This article discusses “penal populism” and its conflict with criminological expertise. It considers the proper balance between professional expertise and community sentiment in the formulation of crime control and penal policy—especially in respect of policy measures where moral rather than instrumental considerations are involved. It raises theoretical questions about the nature of “public opinion”—does it exist other than as an artifact of survey instruments?—and its proper role in a democratic polity. And it considers the professional responsibility of criminological experts in relation to policy formation and political debate. The performance of public health experts during the COVID pandemic is presented as an instructive case in point. Can criminology establish itself as a credible form of social scientific knowledge worthy of public trust? And how should criminologists comport themselves when engaging with questions of public policy and political controversy?

本文讨论“刑事民粹主义”及其与犯罪学专业知识的冲突。它在制定犯罪控制和刑事政策时考虑了专业知识和社区情绪之间的适当平衡——尤其是在涉及道德而非工具考虑的政策措施方面。它提出了关于“舆论”性质的理论问题——它是否存在于调查工具之外？——以及它在民主政体中的适当作用。它考虑了犯罪学专家在政策制定和政治辩论方面的专业责任。公共卫生专家在 COVID 大流行期间的表现被作为一个有指导意义的例子。犯罪学能否将自己确立为一种值得公众信任的社会科学知识的可信形式？犯罪学家在处理公共政策和政治争议问题时应该如何表现自己？