Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Jörg Albrecht is a director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg/Germany, as well as an honorary professor and faculty member at the law faculty of the University of Freiburg. He is a guest professor at the Center for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the China University of Political Science and Law and at the law faculties of Hainan University, Renmin University, Wuhan University, Beijing Normal University, and Dalian Ocean University.
Main Focus
Prof. Albrecht's research interests span the breadth of modern legal and criminological discourse. His interests range from topics such as sentencing theory, juvenile crime and justice, illegal drug policy, and environmental and organized crime to evaluative research on the role of criminal justice in transitional legal systems. He has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous works, including volumes on sentencing, day-fines, recidivism, child abuse and neglect, drug policies, and victimization.
Curriculum Vitae
Born in 1950 in Esslingen, Germany, Prof. Albrecht studied at the University of Tübingen and later at the University of Freiburg, where he was awarded his doctorate in 1979. In 1991, Prof. Albrecht completed his post-doctoral lecturing qualification with a Habilitation on criminal law, juvenile criminal law, criminology, and prison law.
Between 1977 and 1991, Prof. Albrecht worked as a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg. In 1991, he accepted an offer to lecture criminal law and criminology at the University of Konstanz. In 1993, he ascended to the Chair for Criminal Law, Juvenile Criminal Law, and Criminology at the University of Dresden, a position which he held until 1997 when he returned to the Institute. In 1997, Prof. Albrecht was appointed director at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg, Germany. In addition to his position at the Institute, he also lectures on criminal law, criminal justice, and criminology at the University of Freiburg.
In recent years, Prof. Albrecht has been awarded the status of guest professor at a number of foreign universities and leading academic research centers including the Center for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the China University of Political Science and Law (2000 + 2008), the College for Criminal Law Science at Beijing Normal University (2015) and the law faculties of Hainan University (2001), Renmin University (2004), Wuhan University (2005), Beijing Normal University (2006), and Dalian Ocean University (2012).
In 2003, he was bestowed the honor of a life membership at Clare Hall College, University of Cambridge, and in 2004 he accepted a UT-professorship and received permanent faculty membership at the Law Faculty of Qom Higher Education Center, University of Teheran. In 2005, Prof. Albrecht was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Pécs, Hungary. In May 2010, Prof. Albrecht was made an honorary member of the Hungarian Society of Criminology for his activities in the development of Hungarian criminology and criminal policy. In September 2010, he was appointed as an honorary member to the Serbian Society of Criminology (SCS). Prof. Albrecht was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Grigol Robakidze University in Tbilisi in May 2012 and an honorary professorship from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin in June 2013. In September 2013, the Academic Honor Award of the 3rd International Crime & Punishment Film Festival was presented to Prof. Albrecht in Istanbul for his life-time contribution to criminological research on children and youth. In September 2016, Prof. Albrecht was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Law Enforcement University in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, and in May 2017 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Technical University in Tbilisi, Georgia. Also in May 2017, the “2016 International Educator in China Award” by the Information Research Center of International Talents, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA), P.R. China, was presented to Prof. Albrecht for his contribution to Chinese-German academic cooperation and education.
Prof. Albrecht was co-initiator and deputy spokesperson of the International Max Planck Research School on Retaliation, Mediation and Punishment.