Marvin Wolfgang

Few contemporary criminologists have made more of an impact in the field of criminology than Marvin Eugene Wolfgang. He was born in 1924, and after his mother died during his infancy, Wolfgang’s paternal grandparents raised him in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Wolfgang lived and worked in Pennsylvania until his death in 1998. His intellectual interest in criminology began after serving time in the military while stationed in Italy during World War II. He left the army in 1945 to attend university, and was the first person in his family to do so. Wolfgang earned a bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College in 1948 and began teaching in the political science and sociology department at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, while also attending graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania. Marvin Wolfgang’s professional career spanned decades and was punctuated by a myriad of accomplishments, accolades, awards, and tributes. The bulk of Wolfgang’s criminological research revolved around the sociological aspects of violence and criminality. He was an expert in the field of criminal justice, and, based on his own empirical research, he openly expressed opposition to the death penalty and support for gun control. Race played a prominent role in Wolfgang’s analyses, and his findings exposed the diminished social and economic status of Blacks as well as the implicit role white culture plays in maintaining the conditions necessary for violence and crime. He worked diligently throughout his career to further legitimize and advance the social science of criminology. His research was instrumental for carving out an independent science of crime from the discipline of sociology. He accomplished this task by innovating and applying scientific research and methods in the criminal justice system. He had a keen interest in understanding the drivers of violent crime and sought to improve institutional and social outcomes inside and outside prison walls. Wolfgang’s research was instrumental for revealing racial disparities in the criminal justice system and in society at large. He embraced a sociological approach for understanding social problems and government responses that led to violence, crime, and punishment. Marvin Wolfgang was a vocal critic of the status quo criminal justice system and was sought after by the federal government for his expertise in quantitative design and analysis. He was admired worldwide for his expertise and allegiance to the scientific method. His scholarship is prolific, diverse, and salient. Despite his fame, most people still found Wolfgang approachable. He was well respected by his many peers around the world, as well as a beloved professor to his many students. His contributions to the discipline of criminology and criminal justice are innumerable, substantial, and are relevant for the 21st century and beyond.