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Lead Section[edit]

Summary of plan[edit]

What we plan to do is first define what public criminology (PC) is. We then want to have a line briefly describing how PC affects other types of criminologies, especially during policy making to go along with the Needs sections. To go along with the "Pioneer" section we plan to address how PC came from Public sociology and briefly summarize the historical figures that attributed to PC. We also want to take the last sentence of the lead, condense it, and better word it. To go along with the "Contemporary examples" we will briefly speak about News making PC. Overall we want to briefly touch base on at least one perspective of each article and rewrite the lead section to make it easier for the average reader to understand.

Draft Text[edit]

Public Criminology, a concept closely tied with “public sociology”, argues that the energies of criminologists should be directed towards "conducting and disseminating research on crime, law, and deviance in dialogue with affected communities." Criminologists argue its need stems from the disconnect between the public and the information disseminated by the media. Such authors call for criminologists to focus on providing understandable information to the general public, as well as to help inform crime policy and law makers.

Though the general response to public criminology has been positive, with many scholars contributing to public criminology [1] and its contemporary use[2][3]Such as Ian Loader and Richard sparks. However there have been criticisms along with it, including: a current lack of resources for the project, the indifference of policy makers to criminological insights, and a parallel indifference in academic criminology to policy-making issues. However, with these drawbacks, scholars today practice public criminology through utilizing and emphasizing new forms of media and by working with formal institutions to advance recognition of the practice.

Background--Need[edit]

Summary of plan[edit]

  • Add why we need Public criminology.
  • Explain the potential benefit of viewing issues through public criminology vs. that of different forms of crim
  • List examples of studies in public Criminology cause and effect.
  • Highlight the public misconceptions and concerns about crime and why a more accessible and transparent form of criminology is needed.

Draft Text[edit]

The term public criminology can be traced to Christopher Uggen and Michelle Inderbitzin, as well as Ian Loader and Richard Sparks. It is derived from Michael Burawoy's advocacy for public sociology at the 2004 presidential address to the American Sociological Association and his 2009 presidential address to the American Society of Criminology. Uggen and Inderbitzin suggest that a “public criminology” would place greater emphasis on criminological work that informs public understandings about such issues such as crime, punishment, criminal law, and criminal justice.

However, what recent scholars have termed "public criminology" can be traced to a longer history. For example, sociologist Clifford R. Shaw was persistent in his efforts to improve the circumstances of both communities and individuals in Chicago. In the 1920s, Shaw studied the relationship between the neighborhoods of Chicago and crime. During this time, he formulated social disorganization theory and mapped patterns of ethnic succession in these neighborhoods. He involved the residents of the communities that had high crime rates and delinquency to learn from them and communicate his research findings. As time progressed, Shaw founded the Chicago Area Project which was geared to reduce conditions that resulted in high delinquency.

Another example, from the 1960s and 1970s, is the work of Lloyd Ohlin and other scholars. Ohlin and other American criminologist were engaged in the Great Society project as advisors to John F. Kennedy and others. John Irwin was a criminal turned criminologists that pushed rehabilitation in the 1960s. Elliot Currie is a professor of criminology at the University of California at Irvine who works on policy and specializes in cases of violent crime, the social context of delinquency, the cause of drug abuse and the assessment of drug policy, race and criminal justice. George L. Kirkham was a criminologist who became a police officer. He wrote a book entitled Signal Zero in 1976 which was an attempt to change students' perceptions of police officers. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Public_criminology&action=edit&section=1#Background

Background--Pioneers[edit]

Summary of plan[edit]

Draft Text[edit]

Public criminology dates back to the 1700s, ideas from an important criminologist Cesare Beccaria has since added to the way that public criminology is looked at. Cesare Beccaria talked about crime and punishment, but feared backlash from the government. Beccaria stopped producing articles which made the public wonder if the government had silenced Beccaria.The idea of being silenced added to the need for a public criminology. However, what recent scholars have termed "public criminology" can be traced to a longer history. For example, sociologist Clifford R. Shaw was persistent in his efforts to improve the circumstances of both communities and individuals in Chicago. In the 1920s, Shaw studied the relationship between the neighborhoods of Chicago and crime. During this time, he formulated what is now known as social disorganization theory and mapped patterns of ethnic succession in these neighborhoods. He involved the residents of the communities that had high crime rates and delinquency to learn from them and communicate his research findings. As time went on, Shaw founded the Chicago Area Project which was geared to reduce conditions that resulted in high delinquency.

