Visit of the Secretary General from Argentina
On 18 February 2026, our Institute had the honour of welcoming Maria Sol Purita, Secretary General for Institutional Relations of the Attorney General's Office of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
Following a presentation of the Institute's profile and our current research projects, the possibility of future cooperation between our institutions was also discussed.
European Day for Victims of Crime 2026
The Victimology Section of the Hungarian Society of Criminology, in cooperation with the National Institute of Criminology, held a session entitled “Is the Offender Also a Victim?” on 19 February 2026 on the occasion of the European Day for Victims of Crime.
The aim of the programme was to present the phenomenon of violence involving children and the issues of professional communication with vulnerable minors.
Imputability in Criminal Law
Under the title "Imputability in Criminal Law – Theoretical and Practical Issues in Light of the Challenges of the 21st Century", we organised a scientific conference on 4 December 2025, in cooperation with the Institute for Legal Studies of the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences (ELTE TK).
The aim of the conference was to discuss how the traditional concept of imputability in criminal law is shaped by the economic and social transformations of the 21st century, to what extent it is capable of responding to these changes, and what emerging trends and potential avenues for development can be identified for the future.
Economic Crime 2025 – 10th Anniversary Conference
On 14 November 2025, the scientific conference entitled “Economic Crime” was held for the tenth time, hosted in the Károlyi-Csekonics Palace.
Dr. Gábor Bálint Nagy, the Prosecutor General, delivered a lecture entitled “Invisible Money, Visible Crime? The Emergence of Cryptocurrencies in Economic Crime”. Senior Research Fellows of our Institute, Dr. Petronella Deres and Dr. Gabriella Kármán, presented the findings of their decade-long research conducted at OKRI in a lecture entitled “Current Challenges and Practical Experiences of Asset Recovery Procedures – Insights from Research by the National Institute of Criminology”.
Sporting security conference
On the occasion of the Jubilee Celebration of Hungarian Science, the National Institute of Criminology held a professional–scientific conference titled “Security at Sporting Events and Experiences in Insurance” on 12 November 2025.
At the event, which attracted considerable interest, renowned experts delivered presentations on, among other topics, the evolution of security at sporting events, security experiences related to football matches, the legal regulation of the field, crimes committed in the Puskás Arena, and specific issues concerning the security and insurance of indoor sports. Several presentations placed special emphasis on the security preparations for one of the world’s most closely watched sporting events, the UEFA Champions League Final, which will be held in Budapest in May next year.
During the conference, members of the audience – including, among others, the National Chief of Police, five county chief prosecutors, and numerous distinguished representatives of the professional and scientific community – had the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments and opinions.
ECUPL delegation
On 15 October 2025, a delegation from Shanghai University (East China University of Political Science and Law – ECUPL), led by Vice President Prof. HAN Qiang, visited our Institute. During the visit, our guests were able to learn about the history and operation of OKRI, and gain insight into the work being done here through presentations of our current research. They also discussed the characteristics of human trafficking in Hungary, the practice of compulsory treatment of mentally ill offenders, and our research on juvenile delinquency.
Researches' Night at OKRI
On 26 September 2025, our institute participated in the Researchers’ Night event series for the second time.
We prepared three presentations and a special quiz for the event. The event once again provided an opportunity for the lay public to learn about our Institute and our researchers and to gain real knowledge about certain issues related to crime.
International conference
On September 25 and 26, 2025, the Criminal Law Department of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) organized a two-day conference entitled “Alternative sanctions and restorative justice in Hungary and in Europe”, with the participation of domestic and international experts.
On the second day of the conference, Prof. Dr. Tünde A. Barabás, director of our institute, gave a presentation entitled “The possibilities for applying restorative methods in the Hungarian prison system”. Other speakers in the Restorative Justice – International Perspectives section were Mihály Kovács (BVOP), Prof. Dr. Frieder Dünkel (University of Greifswald), and Prof. Dr. Ineke Pruin (University of Bern), who shared their experiences in Hungary, Germany, and Switzerland with the audience.
The conference focused on new approaches to two topics. One was alternative sanctions, which aim to reduce the harmful effects of imprisonment and the costs of its enforcement, The other was restorative justice, which emphasizes reparation over punishment at all stages of criminal proceedings by bringing together victims, offenders, and, where appropriate, members of the community. Restorative justice measures aim to repair the damage caused, encourage accountability, and find solutions for healing and preventing future crime, thereby avoiding the harmful effects of criminal proceedings for all involved.
Cyber Conference
On June 26, 2025, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the founding of the National Association of Prosecutors, our Institute organized a scientific conference entitled “Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Beyond the Administration of Justice”.
At the conference, numerous practitioners and university lecturers shared their experiences on the topic, outlined new challenges, and proposed possible solutions.
OKRI on The Children’s Day
On the last Sunday in May, our Institute participated in the Children’s Day event organized by the Local Government of Budapest’s 12th District as an institution operating in the district.
