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Book review: Olga Petintseva, Rita Faria and Yarin Eski, Interviewing Elites, Experts and the Powerful in Criminology

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date01 August 2020
Date01 August 2020
AuthorIgnacio González-Sánchez
DOI10.1177/2066220320918125
Subject MatterBook reviews
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European Journal of Probation 12(2)
Olga Petintseva, Rita Faria and Yarin Eski, Interviewing Elites, Experts and the Powerful in
Criminology. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020; 166 pp.: ISBN 978-3-030-32999-0, €51.99 (hbk).
Reviewed by: Ignacio González-Sánchez, University of Girona, Spain
Interviewing Elites raises and expounds on an interesting issue: in this book it is deci-
sion-makers in the criminal system who are the ones being interviewed, rather than crim-
inals. Given criminology’s almost inherent tendency towards the study of precarious
populations and the victims of the penal system (offenders and the victims of those
offenders, when they exist), the subject matter of this book is particularly interesting and
necessary for criminology: even more so than for other social sciences. Under the guise
of offering advice and good technical practice guidelines, Interviewing Elites raises
important epistemological questions, in terms of both face-to-face interactions with this
unique population and the potential professional consequences that engaging in these
interactions could have for the researcher (access to public funds could be cut off and
bureaucratic obstacles for future investigations may increase). These issues are of par-
ticular importance to the many criminologists whose access to data depends precisely on
the people they would like to interview (and analyse).
On the whole, the categories’ “expert” and “powerful” are treated indistinctly in
Interviewing Elites, even though Chapter 2 is spent thoroughly distinguishing and defin-
ing each concept. Here, access to resources is considered relevant as well as the ability
to mobilize and guarantee or restrict access to them. In the case of probation officers,
their knowledge is seen to potentially place them in a special position. It should not be
forgotten that while the reports they fill out about those being sentenced certainly certify
their status as experts, this does not exclude them from...

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