Kriminologie - Das Online-Journal | Criminology - The Online Journal
Kriminologie - Das Online-Journal | Criminology - The Online Journal (KrimOJ) is the first open access journal in the field of criminology initiated from Germany. The three-monthly journal makes all contributions available to its readers free of charge. However, authors are not charged any costs either. The journal offers a scientific forum for all relevant disciplines. KrimOJ is designed for anyone who is interested in the academic debate surrounding issues in the field of criminology. For this reason, we publish articles in both German and English. Easy availability, the widest possible distribution and free publication - KrimOJ offers all the advantages of the Open Access format without neglecting the quality of the content. Our high quality standards are ensured by a double-blind peer review process, in which at least two independent reviewers are involved. The journal is also the ideal forum for your manuscript. Submit your article to us now – we accept submissions throughout the year and on any criminology-related topic.
The Digital Ecosystem of Prepping-Related Channels and Groups on Telegram. Results of a Network Analysis
Prepping is a practice aimed at preparing for specific crisis events. The assumed events motivating crisis preparedness vary widely, ranging from unemployment to natural disasters or societal collapse (cf., Barker, 2020; Luy, 2021). Crisis preparedness is also a topic of interest for the far-right, whose social Darwinism, cultural pessimism, and apocalyptic thinking occasionally align with the beliefs found among preppers. Consequently, prepping discourses become fertile grounds for the normalization of misanthropic and anti-pluralist narratives. This study examines the digital ecosystem of 23 Telegram groups and channels related to prepping, and analyzes which actors are referenced through forwarded messages. Network analysis was used to explore the digital environment of prepping groups and channels. The findings reveal that most of the ecosystem is dominated by actors propagating conspiratorial to far-right narratives, whereas a few outliers show little or no connection to these actors.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kriminologie - Das Online-Journal | Criminology - The Online Journal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Secret Investigative Measures: A Comparison of Criminal Procedure between Kosovo and Albania
This study explores the application of covert technical and tactical measures in criminal investigations in Albania and Kosovo, emphasizing their effectiveness, adherence to legal standards, and respect for human rights. By comparing both countries’ approaches, the study evaluates the role of these measures in combating organized crime while safeguarding individual privacy and aligning with international norms.A structured questionnaire was administered to 50 citizens in Albania and Kosovo, assessing perceptions of the effectiveness, legality, human rights implications, and technological adaptability of covert investigative tools. Likert-scale questions provided a broad understanding of public sentiment. The findings indicate that most respondents perceive these measures as effective, particularly against organized crime. However, concerns about judicial oversight, privacy protection, and compliance with international human rights standards persist. Enhancing legal frameworks, transparency, and data security could improve public trust and the overall efficacy of these measures.
30. Deutscher Präventionstag – Tagungsbericht
Am 23. und 24. Juni 2025 fand in Augsburg der 30. Deutsche Präventionstag (DPT) statt. Im Rahmen dieser Fachkongresse kommen einmal jährlich die unterschiedlichen Akteur:innen, die im weitgefassten Feld der Gewalt- und Kriminalprävention aktiv sind, zu einem intensiven Austausch zusammen.
Laudatio zum Artikel des Jahres 2024: Cybergrooming – eine Bestandsaufnahme und zwei Schlussfolgerungen
Ein Geheimrezept für einen gelungenen wissenschaftlichen Artikel gibt es nicht – aber doch einige Zutaten, die erfahrungsgemäß zum Gelingen beitragen: ein aktuelles und interessantes Thema, eine klare und verständliche Sprache, eine instruktive Aufarbeitung des Wissensstandes aus dem Blickwinkel verschiedener Disziplinen und – besonders wichtig: neue (auch praxisbezogene) Ansätze und Ideen, welche die Leserschaft zum Nachdenken anregen und vielleicht sogar andere Forschende inspirieren, sich demselben Themenkreis zu widmen. Der Text von Tom Kattenberg enthält all dies und ist daher ganz zu Recht zum Beitrag des Jahres 2024 gewählt worden.