The question rightly arises: what is an organization researching crime and deviance doing at a children’s festival? Based on our experience, it seemed that our Institute had a place even at a program for families and children: while the children were busy making ‘criminal’ drawings, their parents filled out a quiz on crime, which our colleagues immediately corrected and discussed with those interested. This allowed adults to learn important criminal law rules and obtain information on a number of current criminological topics. We would like to thank the children for their creative works!
Expert roundtable discuccion
On May 14, 2025, a roundtable discussion titled “Experts in Procedures: Active Substances, Quantities, Expert Opinions, Deliminations” took place at the National Institute of Criminology.
The event saw participation from prosecutors representing nearly all counties across the nation, who are colleagues with substantial experience in drug-related cases. Representing the Hungarian Institute for Forensic Sciences (HIFS) were Tamás Csesztregi, the Head of the Institute for Drug Forensic Expertise, Edina Bánfi, the Head of the Forensic Chemistry Department, and Antal Kricskovics, the Head of the Institute for Medical Expertise, who is also a medical forensic expert, all of whom contributed to the discussion.
From the National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Nelli Csöndör, the Head of the Department, Orsolya Orosz-Kovács, the Head of the Drugs Unit, Balázs Majzik, the Head of the Drug Prevention Programmes Unit, and Dr. Balázs Szécsényi, a Specialist in Drug Counterfeiting, as esteemed guests.
The roundtable discussion was conducted within the framework of the National Institute of Criminology 2025 work plan, focusing on the factors contributing to illicit substance abuse and research pertaining to the counterfeiting of medications.
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visit to the OKRI |
On May 13, 2025, we hosted two foreign and three Hungarian colleagues at our Institute as part of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) general exchange program conducted in English.
During the visit, Deputy Director Dr. György Virág presented the operations and activities of the National Institute of Criminology. Following this, participants were able to listen to presentations by scientific senior researchers Dr. Judit Szabó and Dr. Eszter Sárik regarding the Institute’s research projects related to child protection and child endangerment (specifically concerning the endangerment of minors), as well as the characteristics of juvenile delinquency, titled “Research projects related to child protection and child endangerment (endangerment of a minor)” and “Guilty youngsters? The features of juvenile criminality upon research conducted at the National Institute of Criminology”.
Cooperation agreement
with the Hungarian Institute for Forensic Sciences
On April 8, 2025, our Institute formalized a partnership with the Hungarian Institute for Forensic Sciences (HIFS) through a cooperation agreement.
This collaboration is rooted in the longstanding integration of expert evidence studies within OKRI’s research endeavours, which continues to be a central focus of inquiry as a vital component of evidence.
The agreement was executed by Dr Andrea Tünde Barabás, Director of OKRI, and Márton Lontai, Director General of the HIFS.
Day of Victims of Crime in 2025
The Victimology Section of the Hungarian Society of Criminology conducted a session titled 'In Search of Missing Children' on February 24, 2025, coinciding with the Day of Victims of Crime.
This event was collaboratively organized with the National Institute of Criminology (OKRI) and the Ludovika University of Public Service (LUPS). Despite being scheduled in the afternoon, the session attracted a significant audience, including numerous experts, university students, and members of the public.
The meeting commenced with opening remarks from Prof. Dr. Tünde A. Barabás, the Director of NIC, who also serves as the Head of the Department of Criminology at the Faculty of Law Enforcement at LUPS.
The Scientific Board meeting at OKRI in 2025
The annual meeting of the Scientific Board of the National Institute of Criminology (OKRI) took place on February 20, 2025.
Attendees included members of the Scientific Board, senior leaders from affiliated institutions, and their representatives. During the scientific session, the council reviewed, discussed, and unanimously approved the report on OKRI’s activities for 2024, a presentation on the findings of research examining asset recovery procedures, and the work plan for OKRI in 2025.
INVERT Training
Within the framework of the international project "Identifying compaNies and Victims in the Exploitation phase to disRupt the financial business model of adult and child labour Trafficking (INVERT)", awarded by the European Union Internal Security Fund programme, we organised a training for nearly 50 law enforcement officers on 17 October 2024.
During the event, police officers, prosecutors and labour inspectorates worked in small groups to develop posters on a specific theme and to process a case. The training provided the participants with an opportunity to get away from their daily work for half a day, to recharge their batteries, to gain new knowledge, and to get to know each other's work, difficulties and possibilities for cooperation.
ECUPL delegation
On the 14 October 2024 the National Institute of Criminology hosted five representatives of the East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL) in Shanghai, with whom a professional meeting was held.
The participants mutually introduced the operating principles of their institutes, the topics on research are being conducted and discussed the fundamental issues of Chinese and Hungarian criminal law.
Uzbek delegation
On the 17 September 2024 Bakhtiyor Erkinovich Berdialiev, the director of Research Institute of Criminology in Uzbekistan as a head of a delegation of researchers and Mr. Oybek Shakhavdinov, the Uzbek ambassador visited our institute.
The members of the delegation could get a picture about the history and operation of OKRI, as well as about our running research-program. During the meeting, an agreement on future professional-scientific cooperation was also signed between the institutions.
