John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

Third Member of John Jay Community tapped to serve in Obama Administration

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 -- President Barack Obama has announced that he intends to nominate Professor James Lynch, distinguished professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice as Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department of Justice. The nomination of Dr. Lynch as Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics requires confirmation by the United States Senate.

“While the college will miss Dr. Lynch, we are honored that a highly regarded member of our college faculty has been nominated to such an important position in the Obama Administration. He brings to the position a wealth of knowledge and practical experience that will be invaluable to the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the nation,” said Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Travis also noted that Professor Lynch is the third member of the John Jay community tapped to serve in the Obama administration. Professor Ellen Scrivner, director of the John Jay College Leadership Academy, was appointed deputy director of the National Institute of Justice in September. And, Alumnus Benjamin B. Tucker, (BS ’77) has been nominated to serve as Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The White House Release said of Lynch:

“James Lynch is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, City University of New York. He was previously a professor in the Department of Justice, Law, and Society at American University from 1986 to 2005 and chair of the Department from 2003 to 2005. Dr. Lynch is currently serving as the Vice President-elect of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). He previously served on the Committee on Law and Justice Statistics of the American Statistical Association and as a member of the National Academy of Science panel evaluating the programs of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Dr. Lynch has published three books and numerous articles on crime statistics, victimization surveys, victimization risk, and the role of sanctions in social control and is also co-editor of the Journal of Quantitative Criminology. He received his B.A. degree from Wesleyan University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.”

About John Jay College of Criminal Justice: An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.