3 PhD Positions (4 years): Reconstructing Sentencing

Project and Data

The ERC project strives to redefine our understanding of sentencing discretion and its application by making a complex assessment of discretion within judical practices and legal frameworks. It is built around two data-collection strategies.

The first one consists in extracting detailed data about criminal behaviour from court verdicts which contain case facts (you can read about it here or here) and which can be linked with other administrative data. We expect to have (i) detailed information on the criminal offence, (ii) detailed information on the criminal history of the offender, (iii) judge and court IDs and their characteristics, (iv) basic information on the offender from at least three countries (Czechia, Finland and Slovakia). We aim to be able to easily prepare similar datasets (with the exception of criminal history and information on offender which requires administrative datasets) from any country that publishes court verdicts online (e.g. Estonia, North Macedonia, Moldova).

The second method consists in collecting (a) detailed information on sentencing rules across Europe and (b) basic information on sentencing practices across selected European countries (data on what sentences of specific length were imposed for what offences in what combinations).

Applicants’ Requirements

There are no rigid formal requirements; suitability will depend mainly on the quality of the proposed research idea and how well it fits the project. Different research directions call for different backgrounds. For example, applicants interested in comparative empirical sentencing studies, such as comparing sentences for the same behaviors across multiple jurisdictions, will typically need a strong background in quantitative methods (statistics) and/or computational science. Depending on the focus and available data, knowledge of relevant local languages (e.g., Romanian, Finnish, Slovak, Czech) may also be important. Those interested in identifying typical criminal behaviors, what behaviors are  commonly committed and sentenced, will likely benefit from a background in computational science, sociology, or related fields. Applicants focusing on the development of sentencing rules and practices, whether historically (from the 18th century onward) or in more recent periods, will benefit from legal and/or historical training. Overall, candidates will be assessed holistically, with particular emphasis on the fit between the research idea and the applicant’s background.

Research Environment and Supervision

The primary supervisors will be Jakub Drápal and Michal Šoltés. Both aim to provide thorough and regular feedback and support for professional development without micromanaging. Other possible co-supervisor(s) are possible to be appointed primarily from economics and/or computational sciences and/or criminology or other fields, depending on the candidate’s profile and project focus. If you are interested in how the supervision works, do not hesitate to contact Jakub’s PhD students Alena McClure (alena.mcclure@prf.cuni.cz) and Tomáš Knap (tomas.knap@prf.cuni.cz); your communication will remain confidential. The position is embedded in an ERC project hosted by a young, international, and strongly interdisciplinary Center, bringing together criminologists, economists, lawyers, and computational researchers.

Funding & Employment Conditions

 Base stipend: Tax-free 40,000 CZK (€ 1,650) per month for 4 years,

 Health insurance provided for the full duration of the PhD,

 Optional advanced stipends:

◦ Additional 10,000 CZK per month (tax-free) for teaching one course per semester (subject to a separate competitive selection, few places)

◦ Possibility of applying for internal university grant scheme (providing extra stipend and funds for research activities, subject to a separate competetive selection, mid-competitive)

 Additional incomes: Participation in other projects of members of the Center might become possible.

 Relocation to Prague for the full duration of the PhD is required (one semester spent elsewhere is preferable with Charles University having Erasmus contracts with many leading universities across Europe). Prague offers a high quality of life with moderate living costs compared to other European capitals.

 Working language is English, yet it would be lovely if PhD candidates would learn at least basic Czech.

 Working conditions: Separate desk, computer + external computational possibilities, work- related travel expenses (at minimum 2-3 conferences/year) and other necessities will be provided.

 Expected outcomes: PhD thesis can be composed either of papers (minimum three papers of publishable quality are expected with some having to be published preferably in top journals) or can be defended as a monograph.