Crime Control, Politics and Policy

Peter J. Benekos is Professor Emeritus of the Criminal Justice Department at Mercyhurst University. He has conducted research and published in the areas of juvenile justice, corrections, and public policy, and is the co-author of a number of books. Before his long career in teaching and research, he served as corrections counselor with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections in both prison and community-based corrections settings. Dr. Benekos is a recipient of the Mercyhurst University Teaching Excellence Award as well as the Founders Award and Outstanding Mentor Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). He is past president of the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences and an ACJS trustee.?


Alida V. Merlo is Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Her current research interests include juvenile justice, criminal justice policy, and women and the law. She is the past president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), and is the recipient of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Fellow Award, Founder's Award, and Outstanding Mentor Award, as well as the 2016 Coramae Richey Mann Leadership Award from the ACJS Minorities and Women Section. Dr. Merlo serves on the editorial board of Crime & Delinquency, the International Journal of Police Science and Management, and Women & Criminal Justice. Merlo was selected as IUP Distinguished University Professor in 2020-21.