Statement on the 2024 Article of the Year: Cybergrooming – An Inventory and Two Conclusions
There is no secret recipe for a successful academic article, but – based on experience – there are a few ingredients that will contribute to its success: a current and interesting topic; clear and understandable language; an instructive review of the state of knowledge from the perspective of various disciplines; and – particularly important – new (including practical) approaches and ideas that encourage readers to think and perhaps even inspire other researchers to address the same topic. Tom Kattenberg’s text contains all of this and has therefore rightly been chosen as the article of the year for 2024.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as a Cause of Blame-Exclusion: A Criminological Analysis in Spain
This research analyses the criminological and legal-criminal consequences of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) on the criminal responsibility of people who commit a crime according to the Spanish penal system. FASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol that results in alterations in a person's cognitive capacity, which in the future can affect the ability to understand the wrongfulness of their actions and even regulate their behaviour. Articles 20 and 21 of the Spanish Penal Code regulate the conditions under which a person may be exempted from criminal responsibility for mental disorders or cognitive impairments. This research aims to provide an interdisciplinary view of FASD in the context of Spanish criminal law, analysing whether it can constitute a reason for total or partial exoneration from criminal responsibility. To this end, a qualitative analysis of case law is carried out. The article explains how the courts have interpreted the disorder in relation to an element of the crime called culpability, highlighting the distinction between total exoneration and mitigating circumstances. While some people with FASD may lack full awareness of the illegality of their actions, others may retain partial responsibility. This study contributes, in turn, to the debate on FASD and criminal responsibility, emphasising the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between legal professionals, forensic experts and mental health professionals to ensure fair and evidence-based judicial decisions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kriminologie - Das Online-Journal | Criminology - The Online Journal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
An Overview of Empirical Studies of the Relationship Between Personal Attitudes Towards Crime and Trust in the Police in Germany – Conceptual and Methodological Inconsistencies
Police power to act requires the trust of the population. The conviction of being protected by the police can reduce security concerns, while subjective insecurity can result in doubts about their competence. A literature search identified 38 publications in the form of institute reports, journal articles, monographs and anthologies on a total of 28 data sources that deal specifically with the relationship between personal attitudes to crime and trust in the police in Germany. Although a correlation is reported in the majority of cases, a differentiated examination of the individual publications reveals divergences and deficits with regard to the underlying theoretical concepts and the survey and evaluation methods. There is a need for greater use of multivariate evaluation methods, more frequent use of several indicators to depict both aspects and clear and uniform definitions of concepts and terms in order to ensure better comparability of the results.
The Relevance of Implicit Attitudes in Criminology: A Comparison of Explicit and Implicit Attitudes Toward CCTV in Germany and the United Kingdom
The surveillance of public spaces through CCTV for crime prevention has gained importance worldwide; however, findings regarding its preventive effect remain inconsistent. Methodological concerns relate to the validity of statistical comparisons and the limitations of traditional survey methods, particularly in connection with fear of crime. This exploratory study investigates explicit and implicit attitudes toward CCTV based on non-representative samples from Germany and the United Kingdom. While explicit attitudes were measured using questionnaires, a Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT) was employed to capture implicit attitudes. The results reveal significant differences between the two measurement methods as well as within the country-specific samples. While the differences in the United Kingdom tend to cluster around neutral mean values, the German sample shows clearly positive explicit attitudes toward CCTV, contrasted by more negative tendencies in the implicit measurements. This discrepancy highlights the importance of distinguishing between conscious and unconscious perceptions. The findings offer valuable impulses for the development of culturally sensitive and differentiated security policies and provide a basis for further research.
In the context of municipal crime prevention, the reduction of unfounded fear of crime has become more important, as this fear corresponds to numerous negative phenomena. This study examines whether the fear of crime has an impact on voting behavior and leads to a strengthening of authoritarian-conservative parties and a weakening of innovation-oriented parties. To this end, a population survey in Stuttgart was used to examine the relationship between fear of crime and voting behavior, and whether this relationship could be explained by control variables. The results indicate a relationship between fear of crime and voting behavior with regard to the AfD and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. This association cannot be explained by causes of fear of crime and anxiety. For the other parties, no significant connection was found between fear of crime and voting behavior. The findings suggest that individuals with a strongly fear of crime prefer authoritarian-conservative parties and reject progressive ones.
Criminology in North Rhine-Westphalia - Conference report on the sixth annual conference of the “Criminology in NRW” network at the University of Münster from March 13th to 14th, 2025
The sixth annual conference of the ”Criminology in NRW" network took place at the University of Münster in March 2025. It focused the topic “Dangerous childhood! Interdisciplinary perspectives on young offenders, victims and the criminal process“.
“Tools & Media” – a Collection for Criminological Education and Training
The "Tools & Media" section of the "KrimDok" bibliographic database contains a collection of teaching materials and information resources that can be used to support academic teaching and personal advancement.
