All News

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce that Cesar Rebellon, professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society (CLS), will serve as a CHSS equity advisor for academic year 2021-22 to help build more robust support for anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and civility in CHSS.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society invites applicants for one Term Assistant Professor position to start January 2022. Desired areas of expertise include: intelligence studies; social inequality and crime; and writing-intensive instruction. Review of applications begins September 1, 2022.

Clarence J. Robinson Professor Emerita of Criminology, Law and Society Laurie O. Robinson has been selected to receive the 2021 Herbert Bloch Award in recognition of her career-long contributions to criminology.

Professor Cynthia Lum, faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and director of Mason's Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, has been named a University Professor by Mason's Board of Visitors.

Laurie O. Robinson, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, retired at the end of the spring 2021 semester after nine years of exemplary service.

In a WJLA article on a persistent rise in violent crime linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, Beidi Dong, assistant criminology professor, noted pandemic stress on law enforcement and social services resources, limiting face-to-face intervention.

Professor Cynthia Lum and Professor David Wilson have been named Fellows of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) in recognition of their scholarly contributions to criminology and distinction in the discipline.

The Honorable Roderick C. Young, BA Speech Communication ’89, MA English ’94, a United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, returned to Mason virtually to speak to graduating students.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society congratulates the Class of 2021 on all on your achievements and wish you continued success! Please watch the video celebration honoring all CLS awardees and graduates.

The CLS Department congratulates Brielle Manovich on her graduation! Brielle earned her MA in Higher Education and Student Development while employed as the Graduate Coordinator for the department's MS and MA/PhD programs. On behalf of the faculty and staff, we congratulate you on your outstanding achievement!

Research projects conducted by students in the CLS Honors Seminar led by Dr. Beidi Dong received an honorable mention for Overall Research Impact at the 2021 OSCAR Celebration of Student Scholarship.

“While they represent a small fraction of our 2021 graduating class, our PhD graduates are a signature element of CHSS’s contributions to Mason as an R1,” said CHSS Dean Ann Ardis. "“Please join me in a shout-out congratulations to our newest colleagues in the global community of scholars, our 2021 PhD graduates."

Congratulations to criminology, law and society doctoral student Taylor Hartwell! She has received a Graduate Student Mentor Award from OSCAR. Hartwell was recognized for successfully introducing students to research via ongoing projects and then transitioning undergraduates to independent work and research publications.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society moves up to #10 in the US News & World Report's 2021 ranking of criminology programs in the U.S. In total, Mason has eight programs listed among the top 25 nationally, reflecting the university’s impact as one of the best institutions for advanced degrees.

Congratulations to the entire Criminology, Law and Society undergraduate advising team! Elli Ambros, Olivia Inturias, Meghan Jack, and Kristin Tyburczy were all nominated for Mason's 2021 Academic Advisor of the Year award.

Read about the research that Bryce Kushmerick-McCune (CLS '21) and Heather Pickett (CLS '20) conducted with Dr. Danielle Rudes on the effects of solitary confinement in prison.

The Wall Street Journal quotes criminology professor Christopher Koper in an essay on America's efforts to ban assault weapons.

Provost Mark Ginsberg has announced plans for in-person events to recognize graduation the week of May 10, 2021. Students must pre-register for the planned Patriot Procession and Mini Ceremonies by April 16.

U.S. News & World Reports’ latest rankings for graduate programs include high marks for the graduate programs in criminology, law and society, as well as history, economics, sociology, and English.

Tuesday’s mass murder in Atlanta returns us to terrible, familiar ground, as we try again to make sense of violence, and calm the terror that was already building within an entire cultural community.

Dr. Allison Redlich, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has received a National Science Foundation grant with a colleague to study wrongful convictions within the U.S. criminal justice system, the factors that initially lead to them, and the many delays from various states in doing right by the wrongfully incarcerated after their release.

Professor Rod K. Brunson of Northeastern University will give a talk titled "Examining Racial Injustice in an Era of Over- and Under-Policing" for the 2021 Mastrofski Lecture. This lecture is an annual event that honors Emeritus Professor Stephen Mastrofski, the first Chair of Mason's Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

Congratulations to Dr. Danielle Rudes, who has received the 2021 Outstanding Mentor Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences! This non-competitive award honors those who have made a significant contribution to the professional development of graduate students and junior faculty members in criminal justice by fostering their professional growth and achievement.

On February 22, Professor Cynthia Lum will discuss “A Vision for American Policing Reform" as part of Mason's Vision Series. The series presents an opportunity for invited Mason faculty members to share the frontiers of their work in an accessible style that also inspires lively discussion among students, faculty, staff, and the wider reaches of the community.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society congratulates six criminology, law and society majors who have received the 2021 Peter N. Stearns Provost Scholar Athlete Award. These student-athletes will be honored at an online ceremony on February 15.

Beidi Dong, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, was part of a study considering a rise in firearm violence in Philadelphia that occurred following that city's implementation of COVID-19 containment measures.

In an article about pardon power used by former president Donald Trump in his last days in office, Andrew Novak, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, notes notes the prevalence of pardon power around the world.

Read the latest information on Mason's 2020 Winter Graduation ceremony, as well as CHSS events to celebrate our graduates!

Criminology, law and society professors Yasemin Irvin-Erickson and Linda Merola have been nominated for the 2021 George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award.

Cynthia Lum and Christopher Koper have received the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Criminology's Division on Policing for their book "Evidence-Based Policing: Translating Research into Practice."

An academic website dedicated to measuring the impact of some of the world’s top academic influencers has named Distinguished Professor David Weisburd as the second-most influential criminologist of the last decade.

Redlich was recognized as an ambassador for experimental criminology given her important research in the field and her mentorship of students.

All 2020 graduates, from spring, summer, and fall, are invited to participate in George Mason University’s 2020 Winter Graduation on Thursday, December 17, at 2:00 pm, on GMU-TV. Following the ceremony, CHSS graduates are invited to join the college for its own festivities.

Laurie Robinson, the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, is part of a law enforcement and public safety group called 21CP Solutions that has begun consulting with the writing staffs of a number of CBS police, crime, and legal dramas.

Emily Smedley devoted the summer to organizing her dissertation research methodology on the relationship between linguistics and school shootings.

Mason's Student Body President, Shelby Adams, is a criminology, law and society major. She works closely with Vice President David O’Connell.

“Things really have changed following Ferguson because police agencies and police leaders in particular really did have a wake-up call after Ferguson,” said Robinson, who has been involved in national criminal justice policy for more than three decades. “We’ve seen changes in police agencies across the country in those six years. But clearly it’s not been enough and more change is needed.”

President Washington's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence will focus on short-term and long-term improvements in 5 key areas in order to ensure that every student, faculty, and staff member is welcomed and respected as a full equal in this community of learning.

Professor Laurie Robinson, who during the Obama administration was co-chair of the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing, explains the complicated legacy in a new episode of the Access to Excellence podcast.

David Weisburd, criminology professor and executive director of the Center for Evidence Based Crime Policy, coauthors op-ed about two distinct measures of policing success: reducing crime and improving law enforcement's relationship with their communities.

This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it would discontinue visa exceptions for international students on F-1 visas who take all of their courses for the semester online. This decision could force hundreds of thousands of international students to leave the United States and threatens to interrupt the academic work of more than 3,000 students here at George Mason University.

Kate Doyle-Feingold, a PhD student in criminology, law and society, discussed her dissertation project titled “Teaching Youth Their Rights: A Randomized Controlled Trial" for Mason's 2020 Three Minute Thesis competition.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) created this website as a resource for anti-racism education and support available to the Mason community. Education is one of our greatest tools in the fight for equity and justice. We must all be open to learning, to changing, to acknowledging our missteps and mistakes, in order to become engaged citizens and well-rounded scholars who are prepared to act.

Cynthia Lum, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and Director of Mason's Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, has co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post, advocating fundamental changes in accountability and community-based emphases for police.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is delighted to welcome Dr. Cesar Rebellon to Mason!

