Simone Santorso

Dr. Simone Santorso is an Associate Professor in Criminology within the School of Law, Politics and Sociology at the University of Sussex, where he joined in 2022. His academic background includes a PhD in Sociology of Cultural Phenomena and Normative Processes from the University of Urbino, Italy, and prior teaching roles at the University of Padua and the University of Hull.

His research centers on critical criminology, with a focus on punishment, prison systems, and social justice. He examines how penal institutions intersect with social inequality, power dynamics, and state violence, particularly through ethnographic and archival studies of incarcerated individuals' lived experiences. He critically analyzes the ethics and effectiveness of incarceration and advocates for humane, abolitionist alternatives.

His recent publications reveal a strong thematic consistency: prison overcrowding, rehabilitation, police technology (especially body-worn cameras), and the political economy of punishment. His 2023 book, The Politics of Prison Crowding, offers a critical analysis of the Italian prison system, arguing that overcrowding has become normalized. His work often engages with comparative and historical perspectives, including analogies with mental hospital deinstitutionalization and slavery abolition.

• Coordinator, European Group for Studying Deviance and Social Control
• Member, Editorial Collective, Justice, Power, and Resistance
• Member, Editorial Board, Studi Sulla Questione Criminale

He collaborates with international scholars, social movements, and activists promoting justice and equity. While no specific grants or advising roles are mentioned in the provided text, his extensive publication record and editorial roles indicate active research leadership and academic engagement.