Commentary: Where Are We Now? The Current State of Justice-Related Education

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alida V. Merlo

Alida V. Merlo is Distinguished University Professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she joined the faculty in 1995. Previously, she taught at Westfield State University in Massachusetts. She conducts research and publishes in the areas of juvenile justice and criminal justice policy. She is the co-author with Peter J. Benekos of The Juvenile Justice System: Delinquency, Processing, and the Law, 9th Edition, and Reaffirming Juvenile Justice: From Gault to Montgomery. Recent co-authored journal publications can be found in the Journal of Family Violence, Trauma, Violence & Abuse, and Journal of Drug Issues. She is a past-president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Prior to her career in academia, she was a Juvenile Probation Officer and Intake Supervisor in Youngstown, Ohio.

Peter J. Benekos

Peter J. Benekos is Professor Emeritus of Criminology/Criminal Justice and Sociology at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice. He has conducted research in the areas of Juvenile Justice, Corrections, and Public Policy. He is the co-author (with Alida V. Merlo) of The Juvenile Justice System: Delinquency, Processing, and the Law, 9th edition (Pearson, 2019), Reaffirming Juvenile Justice: From Gault to Montgomery (Routledge, 2017), and Crime Control, Politics & Policy, 2nd edition (LexisNexis/Anderson, 2006), and co-editor (with Alida V. Merlo) of Controversies in Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, 2nd edition (LexisNexis/Anderson, 2009). Dr. Benekos was elected to the Executive Board of the Academy of Criminal Justice Science as Region I Trustee (1998–2001) and asTrustee at Large (2016–2019). He is recipient of the 2012 Founder’s Award and the 2011 Outstanding Mentor Award presented by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He is past president of the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences.