Books

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (April 15, 2026). Letters to a Young Criminologist, New York, NY: Routledge Publishers.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (2024). Introduction to Convict Criminology, Bristol, England: Bristol University Press.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (Ed.) (2021). Routledge Handbook of Street Culture. New York: Routledge Publishers.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian and Francesca Vianello (Eds.) (2020). Convict Criminology for The Future. New York: Routledge Publishers.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (Ed.) (2016). Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art. New York: Routledge Publishers.

Latest Blog Posts

Why do most East Coast beach towns in the United States seem the same?

During the summer, many Americans trundle off with friends, family (and dog), or both to visit, spend time or relax at popular East Coast beach towns. If you participate in or witness this annual ritual you may eventually notice that there is a significant amount of homogeneity, predictability, redundancy and eventual monotony in the towns, […]

Stop giving the Neanderthals so much credit. Why prehistoric cave painting is not graffiti

Some individuals suggest that the origins of graffiti date back to the prolific work of the late 1960s “Old School” New York City subway graffiti writers. Others may interject by saying that one need only look at the political slogans of “wall painters,” that appeared during the numerous domestic and international conflicts of the 20th […]

Attempting to understand the aesthetics of graffiti and street art pieces

Urban dwellers pass by graffiti and street art every day without stopping to take notice, but during those rare moments when we have time and motivation it’s useful to examine the aesthetics of this type of urban art in our community or the places we travel to. Short of asking the writer or artist to […]

About

Criminologist, Scholar, & Consultant

Jeffrey Ian Ross photo

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.

Learn More

Bio

Criminologist, Scholar, & Consultant

Jeffrey Ian Ross photo

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.

Learn More

Latest Blog Posts

Why do most East Coast beach towns in the United States seem the same?

During the summer, many Americans trundle off with friends, family (and dog), or both to visit, spend time or relax at popular East Coast beach towns. If you participate in or witness this annual ritual you may eventually notice that there is a significant amount of homogeneity, predictability, redundancy and eventual monotony in the towns, […]

Stop giving the Neanderthals so much credit. Why prehistoric cave painting is not graffiti

Some individuals suggest that the origins of graffiti date back to the prolific work of the late 1960s “Old School” New York City subway graffiti writers. Others may interject by saying that one need only look at the political slogans of “wall painters,” that appeared during the numerous domestic and international conflicts of the 20th […]

Attempting to understand the aesthetics of graffiti and street art pieces

Urban dwellers pass by graffiti and street art every day without stopping to take notice, but during those rare moments when we have time and motivation it’s useful to examine the aesthetics of this type of urban art in our community or the places we travel to. Short of asking the writer or artist to […]

Books

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (April 15, 2026). Letters to a Young Criminologist, New York, NY: Routledge Publishers.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (2024). Introduction to Convict Criminology, Bristol, England: Bristol University Press; First Edition.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (Ed.) (2021). Routledge Handbook of Street Culture. New York: Routledge Publishers.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian and Francesca Vianello (Eds.) (2020). Convict Criminology for The Future. New York: Routledge Publishers.

Ross, Jeffrey Ian. (Ed.) (2016). Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art. New York: Routledge Publishers.