Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center

The Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center (HCJRC) has played a pivotal role in advancing the field of Criminal Justice for more than 50 years. From its origin as an idea from the center’s namesake, to achieving worldwide influence, through its enduring legacy today, the HCJRC has been a catalyst for academic innovation and creativity for academics past and present.

Michael J. Hindelang, following his hire at the University at Albany’s recently formed School of Criminal Justice, opened the HCJRC in 1971 as an independent research organization created to aid both students and faculty alike in conducting criminological research that would shape the field for decades to come. 

Among many important HCJRC research efforts, two projects played an outsized role in establishing a more data-centric approach to researching the criminal justice system. The first of these was the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, an annually released centralized catalog of data surrounding criminal justice. Initially released in 1973, the Sourcebook was cited thousands of times over 40 years' worth of releases. Second, the HCJRC also developed an innovative analytic strategy for gleaning scientific insights from the National Crime Survey, or what is now known as the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). 

The creation of this new dataset, and its systematic analysis by HCJRC staff, allowed for the expansion of criminological theory, novel policy recommendations, and a deeper understanding of the crimes occurring in the United States.

The most important contributions of the HCJRC were not the instruments, data, or projects it produced, but the people who created them. This broader legacy of the HCJRC is carried forward by those who passed through the center, both students working towards their doctoral degrees as well as faculty members who provided support and guidance for the center. 

To quote Ed McGarrell, a former co-editor of the Sourcebook, “The opportunity to be part of the research center was one where you always felt supported. It created that sense of excellence in research.” The mentorship and guidance that the center provided ensured that its influence extended far past its walls, leading to an enduring impact on the field of criminology that is still unfolding to this day. 

The centers’ scholars, such as Michael Gottfredson, Lawrence Cohen, John Laub, and Rob Sampson — to name just a few — followed their time at the HCJRC by creating new theories, methodologies, programs and policy directions that became foundational to the field of criminology. Without the HCJRC, and the philosophy of excellence established by its namesake, the fields of criminology and criminal justice would not look the same today.

Michael J. Hindelang Fellowship for Doctoral Studies in Criminal Justice

Hindelang Fellowships are available to outstanding students pursuing doctoral studies in criminal justice.

For Additional Information

Telephone: 518-442-5210
FAX: 518-442-5212