Dr Anna Kotova
@annakotova.bsky.social
Associate Professor in Criminology at University of Birmingham. Coffee addict. Musical theatre aficionado.
Not sure full riot police at the entrance is a good look for a criminology conference…
September 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Not sure full riot police at the entrance is a good look for a criminology conference…
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
The use of swearing to relieve stress, anger, pain or frustration is known as ‘lalochezia’.
June 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
The use of swearing to relieve stress, anger, pain or frustration is known as ‘lalochezia’.
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
wonkhe.com/blogs/differ...
Me talking about the value of higher education – for fear we may lose what we have failed to adequately value.
Me talking about the value of higher education – for fear we may lose what we have failed to adequately value.
Different kinds of value, different kinds of higher education
For Anna Vignoles the value in higher education comes from the diversity and range of what it does, and may not be measurable in a single metric
wonkhe.com
May 12, 2025 at 6:29 AM
wonkhe.com/blogs/differ...
Me talking about the value of higher education – for fear we may lose what we have failed to adequately value.
Me talking about the value of higher education – for fear we may lose what we have failed to adequately value.
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
50 free e-copies via www.tandfonline.com/eprint/56EAB...
Victimization in Prison. A Study of Victimization and Prison Climate Dimensions in Belgian Prisons
Prisoner victimization introduces significant challenges to penal institutions worldwide. Researchers across the globe already provided extensive knowledge on risk factors from community crime theo...
www.tandfonline.com
March 12, 2025 at 10:32 AM
50 free e-copies via www.tandfonline.com/eprint/56EAB...
Still accepting abstracts! :) let me know if you’d be keen to contribute.
Criminology people with interest in experiences of families of people in prison!
I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma
Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma Editor: Anna Kotova Context: Stigma is a well-documented phenomenon within research on families of people in prison. ...
docs.google.com
March 12, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Still accepting abstracts! :) let me know if you’d be keen to contribute.
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
Also: “crime has subsided, but its memory hasn’t” might be the sentence that finally kills me.
Even if murder drops—at historic rates, to pre-pandemic levels, in one of the fastest drops in US history—it really didn’t, bc …
MEMORIES.
(And why do ppl still cling to these memories? WHY, MEDIA?!)
Even if murder drops—at historic rates, to pre-pandemic levels, in one of the fastest drops in US history—it really didn’t, bc …
MEMORIES.
(And why do ppl still cling to these memories? WHY, MEDIA?!)
Five years on, Americans struggle under the oppression of their true antagonist: the Passive Voice
March 10, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Also: “crime has subsided, but its memory hasn’t” might be the sentence that finally kills me.
Even if murder drops—at historic rates, to pre-pandemic levels, in one of the fastest drops in US history—it really didn’t, bc …
MEMORIES.
(And why do ppl still cling to these memories? WHY, MEDIA?!)
Even if murder drops—at historic rates, to pre-pandemic levels, in one of the fastest drops in US history—it really didn’t, bc …
MEMORIES.
(And why do ppl still cling to these memories? WHY, MEDIA?!)
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
Really happy that the articles in a themed issue of Incarceration on the Moral and Ethical Worlds of Coercive Confinement, edited by me and Ryan Williams, are beginning to come out. Over the next few days, I'll post about them all, starting with our prologue:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
February 27, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Really happy that the articles in a themed issue of Incarceration on the Moral and Ethical Worlds of Coercive Confinement, edited by me and Ryan Williams, are beginning to come out. Over the next few days, I'll post about them all, starting with our prologue:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
At a remote prison in Virginia, a number of incarcerated people are resorting to an extreme form of protest: they're setting themselves on fire. Jennifer Black and Noel Hanrahan of @prisonradio.bsky.social on what's driving these men to assert their humanity this way.
When Fire Is the Only Way Out - Inquest
At a far-flung prison in Virginia, conditions are so inhumane that those imprisoned there are setting themselves ablaze in protest—and to assert their humanity.
inquest.org
February 27, 2025 at 8:57 PM
At a remote prison in Virginia, a number of incarcerated people are resorting to an extreme form of protest: they're setting themselves on fire. Jennifer Black and Noel Hanrahan of @prisonradio.bsky.social on what's driving these men to assert their humanity this way.