Words are failing all of us in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. When leaders reach for words like outrage, horror, or despair, they only do more damage when they are not matched by action

Laurie Robinson, the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at Mason, cowrote a opinion piece with former Washington, D.C., police chief Charles Ramsay about training police on use of force.

Kariana Blaszak said she plans to use what she has learned at George Mason University to protect and to serve.

Jason Cantone and Gwen Udell, adjunct faculty in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, have been recognized by the university for their achievements in teaching.

Professor Cynthia Lum was formally recognized Monday, March 9, by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as one of 12 recipients of the 2020 Outstanding Faculty Awards.

George Mason University is committed to protecting the health of its community. Its resources include up-to-date plans and procedures, identification of student health services clinics, and attention to its study-abroad programs.

Shelby Adams, a sophomore in the criminology, law and society department, has taken leadership roles in Mason inclusiveness.

A Washington Post article on the link between stop-and-frisk programs and crime cites a study led by David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor of criminology and executive director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy.

Researchers from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society contributed 16 articles to and served as chief editors of a special edition of the Criminology & Public Policy Journal, the flagship journal of the American Society of Criminology.

In a New Yorker article questioning the link between legalized marijuana and crime rates, the author consults David Weisburd, distinguished professor of criminology and executive director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy.

The college's December graduates are as varied as the paths that brought them to Mason. Meet some of the newest Mason alumni, including Criminology, Law and Society graduate Kathryn Yeargin.

Criminology, law and society professor Danielle Rudes believes that anyone willing to put in the work should be given the opportunity to conduct research and gain experience in their field. That’s why she started a lab specifically for undergraduate research.

Heather Prince, a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society has won the ACJS Juvenile Justice & Delinquency section’s Student Paper Award. She will be honored this March at the annual meeting in San Antonio for her paper “Anti-Bully Legislation: Effects for Youth in United States Schools.”

Brielle Manovich, Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has been honored as the December Employee of the Month at George Mason University.

Dr. Charlotte Gill, faculty in Criminology, Law and Society, has been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology for her research involving randomized, controlled, field experiments in criminology.

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and Executive Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Policing.

In an article on the Department of Justice's pilot program to test body-worn camera technology, ProCon cites criminology, law and society professor Cynthia Lum regarding the inconclusive research about its effectiveness.

In an Alazeera article about a man jailed for a murder he did not commit, Criminology, Law and Society faculty member Allison Redlich discusses the psychology underlying false confessions.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is delighted to welcome Dr. Evan Lowder to the tenure-track faculty at Mason!

George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy hosted its 11th annual congressional briefing at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 17 with a theme of “Countering Mass Shootings in the United States.”

In an article on Injustice Watch, Alison Redlich, faculty member in the Department of Criminality, Law and Society discussed defendants with attention deficit disorder and bipolar disorder.

BBC Sounds' Book of the Week is Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers; in a series where he discusses the work, he features Criminology, Law and Society's David Weisburd and his 'law of crime concentration,' where criminal activity is linked to location.

ABC's "Good Morning America" program profiled Karen Escobar, a criminology, law and society student who is balancing studies with family responsibilities, with help from the university and Generation Hope, an organization launched by Mason alumna Nicole Lynn Lewis.

Professor Allison Redlich of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, is the new President-elect of the American Psychology-Law Society. She has published more than 100 articles, books, and book chapters on topics including interrogations and confessions, guilty pleas, wrongful convictions and mental health courts.

The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has awarded $15 million in grant funding over five year to establish George Mason University’s Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Coordinating and Translation Center. Mason joins 11 research institutions named to the JCOIN.

Criminal justice practitioners, policy makers and researchers from around the globe gathered at Mason with the goal of better integrating science into criminal justice policy.

CLS student Kendra Coleman presented her research on solitary confinement at the OSCAR Celebration of Student Scholarship and Impact event in May.

CLS professor Danielle Rudes received the 2019 Sustained Mentoring Excellence Award from Mason's Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research. She was honored at the Celebration of Student Scholarship and Impact on May 7th.

Congratulations to our graduates! The Department of Criminology, Law and Society awarded the most undergraduate degrees in the university this spring.

Criminology, law and society faculty Mahmut Cengiz, Larry Guerin, and Andrew Novak received nominations for the 2019 Career Connection Faculty Award from University Career Services for their positive impact on students' career goals, employment plans, or graduate school preparation.

Criminology, law and society majors Cady Balde and Taylor Whittington are presenting research at the April 2019 National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Their study explored the impact of restrictive housing units on prison inmates' self-esteem.

Congratulations to the CLS Undergraduate Advising team - Elli Ambros, Kristin Tyburczy, and Olivia Inturias - all of whom were nominated for Mason's Academic Advisor of the Year Award!

Stacey Houston, assistant professor of Criminology, Caw and Society, studies the causes and consequences of justice system involvement and works with the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop to support young people who are incarcerated or re-entering society.

Professor David M. Kennedy of John Jay College of Criminal Justice will give a talk titled "Closing the Book on the President’s Crime Commission: Toward a Theory and Practice of Problem-Oriented Public Safety" for the 2019 Mastrofski Lecture. The Mastrofski Lecture is an annual event that honors Emeritus Professor Stephen Mastrofski, the first Chair of Mason's Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

"We still have to wrestle with slavery as an institution even if we were not complicit as an institution in the system of slavery," said Wendi Manuel-Scott.

Charlotte Gill, assistant professor of Criminology, Law and Society, has received the 2019 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Virginia State Council of Higher Education for her superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service.

Andrew Novak, term assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, led a study abroad program to Germany and Austria during which students learned about the crimes of the Nazi Party and efforts at restitution and justice after World War II.

A research study conducted by Beidi Dong, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, found that school suspension is more likely to predict youth drug use than police arrests. ​

With a grant from the National Science Foundation, Criminology, Law and Society professor Christopher Koper is spearheading a project to examine the root causes of mass violence.

Yale Law Professor James Forman Jr. visited Mason on October 25 to deliver the inaugural Roger Wilkins Lecture on the topic "Locking Up Our Own: Race, Class and the Politics of Mass Incarceration."

The Criminology, Law and Society Graduate Student Association is hosting a Trivia Night fundraiser on October 18th! Come test your general and criminological knowledge, earn prizes, and support a great cause.

CLS professors Cynthia Lum and Chris Koper will be the new editors of the journal Criminology & Public Policy. The journal's objective is to strengthen the role of research in the formulation of crime and justice policy by publishing empirically based, policy-focused articles.

Two Criminology, Law and Society professors have been recognized by the American Society of Criminology. Danielle Rudes has received the 2018 Teaching Award and Faye Taxman was named an ASC Fellow.

For the second year in a row, undergraduate, graduate, and faculty researchers from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society conducted interviews and made observations with staff and inmates working and living in solitary confinement.

For the past 10 years, the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy has served as an informational bridge to practitioners and the policy community.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is delighted to welcome three assistant professors to the tenure-track faculty this fall!

Criminology, Law and Society major Sarah Kaminski, guard on the Mason Women's Basketball team, interned with the State Department this summer.

Megan Stoltz, doctoral student in the Criminology, Law and Society Department, has received a Presidential Scholar Fellowship from the Provost Office to support her summer research on police effectiveness.

CLS professor Allison Redlich worked with researchers from the Navajo Nation-serving Diné College in Arizona during their 10-week stay at Mason’s Criminal Investigations Network Analysis Center (CINA). The scholars pursued cutting-edge research on the public’s response to mass shooting with the goal of stopping copycat/related acts of violence.

CLS doctoral candidate Bill Johnson was interviewed about the rise in hate crimes in Virginia between 2016 to 2017.

At its degree celebrations, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences sends off its doctors, masters, and bachelors with an enthusiastic salute.

University Professor Faye Taxman of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society has been named 2018 Fellow of the American Society of Criminology in recognition of her contributions to the discipline.

