Kevin Cheng is an Associate Professor and he currently serves as Assistant Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Law. He was awarded a PhD in criminology from the University of Hong Kong. Prior to his doctoral studies, he completed his Juris Doctor (JD) and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) here at the Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before that, he obtained his Honours Bachelor of Arts (with distinction) from the University of Toronto where he majored in criminology and political science. His research interests are primarily in the fields of criminology, criminal justice and socio-legal studies with a strong emphasis on empirical work in Hong Kong. He has written on topics including, guilty pleas, prisoner re-entry, procedural justice and legitimacy, and public attitudes towards crime and criminal justice policies. His work appears in leading criminology and interdisciplinary journals including, the British Journal of Criminology, New Criminal Law Review, Punishment & Society, Social & Legal Studies, Law & Social Inquiry, Journal of Mixed Methods Research, and the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. Dr. Cheng has received funding from the General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grants Council for his research on guilty pleas and cracked trials and his research on the sliding scale of sentence discounts for guilty pleas.

 

EDUCATION

• PhD (The University of Hong Kong)
• PCLL (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
• JD (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
• BA (Hons.) (Distinction) (University of Toronto)

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Criminology
• Criminal justice
• Socio-legal studies
• Empirical legal research

AWARDS

• CUHK Research Excellence Award 2015-16

RESEARCH GRANTS

As Principal Investigator

• Impact Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Amount: HK$1,000,000, 2019-2021.
• General Research Fund (GRF) Project No. 14609918, An Empirical Investigation of the Sliding Scale of Sentence Discounts for Guilty Pleas in Hong Kong, Amount: HK$421,000, 2019 – 2021.
• General Research Fund (GRF) Project No. 14401214, The Causes and Effects of ‘Cracked Trials’: An Empirical Study in the Hong Kong Magistrates’ Courts, Amount: HK$512,000, 2015 – 2017.
• Direct Grant for Research, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Public’s Attitudes toward Plea Bargaining: Does Offender Characteristics and Type of Plea Bargaining Matter?, Amount: HK$39,600, 2014-2015.

PUBLICATIONS

Books

• Lo, S H C, Cheng, K. K., & Chui, W. H. (2020). The Hong Kong Legal System, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Link]

