Lloyd Ohlin
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Edgar Ohlin was an American
sociologist
and criminologist who taught at Harvard Law School
, Columbia University
, and the University of Chicago
over his career where he studied the causes and effects of crime and punishment, especially as it related to youthful offenders and delinquents.
Ohlin was born on August 27, 1918, in Belmont, Massachusetts
. He received a bachelor's degree in 1940 from Brown University
and was awarded a master's degree in sociology from Indiana University
in 1942. He later earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago
in 1954.
He served in the United States Army
during World War II
, performing counterintelligence in Europe. During the Korean War
, he investigated conditions in Korean prisoner-of-war camps for George Washington University
's Human Resources Research Office.
From 1947 to 1953, Ohlin was a sociologist for the Illinois Parole and Pardon Board where he was responsible for interviewing prospective parolees and making recommendations to the board for their consideration. He directed the Center for Education and Research in Corrections at the University of Chicago from 1953 to 1956. He was hired by the New York School of Social Work
in 1956, and was later named director of the school's research center.
Together with fellow sociologist Richard A. Cloward, Ohlin he wrote Delinquency and Opportunity: A Theory of Delinquent Gangs, which rejected the prevailing assumption that delinquency resulted from irresponsibility of youths and argued that it was a symptom of poverty and the lack of alternative opportunities caused by poverty, and that the conditions underlying delinquency could be resolved through social programs in local communities that addressed the essential causes. As he told the New York Post
in 1961, "The boy who joins a gang isn’t in a rut. He has aspirations, but no place to go with them."
In the late 1950s, Ohlin was part of the development of Mobilization for Youth, a $12.9 million antipoverty program that was initiated in the early 1960s to prevent delinquency on the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
. the program was based on principles established by Ohlin in Delinquency and Opportunity, offering job training, psychological counseling, drug treatment and legal assistance, as part of a program that became a prototype for future antipoverty programs administered by the United States government.
He joined the faculty of Harvard Law School
in 1967 where he was one of the few faculty members who was not an attorney. With his role as research director of Harvard's Center for Criminal Justice, Ohlin focused on investigating the risks that imprisonment poses, especially for young people. In a February 1968 speech in Boston
delivered at the 15th annual Legislative Clearing House, Ohlin made the point by stating that "by doing nothing but processing children who get into trouble routinely through an overcrowded correctional system, we do more to develop than to stop career criminals". He taught at Harvard Law School until his retirement in 1982, after which he served there as the Touroff-Glueck emeritus professor of criminal justice until his death.
In addition to his stint as president of the American Society of Criminology
, Ohlin devoted time to public service in a number of presidential administrations, including as special consultant on delinquency to the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under John F. Kennedy
, as associate director of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice under Lyndon B. Johnson
and as a member of the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
under Jimmy Carter
.
Ohlin died at the age of 90 on December 6, 2008 at his home in Santa Barbara, California
of Shy-Drager syndrome, a neurodegenerative disease.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and criminologist who taught at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
over his career where he studied the causes and effects of crime and punishment, especially as it related to youthful offenders and delinquents.
Ohlin was born on August 27, 1918, in Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
. He received a bachelor's degree in 1940 from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and was awarded a master's degree in sociology from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1942. He later earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1954.
He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, performing counterintelligence in Europe. During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he investigated conditions in Korean prisoner-of-war camps for George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
's Human Resources Research Office.
From 1947 to 1953, Ohlin was a sociologist for the Illinois Parole and Pardon Board where he was responsible for interviewing prospective parolees and making recommendations to the board for their consideration. He directed the Center for Education and Research in Corrections at the University of Chicago from 1953 to 1956. He was hired by the New York School of Social Work
Columbia University School of Social Work
The Columbia University School of Social Work is a professional program within Columbia University. With an enrollment of over 900, it is one of the largest social work programs in the United States. It is also the nation’s oldest, with roots extending back to 1898, when the New York Charity...
in 1956, and was later named director of the school's research center.
Together with fellow sociologist Richard A. Cloward, Ohlin he wrote Delinquency and Opportunity: A Theory of Delinquent Gangs, which rejected the prevailing assumption that delinquency resulted from irresponsibility of youths and argued that it was a symptom of poverty and the lack of alternative opportunities caused by poverty, and that the conditions underlying delinquency could be resolved through social programs in local communities that addressed the essential causes. As he told the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
in 1961, "The boy who joins a gang isn’t in a rut. He has aspirations, but no place to go with them."
In the late 1950s, Ohlin was part of the development of Mobilization for Youth, a $12.9 million antipoverty program that was initiated in the early 1960s to prevent delinquency on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. the program was based on principles established by Ohlin in Delinquency and Opportunity, offering job training, psychological counseling, drug treatment and legal assistance, as part of a program that became a prototype for future antipoverty programs administered by the United States government.
He joined the faculty of Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1967 where he was one of the few faculty members who was not an attorney. With his role as research director of Harvard's Center for Criminal Justice, Ohlin focused on investigating the risks that imprisonment poses, especially for young people. In a February 1968 speech in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
delivered at the 15th annual Legislative Clearing House, Ohlin made the point by stating that "by doing nothing but processing children who get into trouble routinely through an overcrowded correctional system, we do more to develop than to stop career criminals". He taught at Harvard Law School until his retirement in 1982, after which he served there as the Touroff-Glueck emeritus professor of criminal justice until his death.
In addition to his stint as president of the American Society of Criminology
American Society of Criminology
The American Society of Criminology is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency...
, Ohlin devoted time to public service in a number of presidential administrations, including as special consultant on delinquency to the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, as associate director of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice under Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
and as a member of the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
National Institute of Justice
The National Institute of Justice is the research, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics , Bureau of Justice Assistance , Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention , Office for Victims of Crime ,...
under Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
Ohlin died at the age of 90 on December 6, 2008 at his home in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
of Shy-Drager syndrome, a neurodegenerative disease.