Professor Emeritus David Weisburd, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
It is a great honour for the International Society of Criminology (ISC), for its publication, the International Annals of Criminology, and for me as the President of the Society and Editor in Chief of the Annals, to participate in this celebration of the stellar career of Professor Emeritus David Weisburd of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Board member of the Society. I am also very proud to take active part as co-editor in the publication of a selection of scholarly works especially authored by Israeli criminologists in his honour and to illustrate the high quality and level of Israeli criminology and criminal justice, especially in better planning and use of pragmatic crime prediction, prevention and intervention programmes.
The articles in this issue of the Annals illustrate the challenges encountered by criminologists on a daily basis and the need to know, analyse, decide and put into practice what high-quality research clearly indicates is a promising and demonstrated crime prevention measure.
It is especially valuable for the International Society of Criminology to take active part in this celebration, another milestone in the continuous growth of criminology as a discipline of major importance and value for today’s society which is faced with major challenges stemming at the same time from several areas of advances and innovations in a never-ending spiral of change. Artificial intelligence is a current illustration of this dynamic and challenge. Professor Weisburd represents an inspiring and energizing example of the dynamic and multifaceted interaction between criminology and the challenges we face as a society and that we need to resolve. The articles in this special issue are of great importance in illustrating this dynamic and its importance with a series of cogent examples with international diffusion. Reading them, may we all be inspired and motivated to continue the scholarly and pragmatic work of Professor Weisburd and contribute to the international and cross-cultural development of criminology and to building a better society worldwide.
Emilio C. Viano is the Editor in Chief of the International Annals of Criminology and the President of the International Society of Criminology (re-elected in Doha, Qatar, 2019). He has earned several law degrees in the UK and USA and a PhD in Rome and another in New York, both “summa cum laude”. He has been a Professor at the American University, the Washington College of Law and other universities worldwide. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development at the World Bank, the Board of Directors of the International Association of Penal Law, and others. He has also been Senior Advisor on Cyber Crime at the Legal Vice Presidency, the World Bank. His pioneering work in victimology was recognized by the award of the “Hans Von Hentig” Medal, the highest recognition of the World Society of Victimology. He has also been a recipient of Fulbright Scholar awards. He was the Program Chair for the 17th World Congress of Criminology held in Mexico (2014) and for the 18th World Congress held in India (2016) and organized the 2019 World Congress in Doha, Qatar. He has also served as General Reporter on Cybercrime for the International Association of Penal Law. He organized and chaired an international conference on Female Migration to ISIS in Venice, Italy. Dr Viano has published extensively in the field of criminology, victimology, international criminal law, terrorism and cybercrime. He is a recognized political analyst interviewed regularly on CNN, Voice of America, France 24, UNIVISION, Canadian Broadcasting Service and several other media outlets.
