University of North Carolina, A.B.
Yale University, LL.B.
Professor Michael Tonry specializes in criminal law. He teaches courses in criminal law, jurisprudence, and comparative law. In 1990, he was named the Marvin J. Sonosky Chair of Law and Public Policy. From 1999 to 2004 he was also Professor of Law and Public Policy and director of The Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University. Since 2001, he has been a visiting professor at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He has also been a senior fellow of The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Leiden, since 2003.
Professor Tonry received his A.B. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and his LL.B. from Yale. He practiced law with Dechert, Price & Rhoads in Philadelphia and with Sonnenschein, Carlin & Nath in Chicago, specializing in corporate and real estate finance. Before joining the Minnesota faculty in 1990, he held academic posts at the University of Chicago; the University of Birmingham, England; and the University of Maryland.
In 1983, he moved to Maine to practice law, direct the Castine Research Corporation, a non-profit corporation created to receive government and foundation grants to support research and scholarship, and edit The Castine Patriot, a weekly rural newspaper. He founded and, from 1987 to 1990, directed the MacArthur Foundation-United States Department of Justice Program on Human Development & Criminal Behavior. During 1994-95, he was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University. He has at various times held visiting posts at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands; the University of Lausanne, Switzerland; and The Max Planck Institute on Comparative and International Criminal Law, Freiburg. He edits Crime and Justice - A Review of Research, the Oxford University Press series Studies in Crime and Public Policy, the Oxford University Press Oxford Handbooks on Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Criminology in Europe.
For more information, please read Professor Tonry's CV by clicking here.
The Oxford Handbook of Crime and Public Policy (Oxford University Press, forthcoming March 2009); editor.
Crime, Punishment, and Politics in Comparative Perspective (University of Chicago Press 2007).
Crime and Justice in the Netherlands (University of Chicago Press 2007); editor with Catrien Bijleveld.
Crime and Punishment in Western Countries, 1980-99 (University of Chicago Press 2006); editor with David P. Farrington.
Punishment and Politics: Evidence and Emulation in the Making of English Crime Control Policy (Willan 2004).
The Future of Imprisonment (Oxford University Press 2004); editor.
Thinking about Crime: Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Culture (Oxford University Press 2004).
Cross-national Studies of Crime and Justice (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics 2004); editor with David P. Farrington and Patrick Langan.
Youth Crime and Youth Justice: Comparative and Cross-national Perspectives (University of Chicago Press 2004); editor with Anthony Doob.
Confronting Crime: Crime Control under New Labour (Willan 2003); editor.
Ideology, Crime and Criminal Justice: A Symposium in Honour of Sir Leon Radzinowicz (Willan 2002); co-editor with Anthony E. Bottoms.
Reform and Punishment: The Future of Sentencing (Willan 2002); co-editor with Susan A. Rex.
Penal Reform in Overcrowded Times (Oxford University Press 2001); editor.
Sentencing & Sanctions in Western Countries (Oxford University Press 2000) editor with Richard S. Frase.
Prisons (UCP 1999); editor with Joan Petersilia.
The Handbook of Crime and Punishment (OUP 1998); editor
Youth Violence (ed. with Mark H. Moore, 1998).
Crime and Justice-A Review of Research, Volumes 1-27 (1979-2000) (editor).
Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration-Comparative and Cross-national Perspectives (1997) (editor).
Sentencing Reform in Overcrowded Times-A Comparative Perspective (1997) (edited with Kathleen Hatlestad).
Intermediate Sanctions in Sentencing Guidelines (1997).
Sentencing Matters (1996).
Building a Safer Society (1995) (edited with David P. Farrington).
Malign Neglect-Race, Crime, and Punishment in America (1995).
Intermediate Sanctions in Overcrowded Times (1995) (with K. Hamilton).
Communities and Crime (1994) (edited with A.J. Reiss, Jr.).
Beyond the Law: Crime in Complex Organizations (1993) (edited with A.J. Reiss, Jr.).
Crime and Justice-A Review of Research (1979-95) (editor vols. 1-20).
Organizational Crime (1993) (edited with A.J. Reiss, Jr.).
Modern Policing (1992) (edited with Norval Morris).
Human Development and Criminal Behavior (1991) (with David P. Farrington & Lloyd E. Ohlin).
Between Prison and Probation-Intermediate Punishments in a Rational Sentencing System (1990) (with Norval Morris).
Drugs and Crime (1990) (edited with J. Wilson).
Family Violence (1989) (edited with Lloyd E. Ohlin).
Intermediate Sanctions (1988) (with R. Will).
Managing Appeals in Federal Courts (1988) (with R. Katzmann).
Prediction and Classification (1987) (edited with D. Gottfredson).
Sentencing Reform Impacts (1987).