Congratulations to CLS doctoral student Caitlin Kanewske, who has received the prestigious Dean's Challenge Award for 2018-2019 from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)!

Professor Charlotte Gill of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society is the recipient of the 2018 OSCAR Mentoring Excellence Award!

Criminology, law and society major Karlie Berry was honored at the 7th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship with an OSCAR Student Excellence Award.

Criminology, law and society major Sasha Toophanie's love of music and radio brought her to student-run WGMU, where she is making history as its first female general manager. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

Mason is on the move! US News & World Report rankings for the best graduate programs in criminology are out and the Criminology, Law and Society Department at Mason has moved up from #17 to #11.

Mason students Kaley Ragner (Criminology, Law and Society) and Sabrine Baiou (Psychology) presented their research on inmates in solitary confinement at the 2018 National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

Seven college graduate students have completed PROV 701: Preparing for Careers in the Academy, a professional development program geared towards success in obtaining and excelling in an academic job.

Amy Dezember, doctoral student in the Criminology, Law and Society Department, has received a Summer Research Fellowship from the Provost Office to support data collection for her dissertation research on plea bargaining.

Criminology, Law and Society majors Kariana Blaszak, Sarah Kaminski, and Rachel Woods recently received the Provost Scholar Athlete Award in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements. CLS faculty members James Willis and Keith Bryars were invited by the students to attend the award reception as professors who have made an impact.

Taylor Hartwell, master’s student in the Criminology, Law and Society Department, has received a Summer Research Fellowship from the Provost Office to complete her thesis research on staff and inmate perceptions of treatment during solitary confinement reform.

A new national ranking by College Factual rates Mason #1 for undergraduate programs in criminal justice and corrections, and in the top 1 percent of schools surveyed for the overall category of “homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting.”

Curriculum impact grants, designed to encourage innovative programs with interdisciplinary, cross-unit curriculum, offer students new ways to consider some of the most critical issues facing our society. College faculty are involved with eleven of the newly funded programs.

An engaged audience of students, faculty, and staff joined faculty members Angela Hattery, Devon Johnson, and Earl Smith as they offered a book talk on their recent work, which touches on the timely topics of race, policing, and justice in the United States.

Mason's Women and Gender Studies and African and African American Studies Programs proudly presented the 2018 Sojourner Truth Lecture featuring Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, on Monday, February 19. Ms. Fulton inspired the Mason community and participated in a book sale/signing.

George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy has been selected to house a portion of the multimillion dollar Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, the largest of the 28 intelligence-driven drug enforcement and treatment programs in the country.

Devon Johnson, Angela Hattery and Earl Smith will speak about their books: Deadly Injustice: Trayvon Martin, Race and the Criminal Justice System (Johnson) and Policing Black Bodies: How Black Lives are Surveilled and How to Work for Change (Hattery and Smith).

Looking to acquire a job or advance your career in the field of criminal justice? Consider the MS in Criminal Justice at George Mason University!

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear during college is that you should wait until your junior or senior year to start pursuing internships. WRONG. Internships are not something that should be purposely put off; they should be constantly pursued throughout your college years.

The newly released report of the committee, chaired by Victoria Greenfield, Visiting Scholar in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, calls for greater oversight of precursor chemicals sold at retail along with other measures to reduce threats from improvised explosive devices and for an ongoing deliberative process of threat reduction.

The Criminology, Law and Society Graduate Student Association is hosting a Trivia Night fundraiser on Nov 8th! Come test your general and criminological knowledge, earn prizes, and support a great cause.

ABA Journal site article about a Washington, DC, study on the impact of body worn cameras on use of force includes a reference to a @CEBCP report that found “significant gaps in our knowledge” about such impact.

Kevin Fornshill, faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, contributes to an article in Mason's Fourth Estate about white supremacist activity on university campuses.

This summer, six Mason undergraduate students conducted research in three prisons as members of the Together Alone: Solitary Confinement Project, led by Professor Danielle Rudes of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

PhD candidate Matthew D’Anna established a partnership with the City of Fairfax Police Department that allows students to use their crime, calls for service, and vehicle accident location data in his undergraduate course on Crime and Place.

CLS Adjunct Professor Kevin Fornshill's special topics undergraduate course on hate crimes is highlighted on front page of the Washington Post.

Graduate student Emily Smedley has been awarded the ATAP Dr. Chris Hatcher Memorial Scholarship based on her interest in and research on threat assessment.

A study co-authored by Allison Redlich, faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, is cited in a New York Times Magazine article on wrongful convictions.

George Mason University has been selected by the Department of Homeland Security to lead its Center of Excellence in Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis. The 10-year, multimillion-dollar grant is among the largest research awards the university has received, with $3.85 million committed for its first year of operation.

In an article on Latin American policing strategies, David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor in Criminology, Law and Society and executive director, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, considered the impact of organized crime on the efficacy of hot-spot policing.

On June 20, 2017, Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid presented scholarship checks to three George Mason University students who are majoring in Criminology, Law and Society. 

The mood in EagleBank Arena was lively on May 18 and 19, as the College of Humanities and Social Sciences held its degree celebration ceremonies. Congratulations again to all of our graduates! We are pleased to welcome you to an impressive community of alumni, made only stronger by the class of 2017.

Graduate student Catherine Kimbrell has received the Philip M. Dearborn Doctoral Fellowship from the Economic Club of Washington D.C. for her research on poverty and the pretrial process.

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Research in Criminology from the Israeli Society of Criminology.

Dr. Faye Taxman, University Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, has received the 2017 Joan McCord Award, which recognizes distinguished experimental research contributions to criminology and criminal justice that have implications for policy and practice.

This year at Commencement, George Mason University awards its inaugural medals for faculty excellence, presented to faculty who represent the ideals of higher education and embody Mason’s vision.

The Criminology, Law and Society Department recognized outstanding students and faculty at the annual Honors Presentation and Awards Ceremony on May 18, 2017.

Criminology, Law and Society Department Undergraduate Advisor Stephanie Barnett recently presented on the Mason Advisor Mentorship Program at a regional advising conference.

Muneeba Azam, a member of the 2016-17 Criminology, Law and Society Honors Seminar, received an award for her poster presentation "The Effect of Guardianship and Place Management on Customer Confidence."

The American Society of Criminology (ASC) has just announced David Weisburd as the 2017 recipient of their prestigious August Vollmer Award. Established in 1959, the August Vollmer Award recognizes an individual whose scholarship or professional activities have made outstanding contributions to justice or to the treatment or prevention of criminal or delinquent behavior.

"We're just scratching at the surface to understand what the impacts of body-worn cameras are, either on the police or the people that they serve," Lum says.

The National Capital Chapter of the American Society of Industrial Security International (ASIS) has awarded scholarships to two Criminology, Law and Society majors, Tyler Figenbaum and Julianna Rollo. Congratulations to both students!

In an article on the Washington Times website, David Weisburd, director of the Center for Evidence-Based Policing, discusses the concentration of crime within relatively narrow physical locations.

Charlotte Gill, faculty member, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, and deputy director, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, has been named a 2017 Carnegie Fellow by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for her work in police-community partnerships in crime prevention in Appalachian Kentucky.

CHSS has chosen two CLS graduate students to receive prestigious Dean's Challenge Awards for 2017-2018, doctoral student Shannon Magnuson and master's student Paige St. Clair. Congratulations to them both!

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society has received an award from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Mason for the second year in a row in recognition of services faculty provided to the Institute.

Congratulations to the CLS Undergraduate Advising team for being honored as top Mason advisors by students and the Center for Academic Advising!

The Proactive Policing Lab, part of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason, opened in January and is led by criminology professors Christopher Koper and Cynthia Lum, a former Baltimore City police officer.

“From the first time I sat in a police car, I knew this is what I wanted to do.” Criminology, Law and Society alumna, Tracy Russillo, (Law Enforcement '88) is a 28-year veteran of the Virginia State Police and the first woman to be appointed deputy superintendent of the department.

