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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.
The evolving nature of street food?
/by Jeffrey Ian RossOver the past two decades, interest in street food has grown. Articles, books, podcasts, YouTube channels, and television shows have all celebrated the wide variety of dishes that fall under this type of cuisine. When the term street food is mentioned, it typically conjures images of vendors cooking and serving local specialties in makeshift tents, […]
Wrapping One’s Head Around Iconic Musical Performances
/by Jeffrey Ian RossLast week, while mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, I stumbled upon a clip of singer, songwriter, and jazz bassist Adeline Michèle (aka Adi Oasis), performing a gig wearing a white hotel bathrobe and a towel turban around her head. Just before taking the stage, she quickly told the person filming the video, and then the audience, […]
What’s Up with All the Cutesy-Wootsy Small American Towns?
/by Jeffrey Ian RossAcross the United States, many small rural and mountain towns have adopted a carefully curated charm that feels both nostalgic and quaint. Although these picturesque settings are appealing to some, this process often results in a loss of distinctive character. Instead of reflecting a town’s authentic history or culture, visitors are presented with an idealized, […]