2024: The Year in Review—Surprises, Lessons, & a Few Doozies
Over the past year at “Ross Industries,” we’ve stayed committed to publishing a weekly blog, trying to produce thoughtful (and occasionally humorous) commentary on topics that resonate with both my readers and me. While I consistently evaluate and refine the blog throughout the year, the last week of December is a time for deeper reflection and planning. This involves reviewing which posts connected most with readers—and which didn’t—often with surprising results. Posts I anticipated would resonate sometimes fell short, while those written on a whim occasionally exceeded my expectations.
Here are this year’s top ten blog posts.
1. A Few Things I’ve Learned About Photographing Graffiti and Street Art (July 27, 2024)
The ubiquity of iPhones (with camera and video technology) has led to almost everyone and everything becoming a subject for social media posts. But what makes a good photo of graffiti and street art? After spending considerable time writing and photographing graffiti and street art, I thought sharing some of my decisions when photographing this kind of urban visual material might be helpful. This blog post explores these ideas in greater detail.
2 Appreciating Turk’s Political Criminality: The Defiance and Defense of Authority (September 2024)
This seminal book, which shaped my early scholarship (i.e., Dynamics of Political Crime (2002) and An Introduction to Political Crime (2012), serves as a model of intellectual rigor and clarity. Drawing on scholarship in criminology, political violence, and conflict theory, Political Criminality (1982) explores the relationship among power, political deviance, and the state’s response to threats to its authority. Turk’s conflict-based theory of political crime centers on the idea that power is rooted in controlling resources, with the legal and criminal justice systems used as tools to maintain social and political dominance. To achieve this goal, the state criminalizes dissent to suppress challenges and shape public opinion. The book also examines a broad spectrum of political defiance, from assassinations to wars. Despite its deep theoretical content, the book is highly accessible to readers.
3. Criminology to Challenge the Status Quo (April 15, 2024)
This blog, originally published on the Transforming Society Blog Website (part of Bristol University Press), outlines the rationale for and introduces my latest book, Introduction to Convict Criminology. In December 2024, CHOICE Editors selected the book as one of their top ten titles for the month, representing the best across various disciplines. In short, the Convict Criminology (CC) approach and practice, which has existed for nearly three decades, is built upon three main initiatives: scholarship, activism/mentorship, and advocacy. Its primary aim is to acknowledge and enable the voices and experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in criminological and criminal justice scholarship. This movement recognizes how lived experience can reshape the study of corrections, criminology, and criminal justice. The recently published Introduction to Convict Criminology consolidates the field’s scholarship, tracing its history, accomplishments, and transformative impact on individuals, corrections, and the criminal justice system.
4. What do Criminologists Wear? (December 15, 2024)
Have you ever wondered if there are particular types of clothing that people in certain professions wear? This blog post, released later in the year, outlined some of my observations and a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the role of clothing in academia with a special focus on the criminology/criminal justice field. Like in our relationships with others, some of us are more conscious than others about what we wear, when we wear it, and its impact.
5. My go-to scholarly books on Graffiti (February 12, 2024)
Analyzing significant books, films, and music helps me better understand creative works, especially why I like or dislike them. Scholarship on graffiti and street art varies widely in quality. While my Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art (2019) offers a comprehensive overview, this post highlights what I consider the best academic books on graffiti. These works are indispensable resources for those interested in understanding this subject in greater depth.
6. What are the Hot Research Topics and Questions in Criminology and Criminal Justice? (July 20, 2024)
I’m often asked by students and fellow criminologists what topics in my field I think where there is a demand for research. It’s only natural. People don’t want to waste their resources (usually time and money) conducting research, writing up their findings, and maybe even getting it published without it having any impact. So, it is essential to get it right from the beginning. But this process is not without numerous caveats, including the fact that just because something is “hot” does not mean that you are interested in the topic and that it can sustain you. Imagine slogging through interviews, gathering data, and testing it, when you’d rather watch re-runs of The Wire or some other mindless activity that gives you pleasure.
