Farewell from Csaba Győry, former Editor-in-Chief of Criminology in Europe

After two full terms (plus a short covid-related extension) at the helm, I am leaving the editorship of the ESC Newsletter. It was a tremendous privilege for me to serve in this position. However, the time has come to move on, for me personally, but also for the Newsletter, which needs a boost of innovation and fresh ideas. But it is also right for the ESC Board for a new editor to come in; ESC offices of which should not be viewed as life peerages, and it is good for the society that a new person will now learn its ways as a long-term board member. And I am especially happy ESC Board’s choice as my successor, Rita Faria. Rita is already an established scholar, has been very active within the ESC for years. I am sure her editorship will be a resounding success.

A lot has changed in the ESC since I took over from my predecessor, Michael Tonry, and the Newsletter had to change with it. The membership grew from around 600 to close to 1300. Conference attendees number rose from 700 to 2000. ESC membership from outside Europe, especially the United States increased manifold – we are no probably experiencing similar trends with the Global South.

At the same time, advertisement income from publishers and universities dropped, as they were finding what they saw more effective ways of reaching their audience.

Such a growth, combined with the falling income has made the original business model of the Newsletter unsustainable, with printing and posting costs rising beyond what was feasible. This necessitated the biggest change during my editorship: the cessation of the printed Newsletter. I was very unhappy to let it go, but there was no alternative.

At the same time, the website of the Newsletter was renewed, with a blog functionality added. Regrettably, I failed to capitalize on this development in my last year as an editor, but at least my successor takes over visually refreshed, technically future-proof, and flexible platform, and she will have complete freedom to mould it to her vision of the Newsletter.

The visual design of the Newsletter is certainly one of its more recognizable features and is now part of the ESC identity. In this respect, I am happy with what I have done and what I leave for my successor.

Frequent delays were also “on brand” during my editorship – this is, however, hardly a tradition to keep.

But content is more important than the look or publishing timeline. One of the most positive changes in this regard is that so much more is going on inside the ESC that working group reports and various announcements now can run to 15-20 pages. However, what I am probably most proud of are the longer essays, such as those on the financial crisis, or the differences between American and European criminology, some of which now regularly surface in academic publications and conference presentations.