Laurie Robinson, Robinson Professor, Criminology, Law and Society, addresses the powers available to an attorney general in prosecuting "sanctuary cities" that shield undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Emerita Ayala earned a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University on Dec. 21, 2016. The daughter of Salvadoran immigrants in Fairfax County, Ayala was the first in her family to get a college diploma. She had overcome formidable obstacles: When she started, she was a single teenage mother.

Criminology, Law and Society major Vicky Rivera researched and wrote an article on private prisons that has been published in the most recent issue of the Community Policing Dispatch, the online newsletter of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services.

CLS graduate students participated in a holiday toy drive for children of incarcerated parents sponsored by Offender Aid and Restoration of Arlington.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently visited a Mason Honors course at the invitation of Professor Laurie Robinson and participated in a discussion of criminology, law and society.

Dr. Danielle Rudes, Associate Professor in the Criminology, Law and Society Department, has received a Faculty Research and Professional Development Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to fund research on solitary confinement using ethnography and interviews with staff and inmates at four prisons.

Associate Professor Danielle Rudes of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society was honored with Mason's Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creator Award. This award is given annually to faculty who have earned their doctorates within the past 10 years and show exceptional promise in their fields.

The 2016 Outstanding Achievement Awards recognized thirty-five faculty and staff who had been “Elected for Success” by their colleagues.

Dr. Victoria Greenfield, Visiting Scholar in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, will serve as Chair of a new committee at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine formed to study methods for reducing the threat of improvised explosive attacks.

CLS Graduate Coordinator, Mary Schifferli, to receive award for Exceptional Support at the annual Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremony on November 3, 2016.

Wendi Manuel-Scott will moderate a dialogue with thought leaders Laurie Robinson, Earl Smith, Rita Chi-Ying Chung and Shirley Ginwright on policing and crimes against people of color, including current issues and the national climate, for this semester's President's Freedom and Learning Forum.

Criminology, Law and Society alum Dave McClure discusses transparency and privacy issues related to police body camera footage for Stateline.

More than 35 Criminology, Law and Society faculty members and graduate students will present research at the American Society of Criminology's Annual Conference in New Orleans.

In a Washington Post article, Robinson Professor of Public Affairs Steven Pearlstein describes the challenge of convincing incoming students' parents of the value of liberal arts education. The college's senior associate dean Robert Matz contributes, leading the effort to promote humanities and social sciences degrees.

Criminology, Law and Society Undergraduate Advisor Stephanie Barnett, working with Jon May of the Center for Academic Advising, has launched the second annual Advisor Mentorship Program with a introductory workshop.

The Consortium of Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs has awarded the inaugural Teaching Innovation Award to Professor Danielle Rudes of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University.

Congratulations to Amanda Myers Purrier, a Criminology, Law and Society undergraduate advisor, who received a Presidential Citation from Dr. Cabrera for starting the Gowns for Grads program.

Graduate students and professors from George Mason University’s Criminology, Law and Society Department spent a week at the University of St. Andrews sharpening their knowledge of police research during the inaugural International Summer School for Policing Scholarship.

George Mason University conferred 339 undergraduate degrees in Criminology, Law and Society at the spring commencement ceremony.

Congratulations to Dr. Linda Merola of the Criminology, Law and Society Department for receiving the OSCAR Mentoring Excellence Award based on her exceptional record of supporting undergraduate student research.

Mason criminology, law and society professor Devon Johnson and coeditors use the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case to explore how highly publicized criminal cases shape public opinion about offenders, the criminal process, and justice in the United States.

Congratulations to the five Criminology, Law and Society professors who were honored as nominees for the 2016 Career Connection Faculty Award!

Amanda Myers, an academic advisor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, spearheaded the development of a "Gowns for Grads" lending program which allows George Mason alumni to donate their graduation regalia to graduating seniors who don’t have the means to buy their own.

Congratulations to all three of the Criminology, Law and Society undergraduate advisors for being voted among the Top Ten Mason undergraduate advisors!

Congratulations to Criminology, Law and Society doctoral student Kimberly Meyer, who has been awarded a 2016 Presidential Scholar Summer Fellowship!

Marianne McKone, a BIS major, has received funding for her research study on the lives of post-incarcerated women, and will work with CLS Professor Dr. Danielle S. Rudes as her mentor.

The Criminology, Law and Society Student Association ("CLSSA") is hosting a Student Research Forum on April 14 to allow students to showcase their research projects.

Professors Charlotte Gill and Sue-Ming Yang partner with police in rural Roanoke County, Virginia, to explore better ways to respond to mental health calls.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society has received an award from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Mason.

The Washington Post talks with Cynthia Lum and Christopher Koper, both faculty members in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, about the availability of research on cameras worn by police.

Congratulations to CLS Professor Laurie Robinson, who has been appointed to the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Law and Justice.

CLS graduate students participated in a holiday toy drive for children of incarcerated parents sponsored by Offender Aid and Restoration of Arlington.

Xiaoyun Wu, a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, was interviewed in the fall for the Patriot Profile section of the Mason Spirit magazine.

President Barack Obama will join CNN's Anderson Cooper for a live town hall meeting on gun control at the university on Thursday, January 7. The event will air on CNN at 8:00 pm.

Cody Telep and David Weisburd have received the 2016 MacNamara Award for Outstanding Journal Publication from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences for their article on policing hot spots.

Undergraduate students from Professor Sue-Ming Yang's Research Methods & Analysis in Criminology course presented the results of their research projects in a recent poster session. This course is part of the Students as Scholars curriculum at George Mason University.

Stephen Mastrofski has never made an arrest, but on Thursday, Nov. 19, he’ll receive the inaugural lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Criminology’s Policing Division.

Shannon Magnuson and Denise Nazaire, doctoral students in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, have each received a scholarship to attend the second annual Doctoral Student Summit at the 2016 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences annual meeting.

Professors David Weisburd, Cynthia Lum and Stephen Mastrofski from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at Mason have been selected to serve on the "Committee on Proactive Policing – Effects on Crime, Communities, and Civil Liberties," convened by the Committee on Law and Justice at the National Academy of Sciences.

The Council on Undergraduate Research today awarded George Mason University its 2015 Campus-wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment. The national award recognizes George Mason’s efforts to expose a greater number of students to research opportunities and provide access to leading scholars outside the classroom.

Professors Devon Johnson and Allison Redlich from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society participated in a recent workshop on wrongful convictions research which emphasized topics such as racial inequality, plea bargaining, misdemeanor convictions, and data limitations.

Congratulations to CLS University Professor Stephen Mastrofski, who has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Criminology Division of Policing.

Dr. Danielle Rudes, an associate professor in the Criminology, Law and Society Department, was invited to participate in a panel discussion on The American Justice System and Barriers to Reentry, sponsored by the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

More than 40 graduate students and faculty members from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society will present research at the American Society of Criminology's Annual Meeting in November in Washington, DC.

Amanda Myers, an undergraduate academic advisor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, recently received a $250 textbook scholarship funded by TIAA-CREF’s Raise the Rate Contest.

As of Monday, September 14th, the Department of Criminology, Law and Society is now housed in Enterprise Hall, Suite 354.

The Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy recently held a joint Symposium with the Police Foundation on the Arlington Campus.

Criminology, law and society faculty member Danielle Rudes, in the PolitiFact feature in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, explains that statistics on prisoner recidivism do not shed much light on the effect of Virginia's no-parole policies enacted in 1995.

Criminology, Law and Society Associate Professor Danielle Rudes talked about the idea of bringing parole back to Virginia prisons on the Lynchburg Morning Show with Mari and Brian.

As a PhD student in George Mason University’s Department of Criminology, Law and Society, Julie Grieco is working on ways to convince tradition-bound police forces to add scientifically proven, academically driven policies to their methods of combating crime in their communities.

The college is pleased to announce that Dr. David Weisburd has been reappointed to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Science Advisory Board.

