Heith Copes Enhances Crime Research at Max Planck Institute

Scholar in Residence has been exploring criminal motives and decision-making through qualitative methods and narrative theory

Heith Copes, a Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been a Scholar in Residence at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg, Germany, since February 2025. His current research focuses on drug use and crime, utilizing qualitative methods and narrative theory to analyze the decision-making strategies of individuals engaged in crimes like carjacking, auto theft, identity theft, and meth production.

Copes’s research delves into understanding the motivations and pathways into crime, as well as the strategies offenders use to enact and minimize the risks associated with criminal activities. He is particularly interested in how decision-making factors such as excuse making, risk reduction, and social connections contribute to the persistence of criminal behavior. In his latest work, he is employing photo-elicitation methods to explore how individuals perceive and make sense of their life circumstances and criminal actions.

Reflecting on his experience at the Max Planck Institute, Copes recalls his initial visit in 2023. “I very much enjoyed my time here and formed relationships with many of the people there. I still stay in contact with several of them to this day. When I learned about the Scholar in Residence program, I was excited about the opportunity to stay longer and to really get to know the people here at the MPI. I applied and was fortunate to be selected”, he explains.

During his time in Freiburg, he plans to present his ethnographic research, conduct a workshop on qualitative meta-synthesis (QMS), and collaborate on a mixed-methods research symposium with fellow scholars Jean-Louis van Gelder, Head of the Department of Criminology at the Max Planck Institute, and Volkan Topalli from Georgia State University.

Copes and his wife have found Freiburg to be an ideal location, combining the amenities of a larger city with the charm of a smaller community. “Having access to the bakeries for fresh baked goods every day is amazing and something we wish we had back in the United States. We are excited to be here in Spring, so we can see it really come to life”, the researcher says.