Drugs and Crime: Workshop Proceedings (1987) (edited with Norval Morris & J. Roth).
The Sentencing Commission-Guidelines for Criminal Sanctions (1987) (with A. Hirsch & K. Knapp).
Communities and Crime (1986) (edited with A.J. Reiss, Jr.).
Hypnotically Refreshed Testimony: Enhanced Memory or Tampering with the Evidence? (1985) (with M. Orne, et al.).
Reform and Punishment-Essays on Criminal Sentencing (1983) (edited with F. Zimring).
Research on Sentencing: The Search for Reform (1983) (edited with A. Blumstein, J. Cohen & S. Martin).
Transfer Between Courts, a volume of Juvenile Justice Standards Project (1977) (editor).
Articles
"Rebalancing the Criminal Justice System in Favour of the Victim: Victims’ Programmes, Policies, and Politics in England and Wales," in Punishment, Restoration, and Victims, edited by Anthony E. Bottoms and Julian Roberts (Willan forthcoming 2009).
"Explaining American Penal Policies," Punishment and Society (2009 forthcoming).
"Crime and Public Policy," in The Oxford Handbook of Crime and Public Policy, edited by Michael Tonry (Oxford University Press 2009 forthcoming).
"Antisocial Behavior" (with Harriet Bildsten), in The Oxford Handbook of Crime and Public Policy, edited by Michael Tonry (Oxford University Press 2009 forthcoming).
"The Untold Story of America’s First Sentencing Commission," in Federal Sentencing Commission (forthcoming 2008).
"Crime and Human Rights: How Political Paranoia, Protestant Fundamentalism, and Constitutional Obsolescence Combined to Devastate Black America," Criminology 46:1-33 (2008).
"The Malign Effects of Drugs and Crime Control Policies on Black Americans," (with Matthew Melewski), in Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, vol. 37, edited by Michael Tonry (University of Chicago Press 2008).
"Learning from the Limitations of Deterrence Research," in Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, vol. 37, edited by Michael Tonry (University of Chicago Press 2008).
"Onderzoek naar afschrikking: de noodzaak om klein te denken als we iets nieuws willen leren," in Justitiële Verkenningen 34(2):98-117 (2008).
"Why are American Penal Policies so Harsh?," in Japanese Journal of Sociological Criminology33:11-28. (2008).
"Why Have Dutch Penal Policies and Practices become More Punitive?" in Peter J. Tak—Festschrift, edited by Ybo Buruma. (Wolf Publishing 2008).
"Foreword," in When Children Kill: Penal Populism and Political Culture, by David A. Green (Oxford University Press 2007).
Preface, in Legitimacy and Criminal Justice—International Perspectives, edited by Tom R. Tyler (Russell Sage Foundation 2007).
"Sentencing in South Africa," in Sentencing in South Africa (Open Society Foundation of South Africa 2007).
"Penal Policy, Political Culture, and Constitutional Obsolescence," in Penal Policy: Justice Reform and Social Exclusion, edited by Kauko Aromaa (European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, Helsinki 2007).
"Crime Does Not Cause Punishment: The Impact of Sentencing Policy on Levels of Crime," South African Crime Quarterly 20:13-20 (June 2007).
"Determinants of Penal Policies," in Crime, Punishment, and Politics in Comparative Perspective, edited by Michael Tonry (University of Chicago Press 2007).
"Crime, Criminal Justice, and Criminology in the Netherlands" (with Catrien Bijleveld), in Crime and Justice in the Netherlands, edited by Michael Tonry and Catrien Bijleveld (University of Chicago Press 2007).
"Looking Back to See the Future of Punishment in America," Social Research 74(2): 353-78 (2007).
"Polityka Karna, Kultura Polityczna, A Zasady Konstytcyyjnet" (Penal Policy, Political Culture, and Constitutional Obsolescence), Archiwum Kriminologii (Polish Archives of Criminology) 27:95-110 (2007).
"Treating Juveniles as Adult Criminals: An Iatrogenic Violence Prevention Strategy if Ever There Was One," American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2007).
"Purposes and Functions of Sentencing," Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, Volume 34, edited by Michael Tonry (University of Chicago Press 2006).
"¿Debe México armonizar su sistema punitivo de Derecho Penal?" in Hacia la unificación del Derecho Penal, edited by Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Penales and Instituto Max Planck para el Derecho Penal Extranjero e Internacional. Logros y deafíos de la armonización y homologación en México y en el mundo (Mexico City: INACIPE 2006).
"Successful Transition and Reentry for Safer Communities: A Call to Action for Parole," with Peggy Burke (Council of State Governments 2006).
"Criminology, Mandatory Minimums, and Public Policy," Criminology and Public Policy 5(1):45-56 (2006).
