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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.
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 […]
The Visual Evolution of Digital Age Protest Signs
/by Jeffrey Ian RossPolitical expression takes many forms. Although spoken and written words matter, provocative visuals often capture public attention more quickly and viscerally. Admittedly, some visual content, such as television programs and Hollywood films, requires significant resources to produce. However, other forms, like graffiti, street art, and memes, are far more affordable. Meanwhile, one often overlooked, enduring, […]