Der Beitrag stellt die neu eingerichtete Rubrik des KrimOJ vor, in der zukünftig regelmäßig Neuerungen an der bibliographischen Datenbank „KrimDok“ sowie die Angebote und Entwicklungen des FID Kriminologie vorgestellt werden.
Criminological Information Service Criminology (FID Kriminologie)
criminological infrastructure in Germany
The article introduces the newly established section of the KrimOJ, in which innovations in the biblio-graphical database “KrimDok” and the offers and developments of the Criminological Information Ser-vice (FID Kriminologie) will be presented regularly in the future.
Criminological Infrastructure in Germany
Control Function or Loss of Control? An Interpretative Pattern Analysis of Placement Decisions in Open Prisons
The daily work routine in correctional facilities is characterised by risk assessments and complex decisions, one of which is choosing the appropriate form of detention. Due to media debates about incidents occurring in open detention and an increasing attribution of erroneous decisions to individual responsibility, this choice poses a particular challenge. This raises the question of how placement decisions are made within the prison system and what interpretative patterns are used to legitimise these decisions. To investigate this, placement decisions for open detention were examined through a sequential analysis of correctional plans from 15 inmate files to reconstruct frameworks of order as well as interpretative patterns from a sociology of knowledge perspective. In total, four interpretative patterns were identified: Learning environment, Overwhelm, Differentiation from others, and Criminality as a character trait. The analysis shows that the open prison is characterised by a tension between freedom and security, where the form of detention – depending on the interpretative pattern – functions either as a control mechanism or entails loss of control. Furthermore, it highlights how strongly social control is embedded in the penal system and how the attribution of social problems serves to legitimise decisions.
Global Regulation of Cybercrime through International Law and Cyberconventions
Background: This study examines the necessity of regulating cybercrime through international law and treaties, emphasising the role of the Budapest Convention as a foundational agreement. It explores the perception of global realities of cyberspace, prospects for legislative harmonization, and an international response to the legal status of the problem. The study highlights the urgent need to regulate cybercrime within the framework of international criminal law because of its persuasive threats across the globe. In terms of method, it uses normative legal research, analysing the international legal foundations based on the Budapest Convention and contrasting them with other types of comparative legal reasoning in and outside of the European Union. Technological insight is also looked at with a view to monitoring existing programs and recommending more effective mechanisms to combat cybercrime. Foremost among the findings is the irrefutable need for a legally interned unified world system of legal framework to fight cybercrime. The Budapest Convention serves as a starting point, while the ever-morphing nature of threats justifies the development of newer legal norms through the continuous transformation of reactive law. It discusses the need for uniform definitions of the law, better interaction between the public and private sectors, and better ethical definitions and practices of data collection and dissemination.
Convention on Cybercrime and Cooperation
Extremism Among Adolescents in Lower Saxony. Results of a School Survey of Seventh Graders
Extremism is a growing problem in Europe. Radicalisation, the process of how people become extremists, often starts early in life. Risk and protective factors for extremism are well researched, but the question remains, to what extent does the younger generation reproduce extremist attitudes, and which factors play a role, particularly in adolescence. Building on Beelmann’s (2020) radicalisation model and metastudies, the study took into account explanatory factors. The database consists of a sample of 7,779 seventh graders from Lower Saxony, Germany, and was conducted by the Criminological Research In-stitute of Lower Saxony in 2022. This random sample was used to examine extremist attitudes and de-terminants for both Islamist and right-wing extremist attitudes. The results indicate that for Muslims in particular, the feeling of being marginalised as Muslims, authoritarianism, and lacking law-abidingness play a significant role in explaining Islamist attitudes. For right-wing attitudes, the main determinants are authoritarianism, lacking law-abidingness, and poor school grades, among others.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kriminologie - Das Online-Journal | Criminology - The Online Journal
Hyperfemininity. Figures of Social Differentiation and Marginalisation in the Penal System
The starting point for our study is the widespread assumption that the low proportion of women in the prison population (around 5 % of all prisoners in Germany are female) is the cause of their “special situation. Compared to male inmates, incarcerated women are described as a minority that is confronted with “special problems” that make incarcerated women victims. However, the special circumstances represent deprivations that Sykes (2007) already outlined for male prisoners in the 1950s as the pains of imprisonment. The loss of goods, security, and social relationships therefore represents an enormous burden of imprisonment. While the pains of imprisonment have become a standard concept guiding prison research and, consequently, interactions with those affected, an analysis of the marginalisationof female and trans*gender people in prison contexts has not yet been carried out. In this article, we present such an analysis based on the results of ethnographic research in the prison system and highlight relevant discursive figures that arise when femininities are addressed in everyday prison life. They culminate in forms of hyperfemininity, which on the one hand emphasise female agency but also promote marginalisation of the inmates concerned on the other.
