The Department of Sociology & Criminology at Brock University and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies’ Centre for Research into the Processes, Outcomes, and Impacts of Incarceration (CRPOI), in collaboration with the National Steering Committee of Critical Perspectives, will host the 15th National Conference on Critical Perspectives in Criminology and Social Justice in May 2026. The conference is free, and everyone is welcome to attend in person at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
This year’s theme, Connecting Paths, highlights encounters that shape our social worlds and influence how we understand safety and justice. These meetings may be spontaneous or deliberate, fleeting or sustained, but are always capable of being generative. Our paths may converge in solidarity, diverge in tension, or lead to new directions for justice, healing, and transformation.
Please email criminology@brocku.ca with any questions about the conference.
Here is the latest version of the conference schedule: Conference Schedule (Short)
Full conference program, which includes descriptions and abstracts for all sessions (password was emailed to conference registrants): Detailed Conference Program
- Check-in will be available in Market Hall (Thistle Complex) starting at 2pm on Wednesday, May 20. Please stop by when you arrive to pick up your name tag and conference materials.
- Campus map: https://brocku.ca/blogs/campus-map/
- Parking Map
- Free parking is available from May 20-22 in Lot 1
- You can validate parking ahead of arrival by registering your vehicle using this link: https://event.starrezevents.com/143e7964-1d65-4679-abd7-e76df4824a7e/1bc2429c-fa8a-4154-a260-57ce0955bde6
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- You can validate parking on the day(s) of your arrival using the QR Code that will be posted on large A-frame signs in Lot 1. The voucher code is: CONFERENCE1
- Paid parking for visitors is available at a daily rate of $6 if you wish to park somewhere other than Lot 1.
- Payment can be made through the HONK mobile app from the App Store – Apple or Google Play Store – Android or through the HONK Mobile website.
- Alternatively, payment can be made at the Parking Services office.
If you need to park in a paid lot for accessibility reasons and require support to cover the cost of doing so, please send an email to: criminology@brocku.ca
- If you plan to use public transit while in Niagara, all the information you need is available through the Niagara Region Transit website.
- A couple of sessions will be supported by French-to-English translation software. If you plan to attend these sessions, please bring a mobile device with internet access so you can access the translated text (please bring your headphones if you wish to hear the translated audio).
- Throughout the conference, we ask that people avoid using labels or stigmatizing terms that define people by their contact with the carceral system. The Marshall Project’s Language Project is a helpful resource if you’d like to read more: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/the-language-project
- Some presentations will engage with difficult material, including state and interpersonal violence, incarceration, death, and the harms of criminalization and punishment. Presenters have been asked to provide brief content notes at the start of their sessions when relevant, and we encourage you to take care of yourself throughout the conference, including stepping out of sessions as needed. If you need a quiet space to rest or regroup, Alphie’s Trough, the library, and the outdoor green spaces on campus are all good options.
- Please do not photograph, record, or live-share sessions on social media without the explicit consent of presenters and others in the room.
Brock Campus Map
