Jakub Drápal

I was born and raised in Prague, city I love. I studied there at high school Na Vítězné pláni and at Law Faculty of Charles University. During my studies I spent one year abroad at West High School in Madison, WI, USA and a half-year in Paris at Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas. Scholarship from Bakala Foundation enables me to study at the University of Cambridge a research masters (MPhil. in Criminological Research). Criminology (and Criminal Justice) interests me as whole with special interest in penology, the science about punishments. There I am interested by some more (and seemingly) less important themes, such as electoral right of prisoners, fees in prison or the functionality of pecuniary punishment with regards to the wealth of the offender. Apart from this I take interest in recent legal history with special regards to life stories of lawyers. Furthermore I research a little in the area of law movies and their usage in teaching. Why criminology? Currently it is not a science which is widely popular (as it may be slowly getting there), with no master's program available in the Czech Republic. There are also several basic questions which are still unresolved meaning there is a lot of space for a scientist and for someone who would like to change public policy. Doing a work which can end up in improving situation of both sides of the conflict – offender and society – is fulfilling for me. My hobbies include hiking in remote mountains mainly in Balkan, canoing, organising summer camps for children and playing a guitar. After my studies abroad I plan on returning to the Czech Republic.