University Professor Faye Taxman, of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at Mason, has been appointed by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to a 27-member Parole Commission charged with reviewing Virginia's approach to parole and recommending policy changes.

Dr. Tammy Rinehart Kochel, a 2009 graduate of the Criminology, Law and Society doctoral program at Mason, recently completed a study on community views of the police in St. Louis County, before and after the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, MO.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society held its annual academic awards ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2015. Awards were presented for Departmental Honors, Academic Excellence, Outstanding Undergraduate, Outstanding Adjunct and more!

M. Jay Farr, adjunct faculty in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has been appointed the chief of police in the Arlington County Police Department.

Dr. Danielle Rudes of the Criminology, Law and Society Department has received the OSCAR Mentoring Award of Excellence, based on her exceptional record supporting undergraduate student research.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is proud to announce that three students have received the Dean's Challenge Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which is designed to recognize students who have excelled while making academically challenging choices.

Andrew Novak, adjunct instructor in Criminology, Law and Society at Mason, was interviewed on PBS NewsHour about recent changes to the implementation of the death penalty in Utah and other states.

Faculty and graduate students from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society traveled to Hangzhou, China in February to participate in the opening ceremonies for the Center for Evidence Based Policing at Zheijang Police College.

In December, President Obama tapped George Mason University professor Laurie Robinson to co-chair the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Their interim report was made public last week.

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor at George Mason University and director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, has been awarded the prestigious Israel Prize in Social Work and Criminological Research, for his work in focusing law enforcement resources in "hot spot" areas of crime.

Fulbright scholar Richie Adams spent five months as the guest of George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

The CLS-affiliated Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy is collaborating with WestEd to hold a Congressional Briefing on School Safety and Violence Prevention.

News Hub reports that Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, a PhD graduate of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, is researching the rationales of people convicted or terrorist-related crimes, by corresponding with them via mail. Her correspondents include "Jihad Jane" and Richard Reid.

It is with great sadness that the Department of Criminology, Law and Society announces the loss of Professor Steven Davidson, a wonderful educator and colleague.

At the annual Mary Roper awards ceremony, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences gathers to recognize staff members who give outstanding service to their colleagues and further the mission of the college.

The Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy wins the Mason Team Excellence Award for 2014

Jill Viglione is a graduate research assistant at George Mason University’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, a unit of the Criminology, Law and Society Department. It’s here that she is analyzing probation supervision strategies and documenting how correctional systems adapt evidence-based practices to improve outcomes.

Four Mason undergraduate students did an outstanding job representing the university at the Central Intelligence Agency's multi-university competition simulation held in November 2014 at the University of Richmond.

The White House announced Monday that Laurie Robinson, a Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and a former assistant attorney general, has been appointed co-chair of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

Stephanie Barnett, CLS Undergraduate Advisor, was described as "a tireless advocate for students" when receiving the CHSS Outstanding Undergraduate Programs Support Award of Excellence for 2014.

Members of the Criminology, Law and Society Student Association volunteered at a recent Write Night event held by the Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop in DC.

The college's Latin American Studies program sponsored a series of powerful narratives of resilience and determination at Immigration Monologues: A Journey of Our Successes. The voices included those of college students Brandon Juarez-Lopez, Rodrigo Velasquez, and Sofia Schersei.

Professor Devon Johnson of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society was quoted in the Fairfax Times after a public forum addressed police abuse and racial trauma, racial bias in the criminal justice system and the media, and lessons that can be learned from the recent events in Ferguson, Mo.

Faye Taxman, University Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, contributes to a piece on TheFix.com about the confidentiality of confessions given in the course of AA meetings, and whether a lack of confidentiality undermines the effectiveness of a self-help community.

David Koper, faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and a senior fellow in Mason’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, was quoted in ProPublica regarding the validity of a statistic underlying a push for an assault weapons ban.

This summer, Emily Messier, a junior in the Criminology, Law and Society program, spent eight weeks observing a murder trial and conducting legal research as part of the Criminology, Law and Society Internship Program. Read on to learn more about her experience and what advice she has for other students!

At Mason, Breanne Cave is gaining experience and knowledge that will allow her to build on her previous career in the Marines to create a new career in criminology. The PhD candidate in Criminology, Law and Society and Presidential Scholar is helping Mason’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy with studies that may have significant impact on what we know about deterring crime.

More than twenty graduate students and thirteen faculty from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society will present research at the American Society of Criminology annual meeting in San Francisco this November.

The 2014 Shanghai Jiao Tong Unviersity's Academic Rankings of World Universities, a prestigious global ranking of university research, has placed George Mason University in the top 200 universities of the 500 universities ranked. In the field of social sciences, the survey has listed Mason 48th of the 200 universities ranked.

Danielle Rudes, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has joined the Board of Directors for the Consortium of Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs.

Jill Viglione, a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has received a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation and a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Institute of Justice. These resources will provide support for Viglione to complete her project on the implementation of evidence-based practices in adult probation.

Doctoral students Breanne Cave, Julie Grieco and alumnus Cody Telep from the Department of Criminology Law and Society have recently published an article on evaluation research in police departments. This article stemmed from their experience in the Police Research Group at Mason.

Criminology, Law and Society major Jimmy Green is the first Mason student to attend the university on an Earl Woods Scholarship, awarded by the Tiger Woods Foundation. Active in the social action and integrative learning program and a member of the Leadership and Community Engagement LLC, Jimmy makes the most of his opportunities while he serves others.

The Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, affiliated with the CLS Department, founded the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame to recognize excellence in evidence-based policing. Several new members will be inducted this summer at the CEBCP's Annual Symposium, held on the Mason Arlington Campus.

Devon Johnson, Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and Director of Graduate Programs, has been named one of the "Top 25 Criminal Justice Professors" in the Education Blog of ForensicsColleges.com. Professor Johnson was chosen based on peer and employer recognition, leadership and professional contributions, and the top ranking of the Criminology, Law and Society graduate programs.

It is 2,889 miles from Seattle, Wash. to Washington, D.C. That’s more than 40 hours by car—or a whole summer on a bike—for Jeffery Gorenshtein, Dylan Reed and Bryan Bott. These George Mason University students have volunteered to pedal across the country to support people with disabilities for Push America’s 2014 Journey of Hope.

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, will give a keynote address at the 2nd International Conference on Government, Crime and Justice Statistics in Mexico City this June. His address is titled: "Hot Spots and Crime: Research and Policy Implications."

George Mason University alumnus Mark Little, a former Army captain, knows service members’ homecomings can be bittersweet. Little came home seven years ago after an improvised explosive device (IED) blasted through his Humvee in southern Baghdad and blew off both of his legs below the knee.

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and Executive Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University, has been recognized by the American Society of Criminology as the recipient of the 2014 Edwin Sutherland Award.

With cyber security breaches in the news on an almost daily basis and with data theft a concern for even the most cautious of computer users, George Mason University students have launched a new organization, Cyber Security Systems (CSS), to stay a step ahead of online criminals and to groom future cyber industry leaders.

Criminology, Law and Society major Nicole Taylor will present her research on "Gendered Reentry Preparation: Differences Among Jail Inmates Leaving Custody" at the Politics of Gender and Justice Conference at George Mason University. She conducted this research as part of the undergraduate Honors Seminars in Criminology, Law and Society.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is pleased to announce that doctoral student Breanne Cave has received the prestigious and highly competitive Dean's Challenge Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Distinguished Professor David Weisburd, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, is the 2014 recipient of the Robert Boruch Award from the Campbell Collaboration for his contribution to research on interventions that inform public policy. He will receive the award in Ireland in June.

Sarah Solimon, a junior at Mason, was one of 150 undergraduate student researchers to present at this year's National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC). Her research with Dr. Danielle Rudes, Departent of Criminology, Law and Society, examined the efficiency and usability of a software system used by probation officers to supervise criminally involved juveniles.

Each year, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences honors selected classified staff members with the Mary Roper Award, to recognize exemplary service in support of the college's goals. This year's celebration was held on December 3, 2013.

