PHILADELPHIA--Laurie O. Robinson, a nationally known leader in criminal justice policy, has been named director of the University of Pennsylvania's new professional Master of Science Program in Criminology.  Robinson previously served as assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, overseeing the Office of Justice Programs from 1993 to 2000.

"We are delighted that someone of Laurie Robinson's stature and experience has agreed to direct the professional M.S. Program, said Lawrence W. Sherman, professor of sociology and chair of the criminology department at Penn.  Her extensive knowledge of the application of research to criminal justice reform will help produce a new kind of change agent for crime prevention."

Robinson has worked for almost three decades in criminal justice reform and innovation.  Her seven years with the Office of Justice Programs was the longest tenure of any director in the federal criminal justice assistance agency's 32-year history.

Under Robinson's leadership, OJP's annual appropriation from Congress grew from $800 million in 1993 to more than $4 billion in 2000.  She oversaw the largest increase in federal criminal justice research spending in the nation's history and launched major initiatives on community policing, violence against women, drug abuse and corrections.  In 1998, Robinson established an OJP office to help states and localities prepare for dealing with terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.  

Since 2001, Robinson has served as a distinguished senior scholar at Penn's Jerry Lee Center of Criminology.  She has directed the Center Forum on Crime and Justice, which sponsors educational programs on criminal justice topics for Washington policymakers.  Prior to her appointment as assistant attorney general, Robinson led the American Bar Association criminal justice programs for 14 years.  She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University.

Penn's new M.S. program in criminology is intended for individuals planning or already pursuing careers in criminal-justice practice and policy, including both governmental and non-governmental crime-prevention agencies. The M.S. in Criminology will also be available as a joint degree with Penn's J.D., M.G.A. and M.S.W. and by sub-matriculation from Penn undergraduate programs.  Applications for the eight-month, eight-course program will be accepted through July.  Classes will begin in September.   

"This unique program will give its graduates the knowledge and skills to analyze crime data, map crime patterns and identify evidence-based interventions for addressing crime, said Sherman, who also directs Penn's Jerry Lee Center of Criminology and Fels Institute of Government.

Additional information about the M.S. program is available at http://www.crim.upenn.edu or by e-mailing Robinson at robinsol@sas.upenn.edu.

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