School of Criminal Justice

National Death Penalty Archive Adds Baldus Papers View the event photos. On April 20, the National Death Penalty Archive unveiled the addition of the late David Baldus' papers at an event in Professor Baldus' honor that also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the McCleskey v. Kemp Supreme Court decision.	Recent study finds 1 in 3 arrested by age 23 Professor Shawn Bushway co-authored a recent study, “Cumulative Prevalence of Arrest From Ages 8 to 23 in a National Sample,” published in the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics. The study found that America’s youth are arrested at an alarming rate -- nearly 1 in 3 people will be arrested by the time they are 23 years old. It has garnered significant national and international media attention, including the New York Times, USA Today, the Daily Mail (United Kingdom) and Xinhua (a news agency in China).	Alumni Laub and Sampson win Stockholm Prize John Laub, M.A. '76, Ph.D. '80 and Robert Sampson, M.A. '79, Ph.D. '83, were named joint winners of the 2011 Stockholm Prize in Criminology for their research into why and how criminals stop offending.

MORE NEWS

 Why I Give

   Dr. Walter M. Francis, M.A. ’79

When asked why he supports the School of Criminal Justice, Walt Francis gives a straightforward answer. "Past graduates have an obligation to help the place that helped them," he says. Francis happily admits that whenever he applied for a job he knew he would have no problem competing with candidates from other universities. "People ‘in the know’ recognized that a degree from UAlbany was the best," he says, "Many people have their School of Criminal Justice education to thank for their successful careers."

Over the past 20 years, Francis has taught at six different community colleges and universities. He recently retired from a faculty position at Western Nebraska Community College.

Francis considered entering law school, but chose the Master’s program in criminal justice following a visit to the campus and a conversation with John Morgan, assistant dean at the time. "The criminal justice program at UAlbany had a high reputation and all of the pioneers of the field were there; Sherman, Newman, and Toch. It was unbelievable that they were all in the same place," he recalls.

Awarded a merit-based fellowship that covered tuition and then some, Francis says he supports the School now to "pay back the investment" the School made in him years ago.

Francis discussed with then-Dean David Bayley ways in which he could support the School. Having read about the Lumbard and Remington awards, Francis was considering support for one or both. Bayley suggested, however, that Francis consider endowing his own award. In 2001, the School of Criminal Justice awarded the first Walter M. Francis Policing Award. Most recently, Francis has begun working with UAlbany’s Office of Gift Planning to establish a bequest in his will.