Institute of Criminology Public Seminars: 'Criminology and Peace-Building in Areas of Frozen Conflict: The Case of Cyprus'

Speaker: Professor Andreas Kapardis, Professor of Legal Psychology, Department of Law, University of Cyprus, and President of the Cyprus Society of Criminology

The Bi-Communal Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters (TCCCM) in Cyprus comprises Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots and was established in 2008 to work on trust-building measures in order to facilitate the climate in the settlement talks between the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the leader of the Turkish-Cypriot community. TCCCM has organised a number of bi-communal seminars in the buffer zone on a broad range of contemporary criminological issues and since 2009 it operates, with the support of the United Nations Force in Cyprus, a bi-communal ‘Joint Contact Room’ (JCR) staffed full-time by two Greek- and two Turkish-Cypriots. The JCR deals with relevant cases as they arise daily because of the existence of the ‘Green Line’ that divides the island since the Turkish invasion in 1974. The JCR is located in the buffer zone in Nicosia between the two opposing armies and it has dealt with hundreds of cases. The work of the JCR is cited in reports on Cyprus by the United Nations. The seminar shall focus mainly on the work of the JCR, the only one of its kind worldwide, and the ‘bridges’ it has managed to build across the dividing line, forging a challenging new role for criminology and criminologists. Prof. Kapardis is the Greek-Cypriot leader of TCCCM.

Andreas Kapardis is Professor of Legal Psychology in the Department of Law, University of Cyprus, and President of the Cyprus Society of Criminology. After obtaining his Ph.D. in criminology at Cambridge, he worked for several years in Australia before returning to Cyprus, his home country. His main research and teaching interests lie in criminology, criminal justice, penology, and legal psychology. He has researched a broad range of topics relating to offenders, sentencing, criminal justice, and legal psychology and has published extensively, including: Kapardis, A. & Farrington, D.P (eds.) The Psychology of Crime, Policing and the Courts, 2016; and Kapardis, A., Psychology and Law (4th edition) 2014.

This seminar starts at 5.30pm, and will be held in Seminar Room B3, Institute of Criminology, Sidgwick Avenue, 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: enquiries@cim.cam.ac.uk