Institute of Criminology Public Seminars: 'Testing Crime Prevention – Or Selling a Product? Conflicts of Interest in Criminology'

Speaker: Professor Manuel Eisner, Professor of Developmental and Comparative Criminology, University of Cambridge.

In areas such as medicine or engineering considerable evidence suggests that researchers with a vested interest in a given product tend to report better outcomes of randomized trials than independent researchers. But is this a problem in criminological research as well? Nobody really knows because no good research has yet been conducted on the topic. But undoubtedly there are areas of prevention and intervention practice like offender treatment programmes, parenting programmes or school-based prevention programmes where commercial products are being sold internationally on a scale that was unknown until very recently. The seminar will discuss the role of conflict of interest in the prevention industry and prevention research, show the ways in which biased results may emerge without any intentional manipulation of the data, and suggest ways to make sure that evidence-based criminology produces unbiased estimates of true effects.

Manuel Eisner is Professor of Developmental and Comparative Criminology at the Institute of Criminology of the University of Cambridge. He conducts a large-scale randomized trial on the longterm effects of early universal prevention programmes. In 2011 he won the prestigious Selin Glueck Award of the American Society of Criminology. His research interests include the history of violence, the cross-national comparative analysis of causes of crime, developmental criminology with a focus on aggression and violence, and evidence-based violence prevention.

This seminar starts at 5.30pm,and will be held in Seminar Room B3, Institute of Criminology, Sidgwick Ave, Cambridge, CB3 9DA. A drinks reception in the basement foyer will follow this seminar for attendees.

The IoC Public Seminar Series is open to all interested in attending, with no ticket required. If you wish to be added to the seminar mailing list, please contact: Joanne Garner, on: jf225@cam.ac.uk