This year, the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law Ljubljana, once again took part in Krimifest, a literary festival that brings together crime fiction enthusiasts through a programme of expert discussions and entertaining events. As part of the festival, we participated in a film screening and panel discussion at the Slovenian Cinematheque on Wednesday, 4 November, followed by three lectures at the Institute the next day, exploring crime from various social, legal and literary perspectives.
Wednesday’s evening began with a screening of the science-fiction film Minority Report, followed by a panel discussion entitled The Limits of the Future: Artificial Intelligence and the Prosecution of Criminal Offenders. Prof. Dr Aleš Završnik, Director of the Institute, joined Prof. Dr Danijel Skočaj (Faculty of Computer and Information Science UL), Assist. Prof. Dr Maja Modic (Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor) and Assist. Prof. Dr Lora Briški (Faculty of Law UL) to discuss predictive technologies that are increasingly being introduced into policing and other mechanisms of social control.
On Thursday, the festival continued at the Institute’s library. Marko Balažic, Research Assistant at the Institute, opened the programme with his lecture on human trafficking, exploring contemporary forms of human trafficking, which are often less visible and more difficult to prove than historical forms of enslavement. In the second lecture, Prof. Dr Dragan Petrovec discussed the admiration, glorification and imitation of controversial figures responsible for wars and crimes against humanity.
The series of lectures concluded with researchers Dr Eva Bertok and Dr Nežka Sajinčič, who, in their lecture Stalking in Literature and Slovenian Reality, connected literary portrayals of stalking with findings on its prevalence in Slovenia.
The lectures attracted considerable interest, with the audience demonstrating great engagement through active participation and numerous questions. We are delighted to have taken part in the festival once again, contributing to a programme that encourages reflection on issues extending far beyond the boundaries of fiction.
Photo: Črt Piksi