Criminology people with interest in experiences of families of people in prison!
I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma
Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma Editor: Anna Kotova Context: Stigma is a well-documented phenomenon within research on families of people in prison. ...
docs.google.com
February 27, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Criminology people with interest in experiences of families of people in prison!
I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
The Guardian view on the Gauke review: prison isn’t working | Editorial
The Guardian view on the Gauke review: prison isn’t working | Editorial
Editorial: A performative ‘tough on crime’ approach by politicians has been both ineffective and ruinously expensive
www.theguardian.com
February 19, 2025 at 6:59 AM
The Guardian view on the Gauke review: prison isn’t working | Editorial
Punishment has been conflated with revenge. It’s myopic and counter-productive: we need to look beyond vengefulness when holding people accountable for the harms they have done.
Penal populism has broken Britain’s prisons. My piece for @newstatesman.com on why our addiction to longer sentences is unsustainable.
www.newstatesman.com/politics/soc...
www.newstatesman.com/politics/soc...
Penal populism has broken Britain’s prisons
Lazy “tough on crime” rhetoric has led to a crisis of overcrowding.
www.newstatesman.com
February 19, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Punishment has been conflated with revenge. It’s myopic and counter-productive: we need to look beyond vengefulness when holding people accountable for the harms they have done.
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
Did you know that women were being taken to prison ‘as a place of safety’? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Why are women still being sent to prison as ‘a place of safety’? | Eva Wiseman
Reports are revealing the true harm done by incarcerating women under the guise of protecting them, writes Eva Wiseman
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Did you know that women were being taken to prison ‘as a place of safety’? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
I’m just an academic asking job reference requests to come with a simple text box and not two pages of instructions and a requirement for two uploaded documents…
I have to write dozens of these. Take pity.
I have to write dozens of these. Take pity.
January 10, 2025 at 11:42 AM
I’m just an academic asking job reference requests to come with a simple text box and not two pages of instructions and a requirement for two uploaded documents…
I have to write dozens of these. Take pity.
I have to write dozens of these. Take pity.
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
Hi everyone, to kick off my maiden post please read our newly published paper in the BJC which argues for the abolition of all short term custodial sentences for children, and presents an alternative, viable, cost effective model @drkathyhampson.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...
academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...
Harmful, Expensive and Criminogenic: The Case for Abolishing Detention and Training Orders in England and Wales
Abstract. Children who offend generally receive community sentences, to help them overcome difficulties whilst naturally addressing offending behaviour; ho
academic.oup.com
January 7, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Hi everyone, to kick off my maiden post please read our newly published paper in the BJC which argues for the abolition of all short term custodial sentences for children, and presents an alternative, viable, cost effective model @drkathyhampson.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...
academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
"Our prisons are so broken that we can't carry on. Politicians may disagree on how we fix the penal system, but everyone can agree that reform is needed."
Our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), wrote an opinion piece for @bigissue.com: www.bigissue.com/opinion/pris...
Our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), wrote an opinion piece for @bigissue.com: www.bigissue.com/opinion/pris...
We must seize the opportunity to fix our broken prisons
No one would disagree that the prison system is in crisis. The upcoming sentencing review presents us with a chance for real change.
www.bigissue.com
January 6, 2025 at 9:43 AM
"Our prisons are so broken that we can't carry on. Politicians may disagree on how we fix the penal system, but everyone can agree that reform is needed."
Our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), wrote an opinion piece for @bigissue.com: www.bigissue.com/opinion/pris...
Our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), wrote an opinion piece for @bigissue.com: www.bigissue.com/opinion/pris...
