Editorial system and Correspondents

Editorial system?  That would be me. This is still very much a personal project. But I would like to get on with my own writing this next 12 months, now the shape, technology and style of CrimeTalk is established. I have created an opportunity for you all to bring your work and ideas to a broad global audience. so, do let me know if you would like to contribute or even to get some experience in criminological journalism.

I have had some support from the Correspondents below, for love not money, who see the vision and want to help build it. But they have their own jobs and lives. You can mail any of them directly and privately via our CrimSoc, if you are registered. They are:

Curtis Jackson-Jacobs for the USA. His profile is now onsite here.

Karen Joe Laidler for Hong Kong and China. Her profile is now onsite here.

From the outset, Professors Steve Hall and Steve Tombs, in the UK, Frank Pearce in Canada, and Sebastian Scheerer in Germany helped me get started; and Professors Gil Geis [USA], Maggie O'Neill [UK], and Amedeo Cottino [Italy].

But, if there is anyone out there who likes the CrimeTalk project and would like to help me develop it, please get in touch at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CrimeTalk still needs voluntary correspondents and/or commissioning editors in as many countries as we can reach. I need people to write, commission or generate contributions, to post on their country's crime and justice news and developments, and to tweet useful information, with links, to CrimeTalkEd on Twitter. Maybe also to form graduate discussion groups on particular research topics. An academic or grad student, police officer, lawyer, social worker or journalist would be great. There is no pay but the experience would probably be of career value as well as being very interesting. It would especially suit someone who understands the power and potential of the internet in creating networks and is familiar with Twitter and new social media. Volunteers please!

Does this mean articles are not peer-reviewed like those in academic journals? Yes, that's right, but I will gladly organize peer review for any academic who wants it. Remember this is not an academic journal and CrimeTalk articles are to be written in the style of informed journalism and there will hopefully be plenty written by police, social workers or members of the public.

Is CrimeTalk partisan, political or ideological? Well, not really. All views are welcome and, unlike many newspapers and blogs, I will publish stuff I strongly disagree with. Crime, justice and anti-social behaviour have always been the subject of huge differences of opinion.

I call it as I see it in my own writings, but, like most academics, I am deeply committed to a notion of the pursuit of truth and well aware that there are many truths out there. I therefore try to be accurate and fair, and do not, on principle, wish to personalize or individualize what are nearly always general, social or systemic issues. Of course, many of my old friends are lefty academics, but I quit academia gladly a decade ago and no-one should assume I want only lefties or academics to write to and for CrimeTalk. Far from it, it would be better for the quality level here if all kinds of people expressed all kinds of views in CrimeTalk, subject to a rejection of hate speech of any kind: see my Disclaimer. Over many years of teaching in universities, I enjoyed sparring with quality Tories and Liberals. The Left certainly does not have a prerogative on wisdom, any more than the Right has over self-serving stupidity. 

Administration - Help/Info/Resources