Mary Schifferli, Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, received an Award of Excellence from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for her outstanding contributions in the area of graduate programs support.

Police agencies across the United States have invested heavily in license plate reader (LPR) sensory equipment with the belief that the technology’s has the potential to reduce crime. Professors Cynthia Lum, Chris Koper and James Willis will embark on a full-scale research project to analyze the degree of crime control and weigh the costs and benefits of LPR technology.

Dr. Faye Taxman, University Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society has received the Warren and Palmer Differential Intervention Award and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology Division on Corrections and Sentencing.

Dr. Lisa Newmark, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has been recognized as an "Amazing Employee" at Mason for her work with faculty and students as Director of Undergraduate Programs.

In late September 2013, Cynthia Lum and Chris Koper, faculty members in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, headlined a presentation at the Missouri Attorney General’s Urban Crime Summit. Recently, summit attendees reflected on their work.

For many CLS students, an internship with the Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) is at the top of their wish list. Seve Cordova’s dream became reality when, through the CLS Internship Program, he was offered a highly competitive internship placement with the NCIS Headquarters in Washington, D.C. for Spring 2013.

Criminology, Law and Society doctoral student Ajima Olaghere co-authored an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun (along with Natalie Sokoloff of John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Blake Ethridge of Johns Hopkins University) that argues post-secondary education can help incarcerated people lead "humane and critically examined lives."

Matthew Nelson and Alese Wooditch, doctoral students in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, have received the 2013 Student Paper Award from ASC's Division of Experimental Criminology.

Forbes Magazine's list of top 100 research universities listed George Mason University at 96th, noting that humanities research is one of Mason's top three areas, reports the Fairfax Times.

Teneshia Thurman, a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has received a three-year career building grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study gender-specific hypotheses about issues that affect probation client motivation.

Yuri Reyes recently completed an internship with Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDRDC), East County Probation Services in May 2013.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences has capitalized on being in the heart of the action by introducing its students to the real-world expertise of many successful local and national players.

Provost Peter Stearns has named Matthew Zingraff, associate dean for research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, as the interim president of the George Mason University's upcoming campus in Songdo, Korea.

The doctoral program in Criminology, Law and Society at Mason was recently highlighted in the Washington Post Express, with quotes from Professor Laurie Robinson and alumnus Dr. Cody Telep.

The Police Foundation has released the newest "Ideas in American Policing" lecture, given by Professor James Willis of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society. Dr. Willis discusses the role of science and craft in efforts to reform and improve policing.

Dr. Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, a 2012 graduate of the Criminology, Law and Society doctoral program at Mason, was recently quoted in USA Today about the need for evidence-based responses to the problem of human trafficking.

Doctoral student Stephanie Maass from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society has published an article discussing how knowledge is transferred into practice in correctional settings. It appears in Perspectives, the journal of the American Probation and Parole Association.

Doctoral students Jennifer Lerch and Stephanie Maass from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society recently published an article on staff burnout for the American Probation and Parole Association. This is one article in an ongoing series provided by graduate students in the department to address the needs of those working in community corrections.

Cochrane at Mason staff members have contributed to a recent Pew Research report which examines trends in firearm homicide, non-fatal violent gun crime victimization and non-fatal violent crime victimization over the last two decades.

This May, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences plans to host three convocations: one each for its graduate students, undergraduate humanities and interdisciplinary programs students, and undergraduate social sciences students.

George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) and the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) hosted a joint Symposium and Congressional Briefing on Evidence-Based Policing on George Mason’s Arlington Campus on April 8 and at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on April 9.

University Professor Faye Taxman of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, was the guest on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, where she was interviewed about halfway houses and reentry housing centers for former inmates.

This is the first of eight articles designed to introduce the research performed by college faculty members, and its applicability beyond the university campus.

Professors Weisburd, Lum, Gill, Johnson and Merola from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society have been involved in a multi-year study to examine the Transportation Security Administration's Playbook security plan at airports.

Professors Shannon Portillo and Danielle Rudes of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society received funding from the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) and the Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence (CTFE) to develop new opportunities for undergraduate research and collaborative projects.

CLS undergraduate student Bipana Pokharel urges fellow CLS students, “If you are unsure of which career to choose then the CLS Internship Program is the best place to start."

Professor Christopher Koper of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society recently presented his evaluation research of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban at the "Summit on Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis."

Professor David Weisburd was recently interviewed for the Oral History Criminology Project of the American Society of Criminology, which represents an ongoing effort to preserve prominent scholars’ accounts of their role in shaping the evolution of the field.

A New York Times article has cited the effectiveness of Professor David Weisburd's hot-spot policing strategy in reducing crime in the city and making New York "the safest city in America."

Residential halfway houses are a critical part of the community corrections system in many states and the federal government. Dr. Faye Taxman and her team conducted a study regarding the efficacy of these centers, and identified several improvements to advance practices of services available to offenders.

Attorney General Eric Holder recently visited Mason to speak to students and faculty from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society. During his presentation, Mr. Holder emphasized the need for evidence-based responses to crime and violence and reflected on his accomplishments and the challenges he has faced while leading the Department of Justice.

Laurie Robinson, Former Assistant Attorney General and Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society was recently interviewed on the DC Public Safety radio program. She shares her views of current crime and justice issues and talks about her experiences at Mason.

Criminology, Law and Society graduate students are helping translate research into practice by writing research updates in Perspectives, the journal of the American Probation and Parole Association. Doctoral students Jill Viglione and Lincoln Sloas wrote the most recent article, which focuses on contingency management in criminal justice settings.

Criminology, Law and Society doctoral student Cody Telep will be joining the faculty at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice as an assistant professor in the fall of 2013. Telep is expected to graduate next May after completing his dissertation on evidence-based policing.

Mason’s Department of Criminology, Law and Society has trained criminologists and police officers around the world, so it is no wonder that police departments turn to Mason when trying to improve their law enforcement activities through research.

Two college faculty members - the Department of Psychology's Eden King and the Department of Criminology, Law and Society's Cynthia Lum - have been recognized as Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creators for 2012. The award recognizes the very best of the university’s younger scholars.

Dr. Cynthia Lum from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society has been recognized with the 2012 Mason Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creator Award. This award is given to three Mason faculty members each year who show exceptional promise in their disciplines.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police awarded the Silver and Bronze Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Awards to projects involving faculty and students from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

The Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE) in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society announces several new projects which focus on translating and implementing evidence-based practices in court, probation, prisons, and jail settings.

The Seattle Police Department re-deployed their entire patrol based on research both by Department of Criminology, Law and Society faculty members David Weisburd and Christopher Koper.

The Mason Staff Senate has announced that Cynthia Lum, associate professor and deputy director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, will receive the Fall 2012 Outstanding Supervisor Award (OSA).

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors today appointed alumnus, Police Chief David M. Rohrer, as deputy county executive. He will begin his new position Oct. 20.

Faculty from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society will embark on new research this year, including projects focused on drug hot spots, interventions for juvenile offending, and recidivism.

The Police Research Group is a new organization for students and faculty interested in conducting and using high-quality research on policing. Goals of the group include conducting and disseminating research that is useful for practical as well as scholarly purposes and increasing the visibility of police research in relevant academic disciplines and among policy makers and practitioners.

Criminology, Law and Society graduate students are helping translate research into practice by writing research updates in Perspectives, the journal of the American Probation and Parole Association. Doctoral students Stephanie Ainsworth and Jennifer Lerch wrote the inaugural article, which focuses on cognitive-behavioral therapy programs for higher-risk offenders.

Cochrane at Mason Director Catherine Gallagher is quoted in the Wall Street Journal discussing the difficulties capturing prisoner data and offers a solution for how to potentially include it in national surveys. Click the link to read the entire article.

The annual Celebration of Scholarship is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 12, from 4:30 - 6:00 pm in the Mason Hall Atrium.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is pleased to announce the creation of a new Policy & Practice concentration in the Master's Degree program, which is designed for professional students who wish to pursue careers in justice and security organizations.

