We kindly invite you to a lecture by Dr. Jakub Drapal entitled “Digitalized Descriptions of Criminal Behaviours Contained in Court Verdicts and Their Use in Sentencing Research: Vast Opportunities (and some dangers)”, which will take place as part of Tuesday Meetings on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, at 11.00 am in the library of the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana.
Drawing on comparative analysis across European countries, the study demonstrates the availability, detail, and digital accessibility of these descriptions. It outlines two complementary approaches for extracting meaningful data using recent advances in natural language processing—variable extraction and story-based categorization and shows their effectiveness. The article proposes a new behaviour-based classification system for sentencing research and evaluates the benefits and limitations. The findings underscore the transformative potential of these descriptions for sentencing research, comparative criminology, and policy development in Europe.
The lecture will be held in English.
Jakub Drápal is an associate professor at Charles University and a PI of an ERC StG Reconstructing Sentencing. He is interested in sentencing and penal policy and he employs primarily quantitative, doctrinal and comparative methods; he focuses mainly on Central and Eastern Europe. He studied and worked at Sorbonne, Cambridge, MPI in Freiburg and Leiden. He loves Slovenia and has hiked most of the Slovenian mountain ranges. Unlike his previous visits to the Institute, he is not bringing a tent.
No audio or video recording is allowed at the event, except with the express permission of the organizer.