My former PhD supervisee is hilarious. 😂
January 4, 2025 at 7:32 PM
My former PhD supervisee is hilarious. 😂
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
A New Complaint System for Prisoners in Belgium - > chapter in Just Prisons - free to read via this link: rdcu.be/d5qcr
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
A New Complaint System for Prisoners in Belgium
This chapter introduces and reflects on the creation of a new complaint system in the prisons of Belgium. Since 1 October 2020, prisoners can file complaints with the newly created Complaint and Appea...
link.springer.com
January 4, 2025 at 4:03 PM
A New Complaint System for Prisoners in Belgium - > chapter in Just Prisons - free to read via this link: rdcu.be/d5qcr
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
Word of the Day is one I keep posting at the end of the year, hoping its time will come.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
December 31, 2024 at 7:12 PM
Word of the Day is one I keep posting at the end of the year, hoping its time will come.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
How can Louboutins be simultaneously so gorgeous and so torturous to wear…
December 31, 2024 at 8:57 PM
How can Louboutins be simultaneously so gorgeous and so torturous to wear…
Happy new year! May 2025 be happier, healthier and more productive than the last. May your dreams come true and the world be just a little bit kinder.
December 31, 2024 at 5:40 PM
Happy new year! May 2025 be happier, healthier and more productive than the last. May your dreams come true and the world be just a little bit kinder.
Who had such a bad allergic reaction to some kind of bite that she ended up in A&E with suspected anaphylaxis/rash all over her body?
Me. It’s me.
Me. It’s me.
December 17, 2024 at 5:15 PM
Who had such a bad allergic reaction to some kind of bite that she ended up in A&E with suspected anaphylaxis/rash all over her body?
Me. It’s me.
Me. It’s me.
This review was a joy to write!
A very thoughtful and detailed review of Dr Kate Herrity's must read book: Sound, Order, and Survival in Prison.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Here @annakotova.bsky.social captures the essence of the book and the import of #sound to #prison environments.
#SensoryCriminology
#Criminology
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Here @annakotova.bsky.social captures the essence of the book and the import of #sound to #prison environments.
#SensoryCriminology
#Criminology
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
December 15, 2024 at 2:59 AM
This review was a joy to write!
So the other day a medical consultant was so rude to me (and belittled me by calling me, pointedly, MISS), that I indignantly fell over and twisted my ankle on stairs.
Her reason? I sent too many emails. Reality - I emailed once on request of her secretary.
Now I’m indignant AND in pain.
Her reason? I sent too many emails. Reality - I emailed once on request of her secretary.
Now I’m indignant AND in pain.
December 7, 2024 at 8:32 AM
So the other day a medical consultant was so rude to me (and belittled me by calling me, pointedly, MISS), that I indignantly fell over and twisted my ankle on stairs.
Her reason? I sent too many emails. Reality - I emailed once on request of her secretary.
Now I’m indignant AND in pain.
Her reason? I sent too many emails. Reality - I emailed once on request of her secretary.
Now I’m indignant AND in pain.
Reposted by Dr Anna Kotova
New Publication: "The Rehabilitation Industry: Lived Experience and Performance" (10min read)
Andi Brierley & I explore our observations of what we describe as a Rehabilitation Industry and reflect on our roles within it
We pose tough questions for all CJS stakeholders—read & join the discussion!
Andi Brierley & I explore our observations of what we describe as a Rehabilitation Industry and reflect on our roles within it
We pose tough questions for all CJS stakeholders—read & join the discussion!
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
urldefense.com
December 6, 2024 at 1:13 AM
New Publication: "The Rehabilitation Industry: Lived Experience and Performance" (10min read)
Andi Brierley & I explore our observations of what we describe as a Rehabilitation Industry and reflect on our roles within it
We pose tough questions for all CJS stakeholders—read & join the discussion!
Andi Brierley & I explore our observations of what we describe as a Rehabilitation Industry and reflect on our roles within it
We pose tough questions for all CJS stakeholders—read & join the discussion!
Oh wow! We could learn from this.
Massachusetts last year made phone calls from prison and jails free.
It also wiped charges for other forms of communication between incarcerated folks & their loved ones.
You can see how hugely important it is for people in this piece. 1/2
boltsmag.org/massachusett...
It also wiped charges for other forms of communication between incarcerated folks & their loved ones.
You can see how hugely important it is for people in this piece. 1/2
boltsmag.org/massachusett...
Massachusetts Is Making Communications Free for Incarcerated People
The reform would eliminate the exorbitant charges people face to keep in touch with loved ones in jail and prison, removing a heavy financial burden for thousands.
boltsmag.org
December 6, 2024 at 6:52 AM
Oh wow! We could learn from this.