George Mason University received high marks for social sciences and economics in the 2012 installment of the Academic Ranking of World Universities, conducted by researchers at the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

As part of the Case Management team for the Missing Children Division at NCMEC, Anna utilized knowledge and skills learned in the classroom at George Mason to apply on-the-job, including: working with crime victims, practicing criminal justice ethics, criminal profiling techniques, and research and analysis methods.

Faye Taxman, University Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, was interviewed by Len Sipes on the DC Public Safety Radio Show on the implementation of evidence-based practices in community corrections. Her interview covered the issues related to evidence-based practices in pretrial, probation and parole agencies.

Catherine Gallagher, director of the Cochrane Collaboration College for Policy at George Mason University and faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, was the guest on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, where she was interviewed regarding gangs.

Professors Faye Taxman and Danielle Rudes of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society published an op-ed in The Free Lance-Star in April titled "Far better ways to fight crime than imprisonment." The article discusses how the primary mechanism for crime fighting in the United States for the last 30 years has focused on building and expanding the capacity of our prison systems which translates into a runaway incarceration system that does not deter criminal behavior.

Recent research by David Weisburd, Cody Telep and Brian Lawton of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society is discussed in a New York Times article following the publication of a new report on NYPD "stop and frisk" tactics.

Laurie Robinson is one of the nation’s most influential players, both in government and in academe, in criminal justice. Now a professor in the criminology program at George Mason University in northern Virginia, she recently left her post as Assistant Attorney General for Justice Programs, the U.S. Justice Department agency that makes crime-fighting grants to states and localities and oversees the research and statistical arms of the department.

The Mason Alumni Association recently inducted eleven graduating seniors into the Golden Quill Society, including Criminology Law and Society majors DeShonta Garner, Christina Lauderdale and Joy Sheppard. The Golden Quill Society recognizes outstanding student leaders and offers opportunities for leadership as alumni. We congratulate our students on their achievements and well-earned recognition!

Laurie Robinson, former Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, will join Mason’s faculty in fall 2012 as Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society.

Megan Pfeifle, a senior majoring in Criminology, Law and Society with a minor in Japanese Studies, has written a paper that will be published in the forthcoming volume of the George Mason Review.

Professor David B. Wilson, Chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has won the Frederick Mosteller Award for Distinctive Contributions to Systematic Reviewing from The Campbell Collaboration. Dr. Wilson has made numerous contributions to both the methodology and practice of research synthesis.

The Mason Center for Teaching & Faculty Excellence has announced its 2012 Teaching Excellence Awards. The college is extremely pleased and proud to note that a number of its faculty members are among the award winners.

CCCP at GMU has released a one-page brief that dives into national crime trends from 2001 to 2010. CCCP at GMU found that, consistent with most reports, crime reported to the police over the past ten years has declined, with the greatest reductions observed for property crimes and larceny theft. Violent crime rates have dropped as well. However, it's important to note that using strictly national figures can mask important trends within subgroups, types of crime, and geographic borders.

Faculty members of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences recently reflected on the creation of the college five years ago.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is pleased to announce that Cody Telep (doctoral program) and Anastasia Uzilevskaya (undergraduate program) have received the prestigious and highly competitive Dean's Challenge Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Danielle Rudes, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, is the recipient of a 2012 Mason Teaching Excellence award. This award recognizes outstanding teaching and the significant work that faculty members devote to course planning and preparation, curriculum development, and innovative teaching, advising, and mentoring.

When officials at the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) were looking to create a statewide operational action plan for probation and parole, they had to look no further than Mason’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE). Led by Dr. Faye Taxman and Dr. Danielle Rudes, the center conducts research to assist policy makers and correctional practitioners in crafting effective policies to prevent criminal behavior.

Ajima Olaghere, doctoral student in Criminology, Law and Society, was honored as the 2012 recipient of the John C. and Louis P. Wood Graduate Scholarship at a reception held last Wednesday at the Mason Inn Grand Ballroom.

CCCP Director Catherine Gallagher will speak at a panel discussion on Monday, March 26, 2012 to highlight the need for more opportunities, mentoring, intervention, support and education for America's youth. This panel is part of a series of briefings Congressman Bobby Scott is hosting to urge Congress to pass the Youth PROMISE Act. Joining Gallagher and Congressman Scott for the discussion will be among others renowned actor Hill Harper actor (CSI: NY). The briefing will go from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Room 2141 in the Rayburn House Office Building and will be open to the general public, congressional staff, members of Congress, and the media.

Dr. Catherine Gallagher , Director of the Cochrane Collaboration College for Policy at George Mason University (CCCP at GMU), spoke as a panelist at bipartisan briefing entitled “Reduce Crime, Reduce Costs, and Improve Lives and Communities through Evidence-Based Prevention” on Monday, February 27, 2012. Dr. Gallagher presented a report put together by CCCP at GMU that showed the medical costs of adolescent firearm injuries.

The Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy held a Congressional Briefing last week on Reducing Gun Violence: Lessons from Research and Practice. Led by Dr. Christopher Koper, the briefing was held on Capitol Hill to a standing-room only audience from over 100 government, academic, and research organizations. Dr. Koper presented research on police activities to reduce gun crimes, and Dr. Catherine Gallagher discussed the cost of adolescent firearms injuries.

Maggie DeBoard, who earned her degree in criminal justice from George Mason University, will be named Herndon's new police chief on March 5, 2012.

CCCP's Executive Director Dr. Catherine Gallagher was C-SPAN's Washington Journal guest for a 40-minute interview about federal juvenile justice spending programs for states on Monday, January 23, 2012.

Cynthia Lum, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has published a new book titled "Evidence-Based Counterterrorism Policy" (Springer, 2011), edited with Leslie W. Kennedy of Rutgers University. Lum and colleagues examine a variety of counterterrorism strategies in the United States and abroad.

Better This World follows the dramatic journey of David McKay (22) and Bradley Crowder (23), of Midland Texas, George W. Bush’s hometown, as they are transformed from political neophytes to accused domestic terrorists, arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Dr. David Weisburd will speak at Community Justice Conference 2012: The International Conference of Community Courts on January 31, 2012. He will speak on the "Lessons from Place-Based Policing." This multi-disciplinary conference is intended for judges, police officials, attorneys, community corrections officials, court administrators, victim advocates, community organizers and others with an interest in criminal justice reform. It will provide participants with both hands-on tools to improve their work and access to cutting-edge research in the field.

David Weisburd will speak at Rutgers University as part of the Alcatel/Lucent Distinguished Lecture Series on the "Criminology of Place.”

Catherine Gallagher of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society writes an op-ed in the Washington Post opposing the proposed Montgomery County curfew.

Former Jersey City police chief Frank Gajewski was honored by his city's municipal council in light of his recent induction into the Center for Evidence-Based Policing's Hall of Fame at George Mason University. The center is run by David Weisburd and Cynthia Lum, faculty members of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

As their names rang through the Mason Hall atrium, 26 students walked past the podium, received their certificates and shook the hand of College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Jack Censer. These students, both undergraduates and graduates in the college, were recognized at the 2011 Celebration of Scholarship.

A Mason team of four would-be Intelligence Analysts from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society participated in a competition with 11 other area schools in a CIA simulation exercise hosted at Georgetown University.

The Celebration of Scholarship, a reception to honor and recognize college students who excel in the classroom and community, will take place on Monday, Oct. 24 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Mason Hall atrium.

Cochrane Collaboration College for Policy Director Dr. Catherine Gallagher gave a talk at the 2011 meeting of the WHO Network for Prison Health in Abano Terme, Italy.

Cochrane Collaboration College for Policy Director Catherine Gallagher spoke in support of evidence-based policy-making at the Congressional Black Caucus. To see photos from the event click the link.

Mason’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) joined forces with the Campbell Collaboration to host workshops and a Symposium on Evidence-Based Policy at Mason on Aug. 15 and 16, attracting more than 250 participants from around the world.

