Dr Anton Symkovych

Overview

Dr Anton Symkovych is an internationally recognised prison scholar whose research explores carceral order, legitimacy, and penal subjectivities across the Global North, South, and East. Over the past two decades, he has conducted extensive ethnographic research in men’s and women’s prisons in England, South Africa, and Ukraine, examining how carceral power is produced, contested, and lived. Dr Symkovych has published widely in leading international journals on the lived experience of incarceration, prison governance, and penal policy. Before entering academia, he worked in youth justice and social care—first as a mental health intern in a juvenile hall and later as a social worker in a group home for teenage boys on parole in California. These early experiences continue to shape his commitment to grounded, empirically rich research that bridges scholarship and practice. He serves on the Consultative Expert Council of the Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine and contributes to several professional organisations and community-based initiatives dedicated to advocacy, social change, and building stronger, more inclusive communities. Qualifications: PhD in Criminology, University of Cambridge (UK) MPhil in Criminological Research, University of Cambridge (UK) Master’s in Social Work (MSW) (with distinction), California State University-Fresno (USA) Certificate in Applied Psychology, Uzhhorod National University (Ukraine) BA in Sociology (with distinction), Uzhhorod National University (Ukraine) Recent publications: Symkovych, A. (2025) ‘ Narratives of rehabilitation in a South African prison ’, Social Problems , 72(3): 1135–1151. Dunn, L. M., Symkovych, A. and Johns, D. (2025) ‘ The gendered framing of language impairments in criminalised young people ’, Criminology and Criminal Justice , 25(5): 1463–1485. Symkovych, A. (2024) ‘ Ukrainian prison officers and their power ’, in Arnold, H., Maycock, M., and Ricciardelli, R. (eds) Prison Officers: International Perspectives on Prison Work . London: Palgrave Macmillan: 57–81. Symkovych, A. (2023a) ‘ Prison order through the hyperopticon, collectivism, and atomisation: The surveillance and disciplining of Ukrainian prison officers ’, Theoretical Criminology , 27(3): 481–498. Symkovych, A. (2023b) ‘ The toll of totalising masculinities in prison ’, in Bartlett, T. and Ricciardelli, R. (eds) Prison Masculinities: International Perspectives and Interpretations . London: Routledge: 67–83. Symkovych, A. (2022) ‘ Untrustworthy subjects? Risks, blame and gradual prison release in Ukraine ’, European Journal of Criminology , 19 (5): 1225–1242. Symkovych, A. (2020a) ‘ Negative visibility and “the defences of the weak”: The interplay of a managerial culture and prisoner resistance ’, Theoretical Criminology , 24 (2): 202–221. Symkovych, A. (2020b) ‘ The eye of a needle: Temporary prison leave in Ukraine ’, European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research , 26 (2): 195–210. Symkovych, A. (2019) ‘ The legal and illegal use of force by prison officers in Ukraine ’, The Prison Journal, 99 (1): 89–111. Symkovych, A. (2018a) ‘ Compromised power and negotiated order in a Ukrainian prison ’, British Journal of Criminology , 58 (1): 200–217. Symkovych, A. (2018b) ‘ The Ukrainian response to Sykes: Prisoner hierarchy and self-rule – power, legitimacy, and dynamics ’, British Journal of Criminology , 58 (5): 1087–1106. Symkovych, A. (2018c) ‘ The ‘inmate code’ in flux: A normative system and extralegal governance in a Ukrainian prison ’, Current Sociology , 66 (7): 1087–1105. Symkovych, A. (2018d) ‘ Do men in prison have nothing to lose but their manhood? Masculinities of prisoners and officers in a Ukrainian correctional colony ’, Men and Masculinities , 21 (5): 665–686. Symkovych, A. (2017) ‘ Sex in prisoner power relations: Attitudes and practices in a Ukrainian correctional colony for men ’, The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice , 56 (1): 1–18.