Scholarship in the Public Interest

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12181
• Author: Michael R. Gottfredson
• Published date: 01 February 2016
• Date: 01 February 2016

VOLLMER AWARD COMMENTARY

VOLLMER AWARD

Scholarship in the Public Interest

C. Ronald Huff and the August Vollmer Award

Michael R. Gottfredson

University of California, Irvine

It is notoriously difficult to demonstrate an influence of specific academic work on

policy about crime or justice. There are many reasons why this is so: Most ideas about

crime have been around for a long time and have multiple lineages; the justice system

is a political entity only modestly and episodically interested in facts as understood by social

scientists; and, of course, criminal justice systems serve many masters simultaneously and are

thus resistant to significant change on a timescale easily documented. Tohave clear influence

on any one aspect of criminal justice policy or practice is a high bar for an academician.

Indeed, it is much more common to find academic criminologists bemoaning their lack of

influence on the world of practice and policy. But in C. RonaldHuff’s case, the evidence of

influence, both direct and indirect, is compelling.

Over his career, Huffhas published extensively and has made substantial contributions

in many key areas of crime and justice, from prisons and corrections (Ball, Huff, and Lilly,

1988; Huff, 1974, 1977) to basic theory (Huff, 1978, 1980; Huff and Scarpitti, 2011). Of

specific relevance to the Vollmer Award (scholarship and professional activities that have

made outstanding contributions to justice or prevention of criminal or delinquent behavior),

Huff has at least three major lines of clear influence, making his impact truly remarkable:

formative work on the idea and importance of wrongful conviction (Huff, 2002b; Huff,

Rattner, and Sagarin, 1986, 1996), research and recommendations about youth gangs

(Barrows and Huff, 2009; Huff, 1989, 1990, 2002a), and a career-long dedication to the

role of the university in scholarship and education about public policy.

Direct correspondence to Michael R. Gottfredson, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine,

3393 Social Ecology II, 5300 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Irvine, CA 92697-7050

(e-mail: gottfred@uci.edu).

DOI:10.1111/1745-9133.12181 C2015 American Society of Criminology 21

Criminology & Public Policy rVolume 15 rIssue 1