Top accolade for punishment research

The 2013 Royal Society of New Zealand’s Mason Durie Medal was awarded to Professor John Pratt, Victoria’s Director of the Institute of Criminology.

Presented late last year, this prestigious accolade recognises John’s work in advancing the frontiers of social science, both on the international stage and in New Zealand.

John’s research investigates why the punishment of offenders has changed over time and the reason it takes the form it does at particular times. His most recent work explains why the penal values of New Zealand and similar English-speaking societies are so different from those of Nordic countries.

Over the years, John’s work has been recognised with a range of national and international awards, fellowships and prizes, and his writing has been translated into numerous foreign languages. His 2013 book, Contrasts in Punishment, includes extensive fieldwork in the prisons of Norway, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.