The International Jury of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology Foundation has awarded the 2025 Stockholm Prize in Criminology to Frances Crook and EJI Director Bryan Stevenson for their applied criminological research as practitioners who “succeeded in reducing cruel and unusual punishment.”
The prize was presented by Her Majesty the Queen of Sweden at the grand prize ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on June 10, in conjunction with the Stockholm Criminology Symposium.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, an international prize awarded for outstanding achievements in criminological research or for the application of research results by practitioners for the reduction of crime and the advancement of human rights.
Made up of internationally recognized scholars, law enforcement officials, and former prize recipients, the international jury selected Mr. Stevenson and Frances Cook, former CEO of the Howard League for Penal Reform and co-convenor of the UK’s Commission on Political Power, for their work applying research to reduce disproportionate punishments in the U.S. and the UK.
As leader of the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, Stockholm Laureate Frances Crook achieved policies leading to substantial reductions in the arrest and imprisonment of children, Stockholm University said in a release.
Mr. Stevenson was recognized for advocacy that has prevented many unjust executions and won a landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. Alabama barring mandatory sentences of life imprisonment without parole for children.
The Stockholm Prize in Criminology promotes the development of more effective and humane policies for preventing and responding to crime. With improved knowledge about the individual and structural causes of crime, it seeks to discover and advance better ways to reduce illegal or abusive practices in the administration of justice as well as to help victims of crime.
Organized by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, this year’s symposium focused on justice and rationality in correctional policies and practices, Jonas Trolle, Acting Direct General of the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, said in a statement.
This year’s theme allows participants to “learn more and discuss how we can provide fair responses to crime,” he said, and provide “opportunities for rehabilitation to heal and improve.”