Call for Papers: Wartime Crisis Mode: Crime, Justice and Social Control in Armed Conflicts in Europe

Call for Papers

Wartime Crisis Mode: Crime, Justice and Social Control in Armed Conflicts in Europe

Edited by Dr. Dmytro Yagunov, Prof. Dr. Rita Haverkamp and Dr. Tetiana Melnychuk

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

Endowed Professorship of Crime Prevention and Risk Management

Supported by the Philipp Schwartz Initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

About the Volume

Contemporary armed conflicts reshape legal systems, erode institutional trust, and fuel unprecedented criminal activity, making the criminological dimensions of warfare even more essential.

Building on the 2025 edition «Wartime Crisis Mode: The Impact of Russia’s Aggression on the System of Social Control in Ukraine (Crime, Institutes, and Trust in Criminal Justice)», this expanded volume brings together scholars and practitioners to analyse how contemporary war reconfigures legal norms, disrupts judiciary and law enforcement, and creates new condition for criminal activity.

This edited volume examines how armed conflicts impact criminal justice systems across multiple dimensions. It analyses the ways warfare destabilises economies, fractures political institutions, and erodes public trust in police, courts, prisons, and other core elements of national criminal justice systems.

While the main focus centers on Russian military action against Ukraine, this edition also welcomes academic submissions that analytically explore the broader ramifications of emerging security threats.

Topical Areas

We invite contributions addressing the following themes and related topics:

1. Theoretical Foundations of Studying Crime and Justice in Armed Conflict

• Defining the discipline: core principles and scope of criminology in armed conflicts.
• Conceptual frameworks: theories and models for analysing wartime criminality.
• Research methodologies: approaches for studying crime and justice in conflict zones.
• Comparative perspectives: criminal justice systems under wartime conditions.

2. Human Rights at War

• Human rights challenges and derogations during armed conflicts.
• Civilian protections and violations under international humanitarian law.
• Accountability mechanisms for human rights violations.
• Wartime related case law of international courts and tribunals.
• Protection of the rights of prisoners of war.

3. Impact of War on Crime

• War’s effects on crime: trends and patterns.
• War crimes and crimes against national security.
• Cross-border crimes and illicit markets (human trafficking, trafficking of arms and drugs).
• Violent crimes and gender-based violence during armed conflicts.
• Property crimes: extortion, bribery, and fraud.
• Mobilisation crimes and draft evasion.
• Environmental crimes in war zones.
• Cybercrime and information warfare.
• Use of artificial intelligence during conflicts.

4. Organised Crime and Gangs

• Organised crime networks during wartime.
• Criminal-conflict nexus: how armed conflicts create new opportunities for organised crime and how organised crime fuels the conflict.
• Street gangs and prison gangs in conflict-affected regions.
• Private military companies in armed conflicts: criminal threat assessment.

5. Torture Practices and War’s Impact on Vulnerable Groups

• Criminological aspects of wartime victimisation.
• Torture as a public policy in the 21st century.
• Gender-based and sexual violence.
• The criminology of genocide.

6. Criminal Justice Systems Under Siege

• Policing and prosecution in wartime: evolution and ethical dilemmas.
• Judicial systems in armed conflict: adaptation, continuity, and legitimacy.
• Prisons and probation under pressure: security, rehabilitation, and humanitarian concerns.

7. Society Under Strain: Cultural and Social Consequences of Conflict

• Fragile foundations: trust, heritage, and vulnerable lives.
• Beyond the battlefield: governance and social cohesion in crisis.
• Echoes across generations: trauma and long-term societal change.
• Preserving identity amid chaos: cultural heritage and human resilience.

8. Imperialism in the 21st Century: Continuities and Transformations

• 21st century imperialism: multiple manifestations.
• The Neo-imperial mindset: Ideology of Russian expansionism.
• Russia’s global ambitions: Historical roots and modern projections.
• The Ukrainian pattern: anatomy of Russian aggression.
• The prison state within: How criminal and prison culture shapes Russian governance.
• Governing through fear: The political architecture of Russia’s carceral system.
• Empire’s endgame: between collapse, evolution, and survival.

Submission Guidelines

We Welcome:

• Original empirical research (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods).
• Theoretical and conceptual papers.
• Case studies and comparative analyses.
• Interdisciplinary approaches drawing from criminology, constitutional law, criminal law, sociology, political science, psychology, and related fields.
• Perspectives from both scholars and practitioners.

Abstracts Requirements

• Language: English
• Abstract: 500 words
• Keywords: 5-7 keywords
• Author information: Brief bio (100 words) and institutional affiliation

Manuscripts Requirements

• Language: English
• Length: 7,000-9,000 words (including references)
• Once a manuscript has been accepted following peer review.
• Editors reserve the right to reject abstracts and manuscripts if they do not meet the requirements in terms of subject matter, quality or scientific validity.

Edition

• The authors assume full responsibility for the manuscripts provided.
• The authors assume full responsibility for the accuracy of data and the validity of content.

Citations and References

• Citations in the text and Bibliography references must meet the requirements of the APA-Style.

• References to the literature are made in the text of the paper in brackets and consist of the author’s surname, year of publication with corresponding pages.

• References at the end of the article should be Latinised.

• When making bibliographic references to Cyrillic (including Ukrainian and Russian) articles published in journals and almanacs, we strongly recommend the following structure of references: 1) Name of author/authors (transliterated); 2) original title of the article transliterated by Latin symbols and its English translation in square brackets [ ]; 3) original title of the source transliterated by Latin symbols and its English translation in square brackets [ ]; 4) publisher’s imprint information in English.

• In References, when indicating a city of publication in both English and Cyrillic sources, the name of the city should be given in English, while the name of the publishing house should be transliterated.

Submission Process

• Abstract Submission Deadline: January 20, 2026
• Paper Submission Deadline: May 20, 2026
• Expected Publication Date: July 2026

Please submit your abstract and a short bio (100 words) to yagunov@posteo.de with the subject line “War Criminology – [Your Name]”.