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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. He brings an insider’s perspective to his work, shaped by his experience as a former courier, taxi driver, corrections worker, and union shop steward. This approach has also benefited from numerous visits to correctional facilities across North America, Europe, and South America, and firsthand research on street culture, and graffiti and street art internationally. Ross has published 30+ 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.
Japanese Rice, Curiosity, & Expertise
/by Jeffrey Ian RossGrowing up, whenever rice was prepared and served in our household, you could almost guarantee it would be Uncle Ben’s Converted rice; white, tasteless, quick, and dependable. When I moved out and began cooking for myself, I started wandering into health food stores. That’s when I discovered a whole world beyond Uncle Ben’s: basmati, brown […]
Why I Use the Word “Corrections” (Even Though It Makes Me Uneasy)
/by Jeffrey Ian RossAlthough corrections is one of my primary scholarly research areas, I’ve never been entirely comfortable with the term. And yet, I still use it. So, what do most scholars, practitioners, and journalists mean when they use corrections? Broadly speaking, the term refers to the institutions/facilities (i.e., prisons, jails, detention centers), policies, practices, programs, laws, and […]
The Continuing Relevance of Gil Scott-Heron’s “Winter in America”
/by Jeffrey Ian RossOne of my favorite songs is Gil Scott-Heron’s Winter in America. Released in 1974, in the wake of the Vietnam War and as the Watergate scandal unraveled the Nixon presidency, it captured a national mood of disillusionment and political fatigue. The Civil Rights Movement had stalled, trust in government was crumbling, and the promise of […]