Todd Clear, University Professor at Rutgers-Newark School of Criminal Justice (SCJ), has been named the 2026 recipient of the Edwin H. Sutherland Award, the highest honor for scholarly achievement from the American Society of Criminology (ASC). Named for the late criminologist, the award recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions to theory or research in criminology on the etiology of criminal and deviant behavior, the criminal justice system, corrections, law or justice.

“I’m honored to receive the Edwin H. Sutherland Award,” said Clear. “This award recognizes the importance of research in our field that seeks not only to understand crime and justice, but also to improve people’s lives. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to this line of work.”

Clear, University Professor of Criminal Justice since 2016, has been affiliated with Rutgers-Newark since 2010 when he served as Dean of SCJ and later, Interim Chancellor and Provost. Prior to joining Rutgers, Clear held positions at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Florida State University, and Ball State University. Clear, whose areas of specialization include corrections, mass incarceration, sentencing, and alternatives to incarceration, is the author of 13 books and more than 100 articles and book chapters.

Clear has served as president of ASC, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), and the Association of Doctoral Programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice. His work has been recognized through several awards, including those of ASC, ACJS, the Rockefeller School of Public Policy, the American Probation and Parole Association, the American Correctional Association, and the International Community Corrections Association.  He was the founding editor of the journal Criminology & Public Policy, published by ASC.

“Throughout his career, Todd has contributed enormously to our field of criminology and criminal justice policy,” said Nancy La Vigne, Dean of SCJ. “This recognition is richly deserved, and we are proud to celebrate this extraordinary achievement.”