Access to Justice in Prison is not a Crime, is it?
This paper explores the extent to which prisoners who claim their rights in cases of conflict within the prison setting are subject to criminalisation or sanctioning. It examines the significance of effective legal protection in the prison system from a legal and sociological perspective before presenting empirical findings. These stem from an international research project titled “Prisons: The Rule of Law, Accountability and Rights (PRILA)” as well as experiences from several years of project work in the Berlin prison system (“Recht verständlich”, “Uni im Vollzug”). Finally, by drawing on perspectives from prison theory, the paper discusses key findings.
Neutralisation Techniques in the Control of Forced Labour: The Case of the ILO Engagement in Uzbekistan
This paper focuses on forced labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton harvest. It uncovers and deconstructs the narratives of organisational actors in the process of combating this form of state crime. We employ a deductive qualitative analysis of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) third-party harvest monitoring reports (2015 to 2022) and find that the ILO employs neutralisation techniques in its communication to ensure ongoing cooperation with the Uzbek government. Our findings reveal a paradox: The neutralisation- and trust-based mode of cooperation chosen by the ILO was seemingly effective in improving the labour rights situation during the cotton harvest. However, it also had a stabilising, integrating, and legitimising effect on the Uzbek government, providing it with an overall “clean bill of health” regarding human rights, and in the process, possibly obscuring transgressions in other sectors.
(De-)Criminalisation. Introduction to the Special Issue
This Special Issue documents contributions presented at the annual conference “(De-)Criminalisation”of the network “Criminology in North Rhine-Westphalia” in Siegen on 21st and 22nd March 2024.
(Ent-)Kriminalisierung. Einleitung zum Special Issue
Dieses Special Issue dokumentiert Beiträge, die im am 21. und 22. März 2024 bei der Jahrestagung „(Ent-)Kriminalisierung“ des Netzwerks „Kriminologie in Nordrhein-Westfalen“ in Siegen präsentiert wurden.
A Master Plan for Public Safety – Concept and Implementation in Cologne
Crime prevention in the community is – among other things – focused on the fear of crime in public spaces and designing them to promote safety. The article presents the three-stage concept and instru-ments of the “Master Plan for Public Safety” of the city of Cologne, which can be used to obtain action guidelines for burdened places. The multi-method mix has been tested successfully: The indicator model in stage one is used to identify neighbourhoods characterised by increased fluctuation, an occurrence of hot spots of disorder, and a high level of street crime per inhabitant. The structural images ob-tained are evaluated in stage two in collaboration with local stakeholders. Stage three involves in-depth investigations in selected neighbourhoods using the method of triangulation, in which safety is comprehensively assessed from multiple perspectives using independent methodological approaches. A focus on particularly stressed micro-segments helps to avoid labelling areas as “unsafe”.
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design CPTED
Resocialisation as an Empty Promise: Why the Penal System Falls Short of its Own Aspirations Findings and Insights from Prison Climate Research in Germany
In Germany, resocialisation is both a fundamental right of prisoners and the primary goal of the prison system. This article examines the extent to which the German prison system fulfils these requirements. To this end, it draws on data from 220 adult male prisoners and 203 members of staff from a research project that explores the social climate in two German prisons. The aim of this paper is not to contrast the two prisons with their differing conditions, histories, and locations, but to explore how “alive” or tangible the idea of resocialisation is for the people living and working in prison. Our findings demonstrate that resocialisation is more of an “empty promise” than it is a reality. Both prisons – each in its own way – ultimately falls short of implementing enshrined legal requirements and its own standards. The article illustrates how and why resocialisation efforts within these institutions fail by drawing on survey data, interviews, and observation. The reasons for the gap between ideal and reality lie in systemic constraints (in particular a lack of resources) and conflicting objectives and priorities. These dynamics result in resignation and disappointment among prisoners, while staff sometimes resort to problematic attitudes that reveal deep-seated doubts, even denial, regarding the benefits of resocialisation.