With a promotion from her captain's post in July, Major Tracy S. Russillo of the Virginia State Police became the highest-ranking woman in the department's history. Russillo graduated from George Mason University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration.

The United States Supreme Court ruled in a 6-to-3 decision in June that fleeing the police in a vehicle could be a violent felony, and could also lead to 15-year prison terms for offenders. The court came to this ruling after vigorously debating research by Cynthia Lum, a member of the Criminology, Law and Society faculty, and George Fachner, MA '09, Criminology, Law and Society.

Cynthia Lum, a faculty member in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University, received the 2011 Attorney General's Citizen Volunteer Service Award.

Rachel Hite, a recent Mason graduate with a double major in Criminology, Law and Society and Psychology, has written an award-winning paper that will be published in the fall volume of the George Mason Review.

Dr. David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at Mason and Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at The Hebrew University has won the 2011 Klachky Prize for the Advancement of the Frontiers of Science.

Newly minted graduates were not the only ones celebrating on Friday, May 20. At 12:30 that day, alumni of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences gathered in Mason Hall for the college’s annual Alumni of the Year Celebration.

On Thursday April 28th at 4:30 p.m., the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and the Film and Media Studies program will show "Living for 32" in the Johnson Center Cinema. The screening will be followed by a question and answer session with the subject of the film, Colin Goddard, and his father, Andy Goddard.

James Willis, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has won a 2011 Teaching Excellence Award from the Provost and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Gallagher, professor and director of graduate programs for the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, is now a member of a new advisory committee set up by Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Faye Taxman with colleagues Jill Farrell and Doug Young published "Effects of Organizational Factors on Use of Juvenile Supervision Practices" in Criminal Justice and Behavior.

Throughout her career at George Mason University, Annie Lonetti has been a part of many landmark moments in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society. Lonetti, the department’s office manager, is in her 11th year of employment at Mason.

Allan Turner has been selected by the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security to present “A Practitioner-Researcher Partnership to Develop and Deliver Operational Value of Threat, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessment Training to meet the Requirements of Emergency Responders”

The department was awarded nearly $100,000 per year for three years to advance its doctoral program. The funding comes from George Mason University’s Provost’s PhD Program Award, which provides supplemental graduate funding to Mason PhD programs.

In the case, State of West Virginia vs. Longerbeam (#35472) a man that was unjustifiably looking at 10-20 years in prison will go free.

Mason’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, directed by Criminology, Law and Society professor Faye Taxman, will host "Undoing the Effects of Mass Incarceration: Alternative Approaches," a free public symposium on Friday, Jan. 14.

Staff members from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ departments walked across George Mason University’s Fairfax campus to see Annie Lonetti win the 2010 Mary Roper Award. Lonetti, office manager for the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, received the 10th annual award.

Annie Lonetti, office manager for the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, has won the 2010 Mary Roper Award. This award honors a classified staff member who has shown outstanding service in support of the core goals of the college.

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University, has been awarded the Minister of Immigrant Absorption's Prize for Outstanding Scientists after being recommended by the judging committee of the Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

About 85 people were on hand for the first-ever presentation of the college GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) awards, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 2, at George’s Restaurant in the Johnson Center. The event was part of Alumni Weekend 2010.

Terri Hines, a recent magna cum laude graduate from George Mason University's administration of justice program, is the winner of the 2010-2011 Meese Family Scholarship Award.

George Mason University's Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy honored eight police leaders from around the country as the first members of its Hall of Fame. The center is based in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society. Thumbnail image courtesy of Creative Services.

David Weisburd, Mason Distinguished Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society (formerly Administration of Justice), received the 2010 Stockholm Prize in Criminology last week.

University Professor Stephen Mastrofski has been elected a fellow in the American Society of Criminology. This honorary title recognizes persons who have made a scholarly contribution to the intellectual life of the discipline and a significant contribution to the field through the career development of other criminologists.

May was a busy month for graduate students in the Criminology, Law and Society Department. Students presented the results of their research at the Law and Society Association Annual Meeting and at the Conference for Student Research on Addictions, Infectious Disease and Public Health.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society is moving to the Fairfax Campus. As of May 24th, the faculty and academic advising offices will be located on the third floor of the Aquia Building, between Thompson Hall and Student Union Building I. Department offices will be closed on May 20th for the move and reopen on May 24th. The department phone number remains the same: 703-993-8315.

Criminology, law and society major Sarah Parham was recently awarded a prestigious undergraduate research apprenticeship. The Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program at George Mason University pairs high-achieving undergraduate students with faculty mentors to undertake original research or creative projects.

Dr. Cynthia Lum of the Evidence-Based Research Program has been awarded a grant from the University of Cambridge to partner with its Police Executive Programme to build the capacity for law enforcement agents in the United Kingdom to become more evidence-based in their daily practices.

Devon Johnson is the recipient of a 2010 Mason Teaching Excellence award. This award recognizes outstanding teaching and the significant work that faculty members devote to course planning and preparation, curriculum development, and innovative teaching, advising, and mentoring.

Taxman and members of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence research team participate in a series of meetings about reentry programs, policies, and practices.

Christine Imperato, a dean's list student from the Administration of Justice Program, has won the 2010 ASIS Foundation's Chapter Matching Scholarship.

The Internship Program for the Administration of Justice Department at George Mason University provides students with an exciting opportunity to gain specialized on the job training, develop contacts for the future and earn academic credit. Students have had memorable experiences working for a variety of criminal justice organizations around the Washington metropolitan area.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to announce the speakers for this year’s convocation ceremonies. Warren Brown, the founder and owner of successful bakery CakeLove and Love Café’, and poet and author Robert Pinsky are the speakers for this year’s convocation ceremonies.

Students from the 2009-2010 Administration of Justice Undergraduate Honors Seminar have been working with Professor James Willis on an original research project focused on policing. Through interviews and ride-alongs with officers, the class is exploring the question: What does good policing look like to the street cop?

On January 31, 2010, the Administration of Justice Club inducted 52 new members.

With the Olympic Winter Games so close to the American border, security is a bi-national responsibility. Mason researcher Allan Turner is one of many taking part in the effort by assuring that new communication equipment is meeting the needs of first responders.

George Mason University professor David Weisburd is considered one of the world's top criminologists. His work on "hot spots" won him the Stockholm Prize. Weisburd, his students and others talk about his work, his influence and his passion for criminology and teaching.

The JLCP program prides itself on the scholarly work of its graduate students and their collaboration with our faculty. Numerous articles and book chapters were recently authored or co-authored by students in the masters and PhD programs.

Julie Willis (Ph.D. student in Justice, Law and Crime Policy) and Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco (MA student in Justice, Law and Crime Policy) received their awards at the recent Celebration of Scholarship.

Two faculty members received more than $1-million for research.

Distinguished Professor David Weisburd has been named the winner of the 2010 Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his research and findings that police patrols at crime “hot spots” do not merely move crime around the corner. The Stockholm prize is widely considered the most prestigious in the field of criminology, and this is the first time the international committee has bestowed the award on a single individual. Winners receive 1 million Swedish kroner (about $130,000).

USA Today discusses a study funded by the Justice Department and quotes one of George Mason University's criminologists, Dr. Faye Taxman. Dr. Taxman is also a GMU University Professor and Graduate Director of the Justice, Law, and Crime Policy program.

On Wednesday, October 15, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and the Administration of Justice Department of George Mason University hosted a symposium entitled “Drugs in America: Trafficking, Policy and Sentencing.”

Distinguished Professor David Weisburd brought with him a revolutionary way to understand and deal with crime when he joined Mason’s Administration of Justice Department in July.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences announced the first of recipients of the Dean’s Challenge Award. The award criteria are simple. Students must be challenging themselves academically and taking true advantage of all the opportunities George Mason has to offer.

Professor James Willis was interviewed about his research with Dr. Stephen Mastrofski on COMPSTAT and community policing.