The Achievements of Białystok School of Criminology

Abstract

The aim of this article is to bring the most important achievements of Bialystok School of Criminology closer to the readers. The Faculty of Law of the University of Bialystok, specifically the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, is one of the leading Polish academic entities conducting extensive research in the field of criminology. In 2016, in the ranking organized by the Rzeczpospolita daily newspaper, the Faculty received the highest score of all the evaluated Polish universities which have law faculties, both state and private, in the area of international cooperation. What is more, Bialystok is the leader in the 2017 ranking of the 25 faculties of law of Polish universities, prepared as a result of the most important evaluation performed every four years by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and was awarded the highest (A) category. The paper presents not only the international criminology conferences and research that Bialystok School of Criminology has been part of, but also its own initiatives both at the national and international level. For example one of the pioneering ventures on a national scale was the 1st Poland-wide Forum of Young Criminologists held by the Faculty of Law of the University of Bialystok as a regular event. One of the most impressive recent initiatives of BSC was the creation of the International Centre for Criminological Research and Expertise. The paper contains more information about the projects mentioned and others as well as an introduction to the diverse and interdisciplinary topics undertaken by Bialystok’s criminologists.