Cybercrime Victimisation and Categorization – A View from the Perspective of Routine-Activity-Theory (RAT)
This study explores the intersection of cybercrime victimisation and prevention through the lens of Routine Activity Theory (RAT). Using a representative survey in Austria, the research examines the victimisation experiences of private individuals, focussing on financial, data, and personal cybercrimes. The findings reveal significant differences in demographics and guardianship levels among victims of different cybercrime types. Notably, higher levels of physical and personal guardianship were unexpectedly correlated with increased victimisation. This study underscores the heterogeneity of cybercrime and the need for nuanced prevention strategies that take into account the distinct characteristics of various cybercrime types. The implications highlight the complexity of the relationship between cybersecurity measures and victimisation, challenging assumptions about the protective efficacy of increased cybersecurity awareness and measures.
Cultural-Theoretical Perspectives on Italian Organised Crime and Racketeering: Civil Society and Criminal Policy Conclusions for Germany
This paper discusses Italian organised crime (IOC) from a cultural-theoretical perspective, focussing on ‘Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra as well as racketeering in the context of IOC. Among other things, the organisations’ values and norms, the modi operandi and the functions of protection money as well as the societal reactions to the phenomena will be addressed. In addition to the pursuit of profit, the need to exert social influence and implement own value systems on claimed territories are characteristic features of IOC. Extortion of protection money is the preferred instrument to consolidate the clans’ or families’ control over individuals or other social groups. Similar expansion tendencies can be observed in Germany. Italian or Italian-born restaurateurs especially are at risk of victimisation. Relationships within the organisations are also hierarchical, even though they also aim to strengthen internal cohesion. A fluid transition between family and organisational structures can be observed especially within the ‘Ndrangheta. In concluding, the paper presents a cultural-theoretical classification of the phenomena and criminal policies as well as civil society implications for Germany.
KrimOJ applies a double-blind peer review process, which means that throughout the review the identities of both reviewers and authors are concealed from each other. Reviewers are not paid and work as part of the academic community. By listing them here, we extend our gratitude for their work.
Copyright (c) 2024 Kriminologie - Das Online-Journal | Criminology - The Online Journal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Stigmatisation of Transgender People in Indian Blood Donation Policies
In recent years, India has started to open up to changes that challenge patriarchal norms. Following the decriminalisation of Section 377 IPC by Indian law, decades of intersecting oppressions and tags on the queer community were reformed. However, victimisation and stigmatisation of sexual and gender minorities still continues in various areas of life, including the healthcare sector. This was evident during the Covid pandemic, which created a strong demand for blood donations, but in many reported cases, the queer community was denied the opportunity to donate blood, which clearly demonstrates that while laws have evolved, stigmatisation persists. This paper focuses on Indian blood donation guidelines, reviews about laws that are being put into place to prevent queer people from donating blood, and discusses countries where queer people are excluded from blood donation programs. The paper closes with a set of suggestions to help overcome discriminatory blood donation policies.
From Treason to ‘Germanophobia’ – Political Criminality as Concept Creep
This paper investigates a shift in the concept of “political crime” in reunified Germany. It analyzes a gradual expansion of the concept, starting with its narrow, state-centered definition in the early 1990s. This definition then was gradually broadened to the point where it now contains a range of bias-motivated crimes. In order to explain these changes, the paper applies the psychology-based model of concept creep to the field of political crime. From this theoretical perspective, the conceptual expansion can take on “horizontal” and “vertical” forms: It expands outward, thereby producing new forms of political crime; and it expands downward as it subjectifies the definition criteria and thereby includes more cases. The cause of this expansion is a discursive shift. The state responds to political pressure in the context of a public conflict over the definition and recognition of political crime. The consequences of this response are ambivalent, as the progressive notion of expanding the moral circle threatens to give way to the relativization of oppression by equating different victim groups.
Fear of Crime, Victimization, and Changes in Life Routines: A Structural Equation Model
The aim of this paper was to apply self-control/risky lifestyle theory on the risk of cyberstalking victimization in a younger age group by using a representative student sample from Germany. Results show that cyberstalking victimization is experienced by 18.2% of the representative sample of ninth-grade students. Girls were more often victimized than boys. Only a minority experience cyberstalking exclusively, whereas considerably more juveniles report having experienced both offline stalking and cyberstalking. The findings from the parallel multiple mediation models corroborate self-control/lifestyle theory and align with a growing body of literature indicating that low self-control has both direct and indirect effects on the risk of experiencing cyberstalking. For both genders, risk-seeking is significantly and positively associated with the risk of experiencing cyberstalking victimization, both directly and indirectly.
Open Science and Open Data in Criminology – Conference report on the first international workshop on transparent research practices in criminology at the University of Cologne.
In September 2024, the University of Cologne hosted the first in-person workshop on Open Science (OS) and Open Data in European Criminology. It was the first event of its kind, organized in a mini-conference format.