As of 1 January 2022, Sanne Struijk has been appointed as Professor of Penal Law (0.2 fte) at Erasmus School of Law for a period of five years. The chair offers the possibility to study the penal system and the normative and empirical legal matters linked to this system from a societal context.
Struijk has been affiliated with Erasmus School of Law since 2003; as Associate Professor of Criminal Law since 2014. In addition, she is Professor of Penology and Penitentiary Law at the University of Groningen, a position she will leave at the end of this academic year. Struijk shows exceptional expertise in penal law and the societal component linked to this, not only in education and research but also in her ancillary activities in legal practice.
Conflicting interests between freedom and safety
Penal law includes at its core the question of whether and how society reacts with sanctions to reprehensible behaviour of citizens and companies.
The number of sanctions and possible combinations has enormously increased in the past years. In theory, this offers the Dutch Public Prosecution Office and the judge many possibilities for tailor-made solutions in the punishment of criminal behaviour. On the other hand, this development pressurises legal security and equality whilst knowing what sanctions are effective, which falls behind. In addition, societal support for sanctioning plays an important role. Citizens think that judges punish lightly, whilst statistics show that the sanctions have gotten more severe in the past twenty years. To increase societal support for the penal system, it is essential to inform society and the legislator with concentrated research on the different types of sanctions, their backgrounds and how they work.
Legally sound and appropriate
As Professor of Penal Law, Struijk will specifically focus on research and education that contributes to legally sound and, at the same time, meaningful punishment of criminal behaviour. She will do this by developing a proposal to restructure penal law, focusing on the expected revision of the Code of Penal Law. The carry-over of European and international law is an essential guiding principle in this regard.
Struijk is excited about her appointment: “It is an honour to be connected to “my own” law school as a Professor, and I look forward to giving substance to this in a normative, empirical and internationally oriented way that fits within the Department of Law, Society & Crime.”
According to Struijk, the law is embedded in a social context, in which, on the one hand, society makes the norms, and on the other hand, society is made by the standards. This perspective perfectly fits with the vision of Erasmus School of Law.
The board of Erasmus School of Law congratulates Sanne Struijk on her appointment and wishes her all the best with her activities.
- Professor