Jo Thomas

Jo Thomas is a Junior Researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) since 2020, specializing in video analysis and bystander behavior within the Criminal Events theme and NSCR Video Group. Her empirical research employs covert observational methods to study real-world public interactions, police conduct, and crime prevention interventions in urban settings.

Thomas's research spans criminological and public health domains, with primary focus on police behavior during citizen conflicts, ethnic profiling in stop-and-search practices, and effectiveness of light-based interventions against drug dealing in Amsterdam. Her work extends to pandemic-related studies examining social distancing compliance, mask-wearing behavior, and associated risk compensation using video observation methodologies. This dual focus demonstrates consistent application of systematic social observation across criminal justice and public health contexts.

Her publication record reveals strong methodological coherence through video-based field studies, with recent work emphasizing Amsterdam-based interventions for public order maintenance and health compliance. Key trends include analyzing police-citizen dynamics, evaluating environmental crime prevention strategies, and assessing behavioral responses to public health mandates during crises.

Scientific Awards: No awards were documented in available information.

Advising and Grants: No information regarding student supervision or grant funding was provided in source materials.

Thomas actively contributes to the NSCR Video Group, which pioneers covert systematic social observation techniques for studying criminal events. This team conducts high-impact field research on police practices, ethnic profiling, and urban interventions, with notable projects including Amsterdam weapon check analyses and Red Light District drug market displacement studies using video evidence.