Another example, from the 1960s and 1970s, is the work of Lloyd Ohlin and other scholars. Ohlin was an American criminologist that was engaged in the Great Society project as an advisor to John F. Kennedy and others. John Irwin was a criminal turned criminologists that pushed rehabilitation in the 1960s. Elliot Currie is a professor of criminology at the University of California at Irvine who works on policy and specializes in cases of violent crime, the social context of delinquency, the cause of drug abuse and the assessment of drug policy, race and criminal justice. George L. Kirkham was a criminologist who became a police officer. He wrote a book entitled Signal Zero in 1976 which was an attempt to change students' perceptions of police officers.John Irwin was a criminal turned criminologists that pushed rehabilitation in the 1960s.

Criticisms[edit]

Summary of plan[edit]

  • Look for more articles that criticize public criminology and different reasons they criticize it.
  • Explain why current criticisms are valid.
  • Explain more about what the current criticisms listed are.
  • Explore new perspectives on public criminology.
  • Go into further depth of the Turner article.
  • Create groups about critics.
  • Make a point of criminology being a contested field.

Draft Text[edit]

Despite these widespread calls for public criminology,[4] many criminologists have voiced concerns regarding the challenges facing the emerging discipline. Uggen and Inderbitzin highlight the structural disincentives towards practicing public criminology including concerns about the "out-left political agenda of many public sociologists... which is a perceived retreat from scientific standards and methods, and the perception that public sociology is ineffectual as organized and practiced.[5]" Within even the definition of public criminology there have been differing opinions on what public criminology should aim to do: should it be aimed at policy change;[6] should it be aimed at informing the general public about criminological issues; or should it be focused on the underlying socioeconomic process that shape criminal justice?[7] Criminologists like Paul Rock have voiced concerns regarding criminologists lack of experience in policy making, as well as questioning the integrity of public criminology if it is to be subject to the political spectrum.[6] In contrast, criminologist Emma Bell takes issue not with public criminology itself but with the system under which it would operate. Emma Bell believes that in order for a public criminology to be effective it must shed light to the problematic criminal justice system itself.[7]

In addition, many scholars have struggled with the best ways to reach the public in a meaningful way. Criminologists Carrie Sanders and Lauren Eisler found it hard to engage the public when they opened a college course on criminology up to the public.[8] Public criminologists have also taken issue with how little criminologists engage in news reporting. Daniel Crépault acknowledges that while criminological news and research is frequently reported, it is often being picked through to serve a partisan agenda and then reported by non-criminologists.[9] In a similar way, anthropologist Sindre Bangstad recognizes social media as an easy way to perform public scholarship, but worries that the soul of academic disciplines who so engage will be lost in the vast sea of information.[10]


