What is CrimScapes?
CrimScapes is a research project. The name comes from the words: “crime” and “landscapes”. We research topics that are connected to criminalisation and citizenship.
Criminalisation means: when an activity is not allowed by the government. But also when people are punished by the state. The activity that is not allowed is called a “crime”.
In our research we try to answer questions like:
- How are rules about crime changing in Europe?
- Why are more and more people punished for certain things?
- How is crime controlled?
- What is considered “legal” and “illegal”?
There is a lot of fear in Europe now. People feel uncertain about the future. And many people are punished or sent to jail. We want to know why people are punished for specific things. We also want to know how this will change society.
In our research, we learn about topics like:
- abortion
- drug use
- hate speech
- infectious diseases
- sea rescue
- sex work
- women’s prisons.
The CrimScapes research project started in 2020. It will continue until 2023. The CrimScapes team is made up of 11 researchers. They come from 4 different universities:
- Humboldt Universität zu Berlin in Germany
- Jagiellonian University in Krakow in Poland
- Université Paris Saclay in France
- University of Helsinki in Finland.
We received money from NORFACE to do this project. That is an agency that helps research like ours.
Research
Abortion
This part is about the criminalisation of abortion in Poland. An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. We learn about:
- how rules about abortion changed over the years
- how abortion is connected to citizenship
- how much control a person has over their body
- how people fight against the rules
- what ideas people have about abortion
Agata Chełstowska from Jagiellonian University in Poland researched this topic.
Drug use
This part is about the criminalisation of using drugs in Poland.
We learn about:
- what ideas people have about certain drugs
- what the rules against the drugs are
- how the government punishes people for using certain drugs
- how people who use the drugs are treated and how they respond to punishment
- how people fight against the rules.
Jusytna Struzik from Jagiellonian University in Poland researched this topic. A group called the Social Drug Policy Initiative and Foundation for Social Policy PREKURSOR and MONAR Kraków also helped.
Hate speech
This part is about how people are punished for hate speech in Germany and Europe. Hate speech means: saying bad things about other people.
We learn about:
- the meaning of hate speechhow people who use hate speech are found and punished
- the difference between hate speech in a physical space and hate speech that is online
- how hate speech changes relationships between the government, citizens, and different types of groups, companies or organisations.
Todd Sekuler from Humboldt Universität in Germany researched this topic. A group called the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter also helped.
Infectious diseases
This part is about the connections between laws and medicine in Finland.
We learn about:
- how laws about diseases have changed over the years
- how people can be punished for having an infectious disease
- how medical information is used in laws and in court.
Juulia Kela from the University of Helsinki in Finland researched this topic.
Migrant solidarity
This part is about the criminalisation of helping migrants and refugees in Europe.
We learn about:
- what ideas people have about helping migrants and refugees
- how people who help migrants and refugees learn about the rules
- how people can be punished for helping migrants and refugees
- what the government thinks about people who help migrants and refugees.
Jérémy Geeraert from Université Paris Saclay in France researched this topic. A group called Mission Lifeline e.V. also helped.
Sex work
This part is about the criminalisation of sex work in Poland. Sex work means: when a person is paid to have sex with someone else. Sex work means: having sex in exchange for money or other goods.
We learn about:
- how sex workers live and work
- how sex work and migration are connected
- how criminalisation of sex work affects national and migrant sex workers
- what rights and protection sex workers have.
Agata Dziuban from Jagiellonian University in Poland researched this topic. A group called Sex Work Polska also helped.
Women’s prisons
This part is about women’s prisons in Germany.
We learn about:
- what kinds of security and punishments are in women’s prisons
- what kind of life female prisoners hope for
- who is involved in keeping certain women in prison
- how female prisoners feel about citizenship and politics.
Friederike Faust from Humboldt Universität in Germany researched this topic. A group called Berliner Vollzugsbeirat also helped.