Journal Articles

• Cheng, K. K., Ri, S., & Pushkarna, N. (2020). Judicial disparity, deviation, and departures from sentencing guidelines: The case of Hong Kong. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 17(3), 580-614. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K., Pushkarna, N., & Ri, S. (2020). Enhancing the legitimacy of sentences in the minds of the public: Evidence from a public opinion survey in Hong Kong. Punishment & Society, 22(5), 617-636. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2019). Validation of a Chinese version of the attitudes toward prisoners scale. The Prison Journal, 99(5), 614-635. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K., & Leung, B. P. (2019). The punitive nature of pre-trial detention: Perspectives of detainees in Hong Kong. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 58(2), 143-160. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K., Chui, W. H., Young, S., & Ong, R. (2018). Why do the criminal trials ‘crack’? An empirical investigation of late guilty pleas in Hong Kong. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 13(1), 1-25. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K., & Leung, B. P. (2018). Passing the Threshold of One Justice System to the Next: Challenges of Emerging Young Adults in Hong Kong’s Adult Criminal Justice Process. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62(9), 2650-2668. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K. (2018). Navigating through the effects of ‘cracked trials’: How Hong Kong legal practitioners deal with late guilty pleas. Common Law World Review, 47(2), 136-149. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K. (2018). Legitimacy in a post-colonial legal system: Public perception of procedural justice and moral alignment toward the courts in Hong Kong. Law & Social Inquiry, 43(1), 212-228. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K. (2017). Aggravating and mitigating factors in context: Culture, sentencing and plea mitigation in Hong Kong. New Criminal Law Review, 20(3), 506-533. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K. (2017). Guilty pleas and plea bargaining. In W. H. Chui & T. W. Lo (Eds.), Understanding criminal justice in Hong Kong, 2nd ed. (pp. 227-242) Abington, Oxon: Routledge.
• Cheng, K. K. (2017). Expanding the study of procedural justice and legitimacy in Hong Kong: What have been done and future direction. In H. C. Chan & S. M. Y. Ho (Eds.), Psycho-criminological perspective of criminal justice in Asia: Research and practices in Hong Kong, Singapore, and beyond (pp. 274-286). Abington, Oxon: Routledge.
• Cheng, K. K. (2017). Prosecutorial procedural justice and public legitimacy in Hong Kong. British Journal of Criminology, 57(1), 94-111. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2017). Perceptions of fairness and satisfaction in lawyer-client interactions among young offenders in Hong Kong. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 11(2), 266-285. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2017). Criminal sentiments and behaviours among young people in Hong Kong. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 22(1), 57-67.
• Cheng, K. K. (2016). Public approval of plea bargaining in Hong Kong: The effects of offender characteristics. International Criminal Justice Review, 26(1), 31-48. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K. (2015). Moral discourse in Hong Kong’s Chinese criminal proceedings. The Chinese Journal of Comparative Law, 3(2), 375-389 [Link]
• Chui, W. H., Cheng, K. K. & Ong, R. (2015). Attitudes of the Hong Kong Chinese public toward sex offending policies: The role of stereotypical views of sex offenders. Punishment & Society, 17(1), 94-113. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K., Chui, W. H., & Ong, R. (2015). Providing justice for low-income youths: Publicly funded lawyers and youth clients in Hong Kong. Social & Legal Studies, 24(4), 577-593. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2015). Young people’s perception of lawyers in Hong Kong: A comparison between offenders, youth-at-risk and students. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 43(4), 481-495. [Link]
• Cheng, K. K., & Chui, W. H. (2015). Beyond the shadow-of-trial: Decision-making behind plea bargaining in Hong Kong. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 43(4), 397-411. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2014). A comparison of attitudes toward prisoners of religious and non-religious college students in Hong Kong. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 59(10), 1066-1078.
• Cheng, K. K. (2014). The practice and justifications of plea bargaining by Hong Kong criminal defence lawyers. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 1(2), 395-412. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2014). Challenges facing young men returning from incarceration in Hong Kong. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 53(4), 411-427. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., Cheng K. K., & Ong, R. (2014). Exploration of the Community Attitude toward Sex Offender scale in a Chinese cultural context. Asian Journal of Criminology, 9(1), 37-48.
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng K. K. (2014). Chinese migrants’ perceptions of the Queensland criminal justice system. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 12(1), 25-43.
• Cheng, K. K. (2013). Pressures to plead guilty: Factors affecting plea decisions in Hong Kong’s magistrates’ courts. British Journal of Criminology, 53(2), 257-275. [Link]
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2013). Effects of volunteering experiences and motivations on attitudes toward prisoners: Evidence from Hong Kong. Asian Journal of Criminology, 8(2), 103-114.
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2013). The mark of an ex-prisoner: Perceived discrimination and self-stigma of young men after prison in Hong Kong. Deviant Behavior, 34(8), 671-684.
• Chui, W. H., Cheng, K. K., & Wong, L. P. (2013). Spirituality and punitiveness: An exploration of Christian, Buddhist, and non-religious attitudes towards crime. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 41(1), 1-15.
• Chui, W. H., Cheng, K. K., & Wong, L. P. (2013). Gender, fear of crime, and attitudes toward prisoners among social work majors in a Hong Kong university. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57(4), 479-494.
• Chui, W. H., & Cheng, K. K. (2013). Self-perceived role and function of Christian prison chaplains and Buddhist volunteers in Hong Kong prisons. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57(2), 154-168.
• Chui, W. H., Cheng, K. K., & Wong, M. C. (2012). Practical considerations in the implementation of further restorative justice programmes for juvenile offenders in Hong Kong. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 5(3), 311-321.