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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.
How many correctional systems does it take to install air conditioning?
/by Jeffrey Ian RossA year has passed since widespread news and social media attention highlighted the lack of air conditioning in many city, county, and state prison systems in the United States, and several deaths that resulted from this state of affairs. This crisis, which affects inmates, correctional officers, administrators, and staff, is the result of nonexistent cooling […]
No Country for Old Politicians
/by Jeffrey Ian RossAfter Thursday’s presidential debate, not only are Democratic-friendly political analysts and pundits seriously questioning Biden’s run for the presidency, but there’s also increased handwringing among the Democratic Party faithful. Understandably, no election, regardless of jurisdiction or importance, is won or lost solely based on a political debate between the leading candidates. And it’s unrealistic to […]
Whose Version of “The Sky is Crying” is the Best?
/by Jeffrey Ian RossIn 1959, blues musician Elmore James wrote and released the song “The Sky is Crying.” This piece quickly became a blues standard, celebrated for James’s soulful slide guitar and heartfelt vocals. The song’s melancholic message, conveyed through a deeply engaging tune, captures the essence of the blues and resonated with many listeners. “The Sky is […]