Abstract

Harry Allen led a distinguished career in criminology and corrections. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stetson University, a Master of Arts from Vanderbilt University, followed by a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University under the guidance of Simon Dinitz and Walter Reckless in 1969. After a brief teaching-stint at Florida State University, Allen served as Executive Secretary of the Ohio Governor’s Task Force on Corrections. Allen joined The Ohio State University’s faculty in 1971, achieving tenure as an Associate Professor and later as a Professor and Director of the Program for the Study of Crime and Delinquency. His tenure was marked by extensive research, including the seminal textbook Corrections in America. In 1978, Allen accepted a position at San Jose State University, where he taught until his retirement in 1998. Later, he pursued seminary studies at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, and remained Professor Emeritus at San Jose State University. Allen was a pioneering criminologist, serving as President of both the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology. He received numerous awards, including the Block Award from the American Society of Criminology.

Keywords: Corrections in America, efforts to combine corrections and terrorism research, training at Vanderbilt and Ohio State (Walter Reckless), mentoring.