Hi, I’m Othmane, a criminologist by day and an overanalyzer of true crime shows by night. I specialize in penal policy, which means I spend most of my time yelling, “That’s not how crime works!” at politicians and wondering if society will ever stop using prison as a one-size-fits-all solution.

My research focuses on penal populism, or as I like to call it, “Why We Can’t Have Nice Things in Criminal Justice.” When I’m not buried in legal texts or debunking bad crime stats, I enjoy casual activities like questioning the entire logic of the penal system and explaining to friends why their favorite crime documentary got everything wrong.

One day, I hope my work will influence real policy change. Until then, I’ll settle for making people feel guilty about their love for punitive sentencing.

Ballade in G minor

A silent voice

Giorgio Agamben, Homo Sacer; State of Exception
Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish; The Archaeology of Knowledge
David Garland, The Culture of Control, Punishment and Modern Society

“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons”
— Dostoevsky.