Ethical Criminologists Fly Economy: Process- oriented Criminological Engagement 'Abroad'

Criminology has developed into a transnational discipline (Aas 2011; Aas 2012) and many criminologists, particularly those working at universities based in the ‘Global North’, increasingly find themselves engaging with policy makers and practitioners from different jurisdictions. They are sometimes approached for their topical and methodological expertise and the proactive among them work to situate themselves in transnational policy communities that allow them to maximise their research impact. They may feel prompted to engage in this manner by a combination of idealistic and opportunistic factors yet most criminologists also recognise that these activities can generate unanticipated harms. These harms can be understood in relation to their criminological, cultural and social consequences for recipient societies (see Bowling 2011; Blaustein 2014a) and, the disempowerment or marginalisation of alternative understandings of the criminal question. The implication is that there are many pitfalls awaiting Northern 1 criminologists undertaking or promoting their research abroad; however, this chapter proposes that it may still be possible to do so in an ethical and potentially beneficial manner.