Louk Hulsman
Encyclopedia
Lodewijk Henri Christian Hulsman, known as Louk Hulsman (8 March 1923 in Kerkrade
– 28 January 2009 in Dordrecht
) was a Dutch
legal scientist
and criminologist
.
. In 1944 he was convicted of using counterfeit identification papers and imprisoned at the Amersfoort concentration camp. While being transferred to Germany
he succeeded to escape. After returning to the Netherlands he joined the Allied troops as a soldier during the last weeks of the Second World War.
From 1945 to 1948 Hulsman studied jurisprudence
at Leiden University
. After his exams he first worked for the Dutch Ministry of War and than for the Dutch Ministry of Justice
. In 1963 he became a professor for criminal law
und criminology
at the Netherlands School of Economics, the later Erasmus University Rotterdam (emeritus
1986). He is a main author of the Council of the Europe’s influential report on decriminalization (Council of the European Union, Report on Decriminalization, Strasbourg 1980)
He last lectured at the Academia Vitae in Deventer
.
Together with Nils Christie
and Thomas Mathiesen
he is a distinguished representative of the prison abolition movement
.
Kerkrade
Kerkrade is a town and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken together with the eastern half, the German town of Herzogenrath...
– 28 January 2009 in Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
legal scientist
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
and criminologist
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
.
Life
After finishing school Hulsman hooked up with a resistance movementResistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
. In 1944 he was convicted of using counterfeit identification papers and imprisoned at the Amersfoort concentration camp. While being transferred to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
he succeeded to escape. After returning to the Netherlands he joined the Allied troops as a soldier during the last weeks of the Second World War.
From 1945 to 1948 Hulsman studied jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
. After his exams he first worked for the Dutch Ministry of War and than for the Dutch Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior...
. In 1963 he became a professor for criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
und criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
at the Netherlands School of Economics, the later Erasmus University Rotterdam (emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
1986). He is a main author of the Council of the Europe’s influential report on decriminalization (Council of the European Union, Report on Decriminalization, Strasbourg 1980)
He last lectured at the Academia Vitae in Deventer
Deventer
Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
.
Together with Nils Christie
Nils Christie
Nils Christie is a Norwegian sociologist and criminologist. He is a professor of criminology at the University of Oslo since 1966. Among his books is Pinens begrensning from 1981, which has been translated into eleven languages. He has received an honorary degree at the University of Copenhagen...
and Thomas Mathiesen
Thomas Mathiesen
Thomas Mathiesen is a Norwegian sociologist.Mathiesen studied sociology at the University of Wisconsin . He graduated as M.A. in 1958 from the University of Oslo, where he did his doctorate in 1965...
he is a distinguished representative of the prison abolition movement
Prison abolition movement
The prison abolition movement seeks to abolish prisons and the prison system. The movement advocates for the abolition of prisons and the prison system on the basis of it being ineffective. Prison abolitionists present a broad critique of the modern criminal justice system, which they believe to...
.
Publication & Articles (selection)
- Louk H.C. Hulsman/Jacqueline Bernat de Celis (1982): Peines Perdues. Le système pénale en question. Paris.
- Louk H.C. Hulsman (1983): Abolire il sistema penale?, in: Dei delitti e delle pene 1, pg.71-89.
- Louk H.C. Hulsman (1986): Critical Criminology and the Concept of Crime, in: Contemporary Crises, 10 (3-4), pg.63-80.
- Liber Amicorum Louk Hulsman: Social problems and criminal justice (1987), Juridisch Instituut, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
- Louk H.C. Hulsman (1991): The Abolitionist Case: Alternative Crime Policies, in: The Israel Law ReviewThe Israel Law ReviewThe Israel Law Review is the oldest Israeli law journal published in English. In , it is referred to as being among "the most prestigious of scholarly journals".-History:...
25 (2-4), pg.681-709.
Further reading
- R. S. de Folter, 1986: On the methodological foundation of the abolitionist approach to the criminal justice system: A comparison of the ideas of Hulsman, Mathiesen and Foucault. In: Contemporary Crises 10, P. 39-62
- René van Swaaningen (1997); Critical Criminology - Visions from Europe - Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Paperback ISBN 9780761951452