Noted criminologist joins faculty
We are very pleased to report that eminent criminologist John Lea is to join the School of Applied Social Science as a Visiting Professor.
Professor Lea has a distinguished track record in the research and teaching of criminology, including such topics as organised crime, terrorism, war, criminal justice, and the history of crime and punishment. In recent years he has held the post of Professor of Criminology at Middlesex University, and has been working with the University of Brighton on the specialist areas of organised crime and prosecuting 'powerful offenders'.
During the 1980s Professor Lea, along with fellow criminologist Jock Young, played a major role in the modernisation and redevelopment of British criminology via the intellectual development of 'Left Realist Criminology'. This included the publication of two key books, What is to be done about law and order? (1984, with J. Young) and Losing the fight against crime (1986, with R. Kinsey and J. Young). This work has shaped British criminology dramatically over the last two decades, and has become influential across a wide-ranging criminal justice policy agenda (such as community and neighbourhood policing, crime prevention and community safety strategy, and youth justice). The work also had a strong influence on the crime and justice policies of the New Labour government of 1997.
In 2002, Professor Lea published the highly significant book Crime and Modernity, and he will shortly publish two further volumes: Organised and Transnational Crime and Globalisation, Crime and Terror. Both these areas of work are urgent and topical in today’s world, and will complement and develop the growing field of expertise in the criminology teaching and research team at Brighton. Professor Lea will be bringing these exciting new specialisms into our current teaching programme.
