The SEARCH Board of Directors has voted to confer Member Emeritus status on longtime SEARCH Member Dr. Alfred Blumstein.
Dr. Blumstein, an internationally renowned criminologist, is University Professor Emeritus with the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie-Mellon University. He had served for 35 years on the Membership Group of SEARCH, first as Pennsylvania’s state appointee, then for 31 years as an At-Large appointee.
Dr. Blumstein is known for the extraordinary impact of his work and his countless contributions throughout a career that spanned nearly 6 decades. His brilliant and pioneering research is credited with greatly advancing understanding of the nature of crime and criminality, the role of technology and the importance of policies in improving justice operations, and increasing knowledge on risk, recidivism, and redemption. In recognition of his contributions, the SEARCH Board selected him as the 2021 recipient of SEARCH’s top honor, the O.J. Hawkins Award for Innovative Leadership and Outstanding Contributions in Criminal Justice Information Systems, Policy, and Statistics.
The Member Emeritus status is an honorary position that is intended to acknowledge the service and contributions of longtime Members who have retired, while continuing to benefit from their insights and guidance.
Dr. Blumstein joins other SEARCH Members Emeriti: Dr. Charles M. Friel, Professor (ret.), College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, and Dr. Hugh M. Collins, Judicial Administrator (ret.), Louisiana Supreme Court. Another SEARCH Member Emeritus, Judge Thomas Stovall, 2nd Administrative Judicial Region, Texas, passed away in 2001.
The SEARCH Membership Group, the governing body of SEARCH, is comprised of one gubernatorial appointee from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories, as well as eight at-large appointees selected by SEARCH’s Chair. This national body of state-level professionals is widely representative of the various disciplines within the justice system, and many are responsible for operational decisions and policymaking concerning the management of criminal justice.