden?

Jenika Ekovich • September 16, 2014

Why (Dutch) criminologists should be outraged

Comfortable prisons, lenient judges, low prison rates, no death penalty – in comparing criminal justice in the Netherlands to policies in other countries, Dutch criminologists can be content. Or can they?

Gwen van Eijk • July 16, 2014

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