Despite these widespread calls for public criminology, many criminologists have voiced concerns regarding the challenges facing the emerging discipline. Uggen, Christopher and Inderbitzin highlight the structural disincentives towards practicing public criminology, including concerns about the "out-left political agenda of many public sociologists... which is a perceived retreat from scientific standards and methods, and the perception that public sociology is ineffectual as organized and practiced.[5]" Within even the definition of public criminology there have been differing opinions on what public criminology should aim to do: should it be aimed at policy change;[5] should it be aimed at informing the general public about criminological issues; or should it be focused on the underlying socioeconomic process that shapes criminal justice?[18] Criminologists like Paul Rock have voiced concerns regarding criminologists lack of experience in policy making, as well as questioning the integrity of public criminology if it is to be subject to the political spectrum. Rock addresses the public misconception of victim precipitation as victim blaming.[5] In contrast, criminologist Emma Bell takes issue not with public criminology itself but with the system under which it would operate, believing that in order for public criminology to be effective it must shed light to the problematic criminal justice system itself.[18] Criminologist Kenneth Land argues there are limited resources for public criminology to ideally reach the public, outside of the academic territory. He states that there are few chances to study and learn about public criminology outside of the academic area. Land stresses his concern that there are few employment opportunities for public criminology in regard to staying employed and staying relevant for a full-time career. Criminologist Daniel Mears writes that there is little evidence to support the need for public criminology research. He believes that research should not be publicized. He relates public criminology to political dimensions and with wrong information given to the public, it can create a political backlash.

In addition, many scholars have struggled with the best ways to reach the public in a meaningful way. Criminologists Carrie Sanders and Lauren Eisler found it hard to engage the public when they opened a college course on criminology up to the public.[19] Public criminologists have taken issue with how little criminologists engage in news reporting. Daniel Crépault acknowledges that while criminological news and research is frequently reported, it is often being picked through to serve a partisan agenda and then reported by non-criminologists.[20] In a similar way, anthropologist Sindre Bangstad recognizes social media as an easy way to perform public scholarship but worries that the soul of academic disciplines who engage will be lost in the vast sea of information.[21] Others, like French Sociologist Loïc Wacquant, believe that the "public" label of public criminology, is nothing more than an American sideshow and a hindrance on the debate on knowledge and politics, and also confuses professional politics with normal citizen life. It is important to acknowledge the critiques and differing viewpoints when studying the field within public criminology to fully understand what it is.

Current Examples[edit]

Summary of plan[edit]

  • Turn the bullet points into a more narrative form.
  • Take away heading (There are many current examples of public criminology). (DONE)
  • Make a paragraph that includes the news/media portion of Public Criminology, and a paragraph of people using their experiences with public criminology to interact or educate the people.
  • Engagement with media, components of new media, on-going research projects.
  • Look into the research containing Rock's view.

Draft Text[edit]

  • Criminologist Gregg Barak has recounted his experiences with his recurring segment on Ann Arbor's 107.1 WQKL news station, during which he covered the daily developments during the O. J. Simpson Trial.[22] He argues that, due to the media influence on public perception of crime, it is important for criminologist to get involved in news making and form relationships with journalist. He envisions that by doing so, people will become informed on public policies. He calls this process "newsmaking criminology".[23]
  • Sanders and Eisler explore the ways in which public criminology can be taken from an conceptual discussion into a plan of action. In their article, "The Public Would Rather Watch Hockey!" they discuss their experience with an experiment in "public criminology", in which they opened their course to the larger public for free.[19]
  • The Marshall Project, founded in 2014 by Neil Barsky along with former New York Times editor Bill Keller, has been creating criminal justice reporting from around the web. These records contain some of the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the criminal justice conversation. The Marshall Project utilizes journalism, public forums, and work with news outlets to achieve their goal of informing the public about areas of concern in our criminal justice system. [24]
  • Michelle Inderbitzin has a blog about public criminology with Chris Uggen and Sara Wakefield which intends to inform the public on crime, law, and justice in the contemporary United States.[25]
  • The Center for Public Criminology which is a segment at the Arizona State University School of Criminology is dedicated to breaking the veil between the public and those professionals in the criminal justice field. They do this by educating both the public and professionals, while also addressing the stigmas and concerns that each group may have.[26]

