In recent years, criminology in Finland has experienced a strong rise in both research and teaching. Criminologists founded the Finnish Criminological Association in 2019. The association has now published the first issue of the journal Kriminologia

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The first issue of the journal publishes a comprehensive review of current criminological issues in Finland. One of the current issues is minorities and police control. In her article, Elsa Saarikkomäki analyses the experiences of ethnic minority youth in official control and stigmatization. According to the analysis, based on interview material, young people feel that they are under suspicion and control because of their supposedly minority background, leading to them experiencing the control to be negative and stigmatizing. In his comment, Jukka Savolainen reflects on the public assumption of police violence, especially against the black population in the United States. Savolainen reflects on the topic’s news coverage and research opportunities and highlights the multifaceted nature of things.

Juvenile delinquency emerges as another topical issue in the texts. In their article, Markus Kaakinen and Matti Näsi describe the situation of juvenile delinquency in 2020. In his comment, Aarne Kinnunen presents the usability of juvenile delinquency research at the Ministry of Justice, especially from the perspective of crime prevention. One of the themes highlighted in Kinnunen’s text is the difficulty of impact assessment, which is also a central theme in the article by Sasu Tyni and Mikko Aaltonen. They review ia the impact assessments and evaluability of prison rehabilitation programs. Mikko Aaltonen’s comment, in which he examines the development trends of criminological registry research in the Nordics, is partly connected to the same theme. Aaltonen points out the possibilities of registry research in effectiveness studies, but also more broadly in criminological issues.

The fourth article emphasizes the theoretical perspective. In their article, Vilma Niskanen and Petteri Pietikäinen use the ideological-historical method of criminological research when examining the origin of the concept and theory of social disorganization in the studies of the Chicago School of Sociology in 1918-1948. The issue ends with Emma Villman’s versatile book review of the book Suomalainen vanki (The Finnish Prisoner), edited by Sakari Kainulainen and Juho Saari beginning of 2021.

The editor-in-chief of the journal is Markus Kaakinen and editorial secretary Anna Raeste from the University of Helsinki. The visiting editor-in-chief of the first issue was Noora Ellonen from the University of Tampere.
Members of the Editorial Board are Olli Kaarakka, Aki Koivula, Karoliina Suonpää, Mika Sutela, Miisa Törölä and Miikka Vuorela.

Content of the first issue

Articles:

• Markus Kaakinen ja Matti Näsi: Nuorisorikollisuuden esiintyvyys ja tekomäärät Suomessa 1995-2020.
• Elsa Saarikkomäki: Etnisten vähemmistönuorten kokemukset virallisesta kontrollista ja leimasta
• Sasu Tyni ja Mikko Aaltonen: Vankeusaikaisten kuntoutusohjelmien vaikutusarvioinnit ja arvioitavuus.
• Vilma Niskanen ja Petteri Pietikäinen: Rikollisuus ja sosiaalisen disorganisaation teoria Chicagon koulukunnan tutkimuksissa 1918-1948.

Comments:

• Jukka Savolainen: Rikollisuus vai rasismi? Poliisiväkivalta ja sen tutkimus Yhdysvalloissa.
• Aarne Kinnunen: Nuorten kokonaisrikollisuuden seuranta oikeusministeriössä.
• Mikko Aaltonen: Kriminologisen rekisteritutkimuksen kehityssuuntia Pohjoismaissa.

Book reviews:

• Emma Villman: Suomalainen vanki (editors: Sakari Kainulainen ja Juho Saari)

Publisher: Suomen Kriminologinen Yhdistys ry

Editor-in-chief: Markus Kaakinen, YTT, tutkijatohtori, Helsingin yliopisto, markus.kaakinen@helsinki.fi
Visiting editor-in-chief: Noora Ellonen, YTT, yliopistonlehtori, Tampereen yliopisto, noora.ellonen@tuni.fi
Editorial secretary: Anna Raeste, anna.raeste@helsinki.fi