7. The Power of Language in Criminal Justice (September 22, 2024)
Language is important. It helps us communicate with others. But people and organizations often use the wrong words. Words have meanings that are not always shared. We don’t walk around with dictionaries constantly consulting them to see if what others just said makes sense. Many words are demeaning, and every sphere of life has its own. However, the criminology and criminal justice fields have unique words for the individuals who commit crimes and those who work for criminal justice agencies.
8. Whose Version of “The Sky is Crying” is the Best? (June 23, 2024)
From Muddy Waters to Jimi Hendrix, I’ve always enjoyed the blues, but writing about music on my blog is a departure. (Fun fact: several years ago, my wife and children suggested I start a music blog, so now they’re somewhat vindicated.) Although I’ve never successfully played an instrument and struggled with reading sheet music, music has always been a creative force in my life. I love live performances, the complexity of songs, and their delivery. For all sorts of reasons, I listen to music for nearly sixteen hours a day, so it’s only natural that I would be discerning about what I expose my ears to.
9. My Beef with Person-Centered Language (August 25, 2024)
Those who know me well understand that I’m not particularly fond of language politics. I’m not suggesting that language doesn’t matter—on the contrary, I recognize that the words and labels we use can significantly impact us. When the Convict Criminology (CC) approach and practice started, we quickly noticed the demeaning language often used to describe people with criminal convictions and those currently incarcerated. At the same time, we championed the idea that it’s not for others to decide how we define ourselves. Within the CC praxis, there are differing views on language. Some embrace terms like “convict,” “inmate,” or “prisoner,” seeing them as a way to reclaim identity and challenge stigmas. Others, influenced perhaps by liberal or politically correct perspectives, push to change the language as if doing so will magically improve the lives of those behind bars or those impacted by the justice system. I disagree with this approach. Changing the terms doesn’t necessarily equate to meaningful change in the lives of justice-involved individuals, nor is it the first step in a more significant transformation. Everyone has the right to choose how they are called; that autonomy should be respected. But I find the overemphasis on changing labels without addressing the deeper issues at play misguided. It’s not the language that’s the problem—it’s the systems that sustain the inequalities we see.
10. Are Most Academic Departments, Schools, and Colleges of Criminology or Criminal Justice Cop Shops? (March 11, 2024)
This post garnered the most attention this year. The educational and professional backgrounds of the people who work in your workplace shape the working culture of numerous jobs. In academic environments, this can include what subjects they emphasize and which ones they avoid. It also consists of the expectations of our students. In this piece, I look at the infamous “challenge” of working in and for academic jobs at the so-called “cop shop” criminology departments, where a disproportionate number of the professors and instructors are former (or current criminal justice practitioners). In many respects, I also instill this commentary with a bit of realism that this label may be used unfairly and that cop shop departments may also be decent places to work.
Thinking about 2025
As 2024 winds down, I find myself reflecting on key questions that guide my work:
- What topics should I tackle next?
- How can I approach these challenges more effectively?
- What insights resonate most with my readers?
- How can I help you better navigate and understand this crazy world?
- Should I post more often or dive deeper into fewer, more substantive pieces?
These items shape the content I produce and the projects I select to work on.
Looking ahead to 2025, I’m excited about new plans and ideas already in motion.
While I’ll keep the details private for now, I promise they will build on everything I’ve learned this past year and those that preceded it.
Meanwhile, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported my work, whether by reading, sharing, or offering constructive feedback.
You make this journey deeply rewarding, and your input continues shaping my work.
As we enter the new year, I encourage you to stay curious, reflect often, and share your creative or scholarly work with the world.
At ‘Ross Industries,’ we’re calling it a wrap and punching out for the year. Here’s to a productive and inspiring 2025!
Photo Credit
Title: First shift of miners at the Virginia Pocahontas Cool company mine near Richland, Virginia, leaving the elevator (1974)
Photographer: Jack Corn