Since public criminology is a relatively new area of study, more valuable and reliable research has not been available on the subject until recent years. News station , academic articles, online forums, and blogs, provide the public with different ways to learn about topics relating to criminal justice. For example, Criminologist Gregg Barak has recounted his experiences with his recurring segment on Ann Arbor's 107.1 WQKL news station, during which he covered the daily developments during the O. J. Simpson Trial.[22] He argues that, due to the media influence on public perception of crime, it is important for criminologist to get involved in news making and form relationships with journalist. He envisions that by doing so, people will become informed on public policies. He calls this process "newsmaking criminology".[23] Similarly, Sanders and Eisler, explore ways in which public criminology can be taken from an conceptual discussion into a plan of action. In their article, they discuss their experience with an experiment in "public criminology", in which they opened their course to the larger public for free.[19] Furthermore, there are many groups and organizations that are dedicated to connecting the public with debates in the criminal justice system. For example, The Marshall Project was founded in 2014 by Neil Barsky and Bill Keller as a way to utilize journalism, public forum, and work with news outlets to report on recent articles relating to topics, people, and events of concern to the Criminal Justice System in America. Another example is Michelle Inderbitzin, Chris Uggen, and Sara Wakefield who created a blog about public criminology which intends to inform the public on crime, law, and justice in the contemporary United States.[25] Finally, The Center for Public Criminology which is a segment at the Arizona State University School of Criminology is dedicated to breaking the veil between the public and those professionals in the criminal justice field. They do this by educating both the public and professionals, while also addressing the stigmas and concerns that each group may have.[26]

General Group[edit]

Summary of plan[edit]

Our plan is to spruce up the page in a number of ways. The first way is to add pictures (Wikimedia) that don't fall under the veil of plagiarism. Another goal is to solve the orphan problem by visiting relevant pages and adding links back to public criminology. This might include adding public criminology sections to other articles. Lastly, we want to work with HTML to add pizazz to the page (ex. inset boxes, see also page, etc.). The very last thing we would do is a once over of the page to make sure that it is appealing to readers (grammar, syntax, links, citations).


Draft Text[edit]

Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Infoboxes



Contemporary Examples Contribution
Gregg Barak O.J. Simpson Trial
John Irwin Rehabilitation Advocate
Michelle Inderbitzin, Chris Uggen, and Sara Wakefield Public Criminology Blog
Neil Barsky & Bill Keller The Marshall Project
Historical Examples Contribution
Cesare Beccaria Crime and Punishment
Clifford Shaw Chicago Area Project
Elliot Currie Policy and Violent Crime
George L. Kirkham Signal Zero-1976
Lloyd Ohlin Great Society Project



See Also[edit]

External Links[edit]

  1. ^ Rock, Paul (2010). "Comment on "Public Criminologies". Criminology & Public Policy. 9 (4). doi:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2010.00667.
  2. ^ Barak, Gregg (2007). "Doing Newsmaking Criminology from Within the aCADAMY". Theoretical Criminology. 11 (2): 191–207. doi:10.1177/1362480607075847.
  3. ^ "The Marshall Project".
  4. ^ Clear, Todd R. (2010-10-06). "Editorial Introduction to "Public Criminologies"". Criminology & Public Policy. 9 (4): 721–724. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2010.00665.x. ISSN 1538-6473.
  5. ^ a b :0
  6. ^ a b :1
  7. ^ a b Bell, Emma (2014-05-28). "There is an alternative: Challenging the logic of neoliberal penality" (PDF). Theoretical Criminology. 18 (4): 489–505. doi:10.1177/1362480614534880. ISSN 1362-4806.
  8. ^ :4
  9. ^ Crépault, Daniel (2017-07-01). "The Rise of Partisan Pedagogy: How Stakeholders Outside of the Academy are answering the Call to Public Criminology". The British Journal of Criminology. 57 (4): 789–807. doi:10.1093/bjc/azw034. ISSN 0007-0955.
  10. ^ Bangstad, Sindre (2017-01-01). "Public Anthropology in an Attention Economy". Anthropology News. 58 (1): e155–e158. doi:10.1111/AN.296. ISSN 1556-3502.
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