Vera Institute of Justice

Todd Clear is a distinguished professor at Rutgers University-Newark’s School of Criminal Justice. Previously, Clear held positions as the provost of Rutgers University-Newark and as the dean of the School of Criminal Justice. In 1978, he received a PhD in Criminal Justice from The University at Albany. Clear has also held professorships at Ball State University, Florida State University (where he was also associate dean of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice) and John Jay College of Criminal Justice (where he held the rank of distinguished professor).

He has authored 13 books and over 100 articles and book chapters. His most recent book is The Punishment Imperative, by NYU Press. Clear has also written on community justice, correctional classification, prediction methods in correctional programming, community-based correctional methods, intermediate sanctions, and sentencing policy.

Todd is currently involved in studies of the criminological implications of “place,” and the economics of justice reinvestment. He has served as president of The American Society of Criminology, The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and The Association of Doctoral Programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice. His work has been recognized through several awards, including those of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, The Rockefeller School of Public Policy, the American Probation and Parole Association, the American Correctional Association, and the International Community Corrections Association. Todd was also the founding editor of the journal Criminology & Public Policy, published by the American Society of Criminology.