Research on adequate treatment during and after imprisonment to be awarded the 2022 Stockholm Prize in Criminology

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology 2022 is awarded to Professors Peggy Giordano and Francis Cullen, both from the United States, for their research on the causes of crime and society's measures to combat and prevent crime.

Peggy Giordano and Francis Cullen have, among other things, studied factors that contribute to offenders not reoffending. Through her research, Giordano has found that a prerequisite for successful rehabilitation from crime is that the individual deeply changes his or her view of himself or herself and the world around him or her. During her career, she has examined the life course of a large group of people involved in serious crime and studied the processes that lead to the cessation of crime sooner or later. Cullen has shown that imprisonment itself does not reduce crime but that the right treatment both during and after imprisonment can make a big difference. He has also, together with other researchers, refuted the so-called 'nothing works' era, during which both researchers and politicians believed that recidivism could not be prevented.

About the winners

Peggy C. Giordano is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Bowling Green State University, where she has taught since 1974. She holds all degrees in sociology: B.A. from the University of Missouri, M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the problem behaviors of adolescents and young adults, particularly juvenile delinquency and domestic violence. 

Francis T. Cullen is Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati's School of Criminal Justice. Cullen was born in Boston in 1951, where he later received his B.A. from Bridgewater State College. His M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology were obtained from Columbia University. He has taught at the University of Cincinnati since 1982, and served as president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology. He received the ASC's Sutherland Award in 2010 and has served as editor of both the Justice Quarterly and the Journal of Crime and Justice. 

About the award

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is an international prize awarded annually. It is sponsored by the Stockholm Prize in Criminology Foundation, established by the Swedish government and the Torsten Söderberg Foundation. The prize was awarded for the first time in 2006. Some international organizations also make important contributions to the prize.

The prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in criminological research or for the practical application of research findings in the field of law enforcement and the promotion of human rights. The independent international jury is chaired by Professors Lawrence W. Sherman and Jerzy Sarnecki. The award ceremony takes place in Stockholm City Hall in connection with the Stockholm Criminology Symposium 2022, which is organized by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå).

The Torsten Söderberg Foundation and the prize

Stockholm Prize in Criminology, Stockholm University

Stockholm Criminology Symposium