Françoise Vanhamme

Françoise Vanhamme is a Full Professor of Criminology at the University of Ottawa, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (2005) and has been engaged at the University of Ottawa since 2006. Her research focuses on penology, sentencing practices, cultural criminology, and ethnomethodological analysis of legal processes. She is affiliated with the Réseau belge des criminologues francophones, the Centre de recherches pénalité at Université libre de Bruxelles, and RAIV at Université Laval.

Her education includes a Ph.D. in Criminology (2005), an Agrégation in Criminological Sciences (1999), and earlier degrees from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Her work explores topics such as pretrial detention, discrimination in legal systems, and the representation of justice in media and popular culture.

Her recent publications analyze media framing of penal institutions, cinematic depictions of crime, and sociolegal mechanisms underlying sentencing decisions. She teaches courses on criminological theories, qualitative methods, and sentencing practices. Currently advising Alyson Bervas (expected 2025).