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About
Criminologist, Scholar, & Consultant
Jeffrey Ian Ross, Ph.D., is a criminologist at the University of Baltimore and co-founder of Convict Criminology. His approach is shaped by nearly a decade of work before entering academia, as a courier, cab driver, corrections worker, and union shop steward. It is further grounded in three decades of visiting correctional facilities across North America, Europe, and South America, researching the conditions inside them, and having conversations with convicts and correctional officers and administrators. It also draws on interviews with formerly incarcerated people outside those facilities, and on ethnographic fieldwork on street culture and on graffiti and street art internationally. Ross has published more than thirty books and shares his expertise on corrections, policing, political crime, street culture, and graffiti and street art through scholarship, public writing, speaking, media commentary, and consulting.
Ten Years as a Nightclub Promoter Is Not a PhD in Psychology
/by Jeffrey Ian RossRecently I watched a YouTube video about Chris Williamson, the podcaster behind Modern Wisdom. The narrator said, “Chris worked as a nightclub promoter for over ten years, which basically meant that he got a PhD in Psychology.” That statement made me wince. Sure, I understand the point. A decade doing this kind of work could […]
The Cornell Group Chat & the Code of Silence
/by Jeffrey Ian RossAs a husband, father, and human being, numerous aspects of the Cornell University rape case outrage me. But what consistently sticks is this: no one in the Chi Phi Snap group chat appears to have intervened. I can think of several possible reasons why. Some make more sense than others, and understanding those reasons may […]
The Ten-Dollar Corkscrew
/by Jeffrey Ian RossAlmost every time I visit Brooklyn, I stop by the same small wine shop and buy a bottle of wine. It has a great selection; it’s convenient to where I stay; the prices are reasonable; and the staff is knowledgeable. I’ve always been happy with the wines they recommend. Last week, after buying a bottle, […]