Rok Hacin
Scientific committee Co-Chair, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Rok Hacin is Associate Professor of Criminology at the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor, Slovenia, where he heads the university undergraduate programme in Criminal Justice and Security. His research connects criminal justice legitimacy, penology, policing, penal policy and comparative crime statistics.
His scholarship examines prisoners’ perceptions of prison staff, staff self-legitimacy, institutional relationships and the treatment of people subject to criminal justice authority. He has also contributed to studies of police legitimacy, community safety and penal developments across European jurisdictions. His publications include articles in international journals, monographs and edited collections addressing fair criminal justice and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Hacin received the European Society of Criminology’s Young Criminologist Award in 2020, an Emerald Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2024, and University of Maribor recognition in 2025. He is an Associate Editor of the European Journal of Criminology and participates in the European Sourcebook expert group, contributing to scholarly publishing and comparative criminal justice knowledge. He is also the author of two monographs on legitimacy, published by Springer. He is also active in conference organisation. He is a co-chair of the 2028 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference programme committee.
As Co-chair of the WCC 2027 Scientific Committee, Hacin contributes experience in research evaluation, international collaboration and programme development. His work reflects the concern with evidence, institutional legitimacy, humane treatment in general and in prisons and the relationship between effective security and socially just practice.