{"id":80747,"date":"2017-09-29T08:46:11","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T06:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=80747"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:54:31","slug":"founding-father-criminology-education-i-wanted-to-expose-injustice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/09\/29\/founding-father-criminology-education-i-wanted-to-expose-injustice\/","title":{"rendered":"Founding father criminology education: ‘I wanted to expose injustice’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Henk van de Bunt<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Henk van de Bunt, the \u2018founding father\u2019 of the department of criminology, is saying goodbye after forty years. \u201cI have always wanted to expose injustice, and show why people get away with their behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my father was awarded a royal distinction, I had a huge argument with him because he was going to accept it. But I was about fifteen years old at the time, and I had long hair,\u201d says Van de Bunt with a smile. Now history is repeating itself. He himself was named an officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau when he retired as a Professor of Criminology at Erasmus University at the beginning of the month. It came as a complete surprise to him.<\/p>\n

So, is he happy now to receive the ribbon of honour? \u201cOf course it\u2019s an honour. I loved receiving it. But I\u2019m not the kind of person who will attend all sorts of meetings and receptions wearing that thing (points at his chest). I did wonder \u2013 what would my father have said?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cWhen my father was awarded a royal distinction, I had a huge argument with him\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHenk van de Bunt\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Henk van de Bunt looks back on forty years\u2019 worth of criminological research and teaching, a week and a half after saying goodbye as a professor. We meet in his brand new workroom at the university. He may now be an emeritus professor, but he has not yet completed his research, and so he moved to the Sanders Building last summer, along with all his colleagues.<\/p>\n

Absent-minded inspector<\/h3>

Conversations with his colleagues and friends clearly demonstrate that Van de Bunt was partially responsible for the rise of criminology in the Netherlands. Hans Nelen, a professor at Maastricht University, calls him \u2018one of the founding fathers\u2019 of the Dutch criminology degree. He \u2018got criminology going\u2019, says Ren\u00e9 van Swaaningen, a professor at EUR.<\/p>\n

The most striking characterisation of Van de Bunt is provided by his former student and former colleague Pascale Roll\u00e9-de Leeuw, who compares him to Columbo, the protagonist of the eponymous TV detective show. \u201cHe was the kind of inspector who wears a shabby coat and looks rather absent-minded. Once you\u2019ve been talking to him for a while, you will hit the point where you\u2019re wondering if he is actually listening to you. And then, suddenly, he will ask you an excellent question.\u201d<\/p>\n

These characterisations make Van de Bunt laugh. \u201cI have to admit to being somewhat chaotic sometimes. Just look at my desk. I\u2019ve been here for three days now.\u201d There are several stacks of paper, as well as four empty cardboard coffee cups.<\/p>\n

Indoor activist<\/h3>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u201cThey all insisted on wearing proper suits, which wasn\u2019t necessary for the kinds of jobs they were doing.\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVan de Bunt about his promotional research regarding prosecutors\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Van de Bunt has always been interested in criminology, he tells us. \u201cWhen I was about sixteen years old, I bought my first ever book on criminology, about the criteria used in the administration of criminal justice. It cost four guilders.\u201d The book still sits in his workroom. Van de Bunt was forced to study Law by his parents. \u201cI thought it was boring. A fellow student who was a friend of mine took up Sociology in addition to Law, and I thought, hey, actually, that would suit me, too. This way I can keep my parents happy and<\/em> do something I like myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the turbulent 1970s, Van de Bunt was \u2018mainly an indoor activist\u2019. He never stood on the barricades. He joined the Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology in Utrecht. In 1985, he was awarded a PhD by Utrecht University for a thesis based on a participant observation study of public prosecutors. \u201cI was walking among them carrying a small tape recorder. I recorded conversations and attended meetings. It was fascinating, seeing how formally the persons involved were all acting. I was really struck by that. They all insisted on wearing proper suits, which wasn\u2019t necessary for the kinds of jobs they were doing. And needless to say, they saved their loudest laughter for the Director of Public Prosecutions\u2019 jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hidden in broom cupboards<\/h3>

Van de Bunt feels that the establishment of the Department of Criminology was the key moment of his career. \u201cWhen I was a student, I occasionally spoke to criminologists. They existed, but they were hidden away in the broom cupboards of the various Faculties of Law. They were allowed to teach the odd elective. Criminology was fragmented, which does not do the quality of science any favours.\u201d We need a good criminology degree, Van de Bunt decided.<\/p>\n

