Criminal Law & Criminology
Dr. Robin Hofmann
Assistant Professor
About
Dr. Robin Hofmann is an assistant professor for criminal law and criminology at Maastricht University. He coordinates and teaches the Master course Criminalistics and Forensic DNA. His reseach interests are in empirical and comparative legal research, cross-border cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and international policing. He has conducted several EU Research projects, among others in Kosovo and with prosecutors from Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium on cross-border cooperation. Robin Hofmann is a trained lawyer in Germany where he also obtained his PhD in law in 2016. In addition he as an academic background in sociology and has worked as a legal trainee for the German Prosecution Service, the German Foreign Office and the UNICTY in The Hague. Currently he is a visiting researcher at the University of Oslo, evaluates projects for Deloitte Brussels and advises on the issue of cannabis-legalization in Europe.
Visit him on LinkedIn and find all his publications here

News
A live interview on public televison about the Germam plans to legalize recreational cannabis
The German Science TV-Programme ‘Galileo’ visited me in at the University of Maastricht. The result is an interesting and funny feature about the Dutch penal system, a luxury hotel in prison and candy in drug bags.
Decriminalizing Cannabis in Germany? The statement I gave in the German Bundestag can be found here.
In the Media
Media Coverage
Euractiv: Cannabis and EU Law (in English)
Welt am Sonntag: Organized Crime in Sweden (in German)
stern.de: Threaths of Organized Crime for the Rule of Law (in German)
Der Spiegel: Organized Crime in the Netherlands (in German)
Svenska Dagbladet: Organized crime in the Netherlands (in Swedish)
Expertise & Research Interests
Cross-Border Cooperation
Crime has become increasingly transnational. Especially organized criminals exploit state borders for illicit activities. Law enforcement agencies often lack behind these developments and legal cooperation across state borders is full of frictions. How can we improve law enforcement cooperation across state borders to fight crime?
Organized Crime
Organized criminals are increasingly active in many european states. The mocro-mafia in the Netherlands or criminal family clans in Germany – these networks pose enourmous challenges for law enforcement agencies. How can we better monitor organized crime and implement more effective crime policies within Europe?
Cannabis Policies
Cannabis prohibition has become under pressure worldwide. More and more countries (incl. Germany) set out to legalize the soft drug for recreational purposes. But international and european law still focused on a criminal justice approach. How can the legal regime be changed to keep pace with new developments while at the same time minmizing health, security and crime risks?
Publications
Robin Hofmann has published about different topics within criminology and criminal law, both in German and English.
Panama Papers Revisited
Cannabis Legalization