The Balkan Criminology (BC) network had the honour of actively contributing to this year’s 25th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology (ESC), held from 3–6 September 2025 at The American College of Greece in Athens. The conference, celebrating a quarter-century of criminological exchange and collaboration, once again served as one of Europe’s most significant academic gatherings for criminologists, practitioners, and policymakers.
Taken from: https://eurocrim2025.com/
In this truly inspiring setting, Balkan Criminology hosted two academic events within the conference programme: a Special Pre-Arranged Panel and a Roundtable Discussion, both under Topic 5: Social Control and Criminal Justice.
The Balkan Criminology Penology Panel, chaired by Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Albrecht (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law; Balkan Criminology), offered a comparative platform for discussing recent penological research across the Balkans and neighbouring countries. Drawing on findings from the forthcoming BC volume Mapping the Penological Landscape of the Balkans, the panel examined national penal contexts, legislative shifts, and broader socio-legal transformations shaping imprisonment practices in the region.
Presentations covered a wide range of topics—from Slovenia’s penological research traditions (Gorazd Meško & Rok Hacin), Romania’s evolving penal legislation (Andra Roxana Trandafir), and Turkey’s prison reforms (Selman Dursun & Yağmur Altay), to a comparative analysis of imprisonment trends in 13 Balkan countries (Marcelo F. Aebi, Edoardo Cocco & Mélanie M. Tiago) and a normative exploration of recidivism across the region (Lea Feuerbach).
Together, these contributions provided valuable insights into the complex and evolving penal landscape of the Balkans, illustrating how historical legacies, political dynamics, and demographic factors shape sentencing and imprisonment practices today.
Following the panel, Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Albrecht and Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Getoš Kalac chaired the Balkan Criminology Roundtable, “Overlooked or Overstated? Rethinking Alleged Police Violence Against Migrants in Croatia and Beyond.” The discussion brought together scholars and practitioners to critically examine migration trends in Croatia and Europe, with a focus on the methodological and empirical challenges of researching alleged police violence.
Acknowledgment and Gratitude
Balkan Criminology extends its deepest gratitude to Professor Dr. Effi Lambropoulou, Organizer of the 2025 ESC Conference in Athens, for her exceptional dedication and hospitality. As one of the founding members of the BC Network, Prof. Lambropoulou has continuously fostered criminological dialogue and collaboration within and beyond the region. The remarkable success of this year’s jubilee conference — the 25th Annual ESC Conference — would not have been possible without her commitment, passion, and the truly Athenian spirit demonstrated by Prof. Dr. Lambropoulou and her team.
Professor Dr. Effi Lambropoulou
Looking Ahead: ESC 2026 in Warsaw
Balkan Criminology looks forward to continuing its active participation at the 2026 ESC Annual Conference, which will take place in Warsaw, Poland. We eagerly anticipate another opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen collaborations, and further advance criminological scholarship across Europe and the Balkans.
ESC Conference 2026 Announcement