It turned out to be a hit. Before they even began offering the degree, the \u2018founding fathers\u2019 were shocked by its popularity. \u201cWe said to each other, Jesus, look at those enrolment numbers. We\u2019re going to be exhausted,\u201d says Van de Bunt. \u201cWe had to implement a numerus clausus right from the start. Even now, we get about 120 new students every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professional snake pit<\/h3>
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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Van de Bunt is also proud of his having razed the barrier between \u2018non-governmental\u2019 criminology (read: science) and \u2018governmental\u2019 criminology. He bridged the gap between the two. \u201cWhen I switched from the university to the Research and Documentation Centre in 1994 (Van de Bunt was appointed director of the Ministry of Justice\u2019s research centre \u2013 ed.), several people believed it was a risky venture. They thought I was leaving academia only to end up in a professional snake pit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey disparagingly called it \u2018governmental criminology\u2019, as if it were an inferior product. I never understood that,\u201d says Van de Bunt. \u201cBy \u2018governmental\u2019, they meant that it did not involve any theory. Which was partly true, because it was all very practical. For instance, we looked at patterns in recidivism rates. But they hugely exaggerated about this. Moreover, I actually think it\u2019s important that scientific research have a high degree of social relevance. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van de Bunt briefly remains silent when asked if he has any regrets. \u201cI sometimes bit off more than I could chew. This negatively affected my family and also contributed to my divorce. Moreover, it negatively affected the quality of my work.\u201d He is quick to change the subject to the current working conditions in science, which he feels are worse: \u201cThese days, universities are only interested in truly outstanding candidates. You must be able to prove that you are good at carrying out research, that you are an eloquent lecturer, that you know how to get funding for your research, and that you are active in various international networks. You are practically obliged to spend a year abroad. Young academics must sacrifice a lot in order to have a successful career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exposing injustice<\/h3>

So what did Van de Bunt seek to achieve with his research? \u201cExposing injustice. Explaining why perpetrators get away with their crimes so easily. But I also wanted to create an understanding, in the sense that I wanted to make people understand what\u2019s going on. That, too, is very important in the way we deal with crime. Organised crime does not exist despite us, but rather because of us. Take, for instance, people who buy second-hand iPhones at prices that are far too good to be true. Everyone knows there\u2019s something wrong there.\u201d He quickly adds, \u201cBut I\u2019m not much of a moralist, really. I don\u2019t like wagging my finger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConducting research is the best thing in the world, especially when it involves subjects that I find interesting. Which is the case with organised crime.\u201d With three other persons, he established the Organised Crime Monitor, in response to the Van Traa-led Parliamentary Board of Inquiry (which was investigating controversial investigative methods), to which Van de Bunt was a contributor. \u201cHow do some people manage to commit such tremendous crimes? Take Madoff, for instance \u2013 the American fraudster. He caused 50 billion dollars\u2019 worth of damage. That\u2019s inconceivable in itself. I find it interesting to analyse how the people around him were involved. Did they know he was doing it? If they knew, how come they didn\u2019t say anything? I call this protective circle of people \u2018walls of silence\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018I love empirical detail, but I don\u2019t like being sued\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHenk van de Bunt\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

In the aftermath of the Van Traa Committee, Van de Bunt was dealt a bit of a blow. In a study of accountants\u2019, notaries\u2019 and lawyers\u2019 culpable involvement in organised crime, he described an anonymised incident involving a lawyer. \u201cA journalist working for De Telegraaf managed to find out who the lawyer was, and that lawyer then sued me.\u201d Van de Bunt lost the case. \u201cThat was a difficult time in my life. I hardly ever talk about it. It\u2019s better to sit still while you are getting a shave.\u201d Although the case never negatively affected his career, it did have an effect on his work. \u201cI have become more careful in my publications because of this incident. I love providing some empirical detail, but I do not like being sued for damages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Granddaughter<\/h3>

Despite the fact that he has retired as a professor, his forty-year career as a scientist is not over yet. \u201cI\u2019m still writing \u2013 I\u2019ve made a few promises here and there \u2013 but I do intend to take it a little easier.\u201d His son Joris had a baby girl a few weeks ago. \u201cI want to be able to enjoy my granddaughter.\u201d Then, with a smile: \u201cBut that depends on the grandchild, as well \u2013 whether she\u2019s at all keen on hanging out with granddad.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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