After spending 29 years in academia, John Laub was confirmed to head the research, development and evaluation arm of the Justice Department known as the National Institute of Justice.
NIJ’s research provides the DOJ with independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools and informs policy decisions. The NIJ actively deals with professionals in criminal justice and related fields to help inform its research focus. As director, Laub establishes the direction and objectives of the NIJ’s research.
John Laub, At a Glance
Current Position: Director, National Institute of Justice, Justice Department
Career History: Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (1998-2010); Professor, Northeastern University, College of Criminal Justice (1981-1998); Project Coordinator, Criminal Justice Research Center (1979-1980); Research Analyst/Assistant, Criminal Justice Research Center (1976-1979).
Birthday: 1953
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Alma Mater: State University of New York at Albany, Ph.D., 1980; State Unversity of New York at Albany, M.A., 1976; University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, B.A., 1975.
DC Office: National Institute of Justice, 810 Seventh St., NW, Washington, DC 20531
Laub will take an unpaid leave of absence from University of Maryland’s Department of Criminology, where he has been a distinguished professor since 2008. Laub is the first criminologist in four decades to serve as NIJ’s director.
Path to Power
Laub was born in Chicago, Ill. in 1953 and completed his B.A. from the University of Illinois Chicago Circle in 1975.
Laub worked as a research assistant and teaching fellow while completing a master;s and Ph.D. in the School of Criminal Justice at State University of New York at at Albany.
In 1981 he was hired as an assistant professor at Northeastern University’s College of Criminal Justice. After 17 years, Laub left to take a professorship at the University of Maryland in its Criminology and Criminal Justice department. During his career as a criminologist, Laub conducted extensive research on crime and criminal justice.
He has “written or edited 11 books/monographs; published 55 journal articles; published 30 book chapters/lectures; published 11 book reviews/review essays; wrote 16 research reports; and made 138 presentations to various audiences around the world.”
Laub’s most notable written works are two award-winning books that he co-authored: “Crime in the Making: Pathways and Turning Points Through Life” (Harvard University Press, 1993) and “Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives: Delinquent Boys to Age 70” (Harvard University Press, 2003).
In 1996, Laub was named a fellow by the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and served as its president from 2002 to 2003.In 2005, Laub was presented with ASC’s highest honor, the Edwin H. Sutherland Award for outstanding contributions to theory or research in criminology.
Laub joined the Obama administration on June 22, 2010 when he was confirmed as director of the DOJ’s National Institute of Justice.
The Issues
On July 2nd, 2010, an expert panel from the National Academy of Science called for “fundamental reforms” at the NIJ. The panel said the agency “lacks essential tools: a strong management structure, a scientific staff, a budget to support long- and short-term goals, and protections from political shifts.” Of late, congressional mandates have dictated the NIJ’s work, work that critics argue is “minimally related to research.” Laub’s boss, Assistant Attorney General for Justice Programs Laurie Robinson welcomed the input, calling it “helpful guidance and a blueprint for NIJ moving forward.”
Dr. Laub’s experience as an academic criminologist sets him apart from recent NIJ directors and may signal a refocus on research. During his career as an author and professor, Laub developed expertise in crime and deviance over the life course, juvenile delinquency and justice, as well as the history of criminology.
The Network
As a member and former president of the American Society of Criminology, Laub has many connections throughout the criminology community. The NIJ is a part of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, headed by Assistant Attorney General for Justice Programs Laurie Robinson. Robinson reports to Attorney General Eric Holder and Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli.
Campaign Contributions
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, there are no campaign contributions on record for John H. Laub.