Gerben Geessink

Gerben Geessink is a PhD candidate and Lecturer at the Department of Legal Theory and Legal History, Faculty of Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His work intersects legal theory, criminal procedure, and socio-legal studies, with a focus on compensation orders in Dutch criminal law and actor-network theory applications.

Education

• LLM in Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies (2021)
• BSc in Criminology

Research Focus

Gerben's PhD project, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), investigates the transformation of punishment and redress through compensation orders. He employs a dual framework: legal-theoretical analysis comparing punishment and compensation, and comparative legal analysis across Dutch, English, and French systems. His work also explores Bruno Latour's actor-network theory in ecological and digital contexts.

Teaching Roles

• Encyclopedie Criminologie (Philosophy of Criminal Law)
• Juridische Vaardigheden B (Legal Skills B)
• Recht, Ethiek en Biotechnologie (Law, Ethics, and Biotechnology)

Research Themes

His scholarship spans criminal procedure, legal theory, and socio-legal studies, with notable contributions to understanding compensation mechanisms, restorative justice, and normative frameworks in empirical legal research. His publications reflect interdisciplinary engagement with philosophy, sociology, and technology studies.

Departmental Affiliation

Gerben is affiliated with the Boundaries of Law research group and the Kooijmans Institute, focusing on legal history and theory.