The final video from the VUW public criminology symposium is now available on our Facebook page here. This is Ian Loader, professor of criminology at the University of Oxford. He reflects on the main themes of the book he wrote with Richard Sparks, ‘Public Criminology?‘, and talks about how some of the issues have developed since the book was published.
Tag Archives: Public Criminology
Changing Public Attitudes to Crime and Punishment
At the recent VUW criminology symposium, Kim Workman spoke about his 2014 publication: RTC_Monograph_Issue_2 What do I have to do to change your mind?
He surveys the research on what works in engaging with public attitudes and makes a number of suggestions on ways to achieve progressive change in the context of penal populism.
Public Criminology: Fergus McNeill Video

Here’s a link to the second video from the VUW public criminology conference.
This one is Prof Fergus McNeill from SCCJR at the University of Glasgow talking about his desistance research, in particular in relation to his experiences working with criminal justice institutions and the role of academic research in the dialogue around policy and practice
Public Criminology: Tim Newburn Video

Last week the Institute of Criminology at Victoria University of Wellington hosted the fourth annual NZ criminology symposium. The theme was public criminology. Several academics recorded videos for us, reflecting on some of the themes covered.
Prof Tim Newburn from the LSE talked about his project ‘Reading the Riots’ undertaken in collaboration with the Guardian newspaper.
The video is available to view on the Criminology Collective FaceBook page. Click here to be transported at hyper-link-speed to that very place!
Justice in an Age of Unreason
Does the responsibility of government imply a duty ‘not to inflame passion and give it new objects to feed upon but to inject into the activities of already too passionate men an ingredient of moderation’, as Michael Oakeshott described in his 1962 essay On Being Conservative: ‘not to stoke the fires of desire but to damp them down’?
Oxford Dictionaries has selected ‘post-truth’ as its 2016 international word of the year: ‘an adjective relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than emotional appeals’. Inflaming execrable passions, politicians in the USA, the UK and Europe have promoted offensive views on minorities, immigrants, and women. Previously unacceptable racist and misogynist discourse has been legitimised and even aggrandised. Hate speech and the rejection of difference is justified as breaking the shackles of political correctness. Continue reading Justice in an Age of Unreason
‘Public Criminology’ Postgraduate Symposium
The Institute of Criminology at Victoria University of Wellington is inviting abstracts for paper presentations at our New Zealand Postgraduate ‘Public Criminology’ Symposium, to be held on Thursday 16th February 2017. The Postgraduate Symposium precedes the Fourth Annual New Zealand Criminology Symposium, also on the theme of Public Criminology, held at Victoria University of Wellington, on Friday 17th February. All presenters at the Postgraduate Conference are warmly invited to attend on the following day as well.
Continue reading ‘Public Criminology’ Postgraduate Symposium

