Natti Ronel

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Professor Natti Ronel (born 1958) is an Israeli clinical criminologist, specializing in the treatment of addictions, violence and victimization, served as Head of the Criminology Department at Bar-Ilan University (2013-2016). Ronel is the theorist and founder of Positive Criminology, Positive Victimology and of the "Graceway" for self-change and formal therapy (also known as Grace Therapy). He is currently working on the development of Spiritual Criminology, which is an innovative approach to criminology based on a vast field of knowledge derived from different spiritual traditions. Referring to a spiritual perspective, this novel approach generates a synthesis of contemporary criminological knowledge. Ronel also works privately with individuals suffering from any type of addiction, addicts’ families, people with criminal background, youth in distress, individuals suffering from violence, victims of violence and injury, as well as people seeking for spiritual change in their lives.
Biography
Natti Ronel was born in 1958 in the city of Holon, Israel. He graduated from the Haim Kugel High School’s science program with honors (1976). He started his undergraduate studies in the department of psychology and a special program for outstanding students at the University of Haifa and obtained his B.A. in Psychology and Humanities from the special program for outstanding undergraduates at Tel-Aviv University (1984). Following a 2-year journey abroad, mostly in Asia, he enrolled for a direct PhD program in the Institute for Criminology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem under the supervision of renowned criminologist and recipient of the Israel Prize, Professor Menachem Amir (1995). He did his post-doctoral research at the Tel-Aviv University Bob Shapell School of Social Work, under the supervision of Professor Meir Teichman (1997). During his graduate and postgraduate studies he was awarded numerous scholarships for his achievements.
Teaching and research
Since 2003 Ronel has been holding different teaching positions in the Department of Criminology, Bar-Ilan University, Israel. During 2013 - 2016 he served as the Head of the Department. Throughout his academic career, he has lectured at Tel-Aviv University Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Rupin College, Tel-Hai College and Netanya College. He was the Researcher-in-Chief at The Forum for Children and Youth Affairs (1998-2002), an institution that was associated with "Elem" charity for youth in distress and the Tel-Aviv University Bob Shapell School of Social Work. In addition, Ronel held training seminars geared at counseling professionals in various settings such as the Israeli Prison Service, Israeli Anti-Drug authority, "Selah" Addiction Treatment Centers in Beer-Sheva and the Central School for Social Welfare Workers.
Research topics
Narcotics Anonymous and addiction recovery
Ronel began his research career with his doctoral thesis about the organization "Narcotics Anonymous" (NA). He published several articles in both Israeli and international journals based on this research. His postdoctoral research focused on the moral development of addicted individuals during their recovery.
Volunteers with youth
Ronel led various studies about youth in different situations of distress and on the different services for youth in distress, including volunteering with youth in distress and youth on the streets. Based on this research he first developed the concept of "perceived altruism", which relates to the perception of the volunteers in the welfare services as altruistic, and to the influence this perception bears on the recovery process of those who benefit from the service. Ronel also directed a research on youth with an addicted parent, and on the basis of its findings he first defined the concepts of "subjective risk and protective factors".
Phenomenological criminology
Ronel took part in a study on the process of forgiving in bereaved Israeli parents, and also directed a large number of phenomenological studies on criminal careers, mainly on the rehabilitation of offenders and on the experience of victims of violence, On the basis of these different studies, he developed the Criminal Spin Model that offers a descriptive phenomenological explanation on the acceleration of criminal behavior in its various manifestations. Based on this approach, he further developed both "Positive Criminology" and "Positive Victimology" perspectives, which have also been the subject of extensive research. These innovative approaches to criminology and victimology are gaining worldwide acclaim, and they are presented in important international congresses.
Therapeutic approaches
Graceway and The Twelve Tools
In the 1990s Ronel started developing "Graceway" which is both a path leading to personal change and a therapeutic approach used by mental health professionals in Israel, This approach originated in the 12-step recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the international mutual aid fellowship for alcoholics, expanding it to a large variety of human conditions, behaviors and personality disorders, problem and distress areas.
Graceway deepens the 12-step program by adding professional knowledge from behavioral and social sciences. It mainly brings added value through the spiritual knowledge stemming from an array of traditions and attempts to derive the essence common to the different spiritual methods. In the 90’s Ronel worked in both group and individual therapy with violent men and their spouses. This accumulation of experience contributed to his establishment of Graceway as a therapeutic strategy. Since then, Ronel has held many Graceway training seminars for professionals from a wide range of disciplines, and has lectured about the method in different international conferences.'
In 2019 Ronel published "The Twelve Tools: From Dependence to Independence Through Spiritual Change" in which he defines twelve pragmatic tools of change that represent Graceway. The leading mottos of the tools are "To be the grace that we want to meet" and "To live the Spirit that we are." The different tools address these aims from different points of view, to provide a holistic system of self of professionally aided change.
Positive Criminology
Positive Criminology places an emphasis on social inclusion and on unifying and integrating forces at individual, group, social and spiritual levels that are associated with the limiting of crime. Traditional approaches’ study of crime, violence and related behaviors emphasizes the negative aspects in people’s lives that are associated with deviance and criminality. A common understanding is that human relationships are affected more by destructive encounters than by constructive or positive ones. Positive Criminology aims to broaden our understanding beyond the usual focus of criminology on separating, excluding, and disintegrating forces and processes that lead individuals and groups to embrace deviant and criminal lifestyles and activities. Positive criminology argues that a different approach is viable, that is, a positive, life changing effect of positive experiences. These positive experiences contribute to rehabilitation and recovery by enhancing change in three dimensions - social integration, emotional healing and spirituality - that constitute indicators of positive direction.
Publications - books
Ronel, N., & Haimoff-Ayali, R. (2009). In the shadow of addiction: Vulnerability and hope among adolescents who grew up with an addicted parent. Kiriat Bialik, IL: Ach, 178 pages (Hebrew).
Ronel, N., Chen, G., Timor, U. & Elisha, E. (2011). Retorno: An orthodox Jewish therapeutic community for addiction treatment. Ramat-Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 204 pages (Hebrew).
Ronel, N. (ed.)(2012). Gone with the spirit. Ramat-Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 252 pages (Hebrew).

Ronel, N., Jaishankar, K., & Bensimon, M. (eds.)(2008). Trends and issues in victimology. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 338 pages.

Jaishankar, K., & Ronel, N. (2013)(eds.). Global criminology: Crime and victimization in a globalized era. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 376 pages.

Ronel, N., & Segev, D. (2015)(eds.). Positive Criminology. London & New York: Routledge, 355 pages.
Ronel, N. (2019). The Twelve Tools: From Dependence to Independence Through Spiritual Change. Amazon, 275 pages.
Further reading
Natti Ronel and Ya’ara Toren (2012). Positive Victimology - An innovation or "more of the same"? Temida. 15(2), 171-180.
Natti Ronel (2009). The criminal spin: Towards an alternative criminological theory. In K. Jaishankar (ed.), International perspectives on crime and justice (pp. 126-145). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

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