Criminology, more present than ever at the University

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The new PhD program will be offered as of the fall semester.

With the creation of a certificate in criminology in 2011, Université Laval laid the cornerstone of a teaching structure for the criminological discipline. In 2012, a bachelor’s program was launched. Then, in 2020, a master’s program was launched. Finally, in June 2021, the University Council gave the go-ahead for the establishment of a PhD program. This is now a reality. It will be offered as of the fall 2024 semester at the School of Social Work and Criminology.

"All the professors at the School are very happy with the outcome of this project," says Professor and Director of the Doctor of Criminology program , Nadine Deslauriers-Varin. We have become a complete three-cycle program in a relatively short time," she continues. We can be very proud of the development of criminology at Université Laval. Senior management recognizes the important place of the discipline in today’s society by allowing the arrival of these three cycles of study. In so doing, the University will become the second in Quebec, after the Université de Montréal, to offer them."

The Ordre professionnel des criminologues du Québec describes this profession as fundamentally focused on the human being and the helping relationship. It operates at the intersection of law and justice, psychology and criminal sociology.

The PhD in Criminology at Université Laval is designed for students with a master’s degree in criminology or another relevant field. This cutting-edge training will enable them to occupy a position as a researcher in a research center, a university or college professor in criminology, or a senior analyst within a government department. According to a survey published by the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur in 2022, graduates with a master’s degree in criminology in 2019 had a job placement rate of 97% in January 2021.

Constant evolution

Today, criminological phenomena, their control and regulation, as well as intervention with offenders and social reintegration, are constantly evolving in Quebec, but also in Canada and on the international scene. As a society, we have entered a period where it is even more important to have criminological studies," maintains Professor Deslauriers-Varin. Part of the explanation lies in societal movements. There is a crying need for intervention, particularly in mental health, with marginalized populations or those at risk of marginalization, and with young offenders. But new types of crime have also emerged, such as online crime, particularly sexual offences. 15 years ago, this was not a common problem. It’s incredible the whole field is developing as more and more young people have access to a computer."

Université Laval stands out

In the field of criminology, Université Laval stands out in a number of ways, including a faculty with a wide range of expertise. Our professors," she points out, "now number 16. No two researchers are working on the same thing."

The doctoral program will be distinguished by its new and little-explored areas of research in Canada. The penal and correctional system, and social reintegration are two such areas. Aboriginal issues and criminalization is another. We have a professor who specializes in issues relating to the latter," she explains. This issue has been around for a long time. But to date, very little expertise has been developed."

The program will also stand out for its research environments that are firmly rooted in professional practice. Professors in this field generally work in partnership or collaboration with institutional environments, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security and the police," notes Professor Deslauriers-Varin. I think the fact that we’re rooted in the professional practice of criminologists sets us apart from other criminology programs. This means we’re very aware of societal issues, and our research expertise is very much aligned with public issues."

The professor gives two issues as examples: the National Sex Offender Registry and social reintegration. "This very topical subject of the Register, how do we manage it? How useful is it? How do people react? What about social reintegration? How do people feel about alternative measures such as restorative justice? These are questions that our researchers will be able to explore."

Intra- and inter-departmental collaborations

The new PhD program is expected to welcome eight students in its first year. The master’s program offered at Université Laval, meanwhile, attracts between 30 and 40 students a year.

According to Nadine Deslauriers-Varin, criminology is inherently interdisciplinary. Psychology, law, sociology," she says, "criminology has emerged from knowledge formed, at base, from these disciplines. Right from undergraduate level, students are taught to use multidisciplinary lenses to interpret social reactions, victimology and the criminal event itself. Through our training, we’re used to seeing the criminological phenomenon in many different ways. That’s very rare. But it’s true that some researchers have their feet firmly planted in the ground and see reality through a more psychological lens, for example. Criminology is a very special field. Interdisciplinary bridges are easy to build, like with social work, economics, geography and education sciences."