"The Prospects for Institutionalization of Restorative Justice Initiatives in Western Countries," in Institutionalizing Restorative Justice, edited by Ivo Aertsen, Tom Daems, and Luc Robert (Willan 2006).
"Punishment and Crime Across Space and Time" (with David P. Farrington), in Crime and Punishment in Western Countries, 1980-1999, edited by Michael Tonry and David P. Farrington (Chicago 2006).
"Cross-national Measures of Punitiveness" (with Alfred Blumstein and Asheley van Ness), in Crime and Punishment in Western Countries, 1980-1999, edited by Michael Tonry and David P. Farrington (Chicago 2006).
"Obsolescence and Immanence in Penal Theory and Policy," Columbia Law Review (2005) 105:1233-75.
"The Functions of Sentencing and Sentencing Reform," Stanford Law Review 58:37-66 (2005).
"Should Mexico Harmonize its Substantive Criminal Law and Sanctions Systems?" in Harmonization of Criminal Law, edited by Jan-Michael Simon, Ulrich Sieber, and Hans-Jörg Albrecht (Max Planck Institute 2005).
"The Prospects for Institutionalization of Restorative Justice Initiatives in Western Countries." in Institutionalizing Restorative Justice, edited by Ivo Aertsen, Tom Daems, and Luc Robert (Willan 2005).
"Why Are Europe's Crime Rates Falling?" Criminology in Europe 5:1, 8-11 (2005)
"Why Aren't German Penal Policies Harsher and Imprisonment Rates Higher?" German Law Review (2004) 5:1187-1206.
"Has the Prison a Future?" in The Future of Imprisonment, edited by Michael Tonry (Oxford University Press 2004).
"Crime," in Handbook of Social Problems, edited by George Ritzer (Sage 2004).
"Criminology and Criminal Justice Research in Europe," in Developments in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research, edited by Gerben Bruinsma, Henk Elffers, and Jan de Keijser (Willan 2004).
"Cambridge Institute of Criminology," Criminology in Europe 3:1, 20-22 (2004).
"Varieties of Youth Justice," (with Anthony Doob), in Youth Crime and Youth Justice, edited by Michael Tonry and Anthony Doob (Chicago 2004).
"Evidence, Elections and Ideology in the Making of Criminal Justice Policy," in Confronting Crime: Crime Control under New Labour, edited by Michael Tonry (Willan 2003).
"Is Sentencing in England and Wales Institutionally Racist?" (with Amanda Matravers), in Confronting Crime: Crime Control under New Labour, edited by Michael Tonry (Willan 2003).
"Reducing the Prison Population," in Confronting Crime: Crime Control under New Labour, edited by Michael Tonry (Willan 2003).
"Criminology and Public Policy in the US and UK" (with David A. Green), in The Criminological Foundations of Penal Policy, edited by Andrew Ashworth and Lucia Zedner (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2003).
"The Death Penalty in the United States," in Zwischen Mediation und Lebenslang - Neue Wege in der Kriminalitätsbekämpfurg, edited by Volker Dittmar, André Kuhn, Renie Maag, and Hans Wiprächtiger (Chur/Zurich: Verlag Rüegger 2002).
"Setting Sentencing Policy through Guidelines," in Reform and Punishment: The Future of Sentencing, edited by Sue A Rex and Michael Tonry (Willan 2002).
"Reconsidering Sentencing and Punishment In England and Wales" (with Sue A Rex), in Reform and Punishment: The Future of Sentencing, edited by Sue A Rex and Michael Tonry (Willan 2002).
"Transnational" "Organized" "Crime," in The Containment of Transnational Organized Crime, edited by Hans-Jörg Albrecht and Cyrille Fijnault, (Freiburg: Max-Planck-Institute 2002).
"Community Penalties in the United States," in Community Sanctions and Measures in Europe and North America, edited by Hans-Jörg Albrecht and Anton van Kalmthout. (Freiburg, Germany: Max-Planck Institute 2002).
"Foreword" to Sentencing and Society: International Perspectives, edited by Neil Hutton and Cyrus Tata (Ashgate 2002)
"Symbol, Substance, and Severity in Western Penal Policies," Punishment and Society (2001) 3(4):517-36.
"Punishment Policies and Politics in America", in Invitation to Corrections (2001).
Unthought Thoughts B the Influences of Changing Sensibilities on Penal Policies, 3 Punishment & Soc. 167 (2001) reprinted in Mass Imprisonment: Social Causes and Consequences (David Garland ed.).
"Prisons and Imprisonment", in The International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Neil J Smelser and Paul B. Baltes eds., 2001).
"Penal Policy at the Beginning of the 21st Century", in Penal Reform in Overcrowded Times (Michael Tonry ed., 2001).
"Fragmentation of Sentencing and Corrections in America", in Penal Reform in Overcrowded Times (Michael Tonry ed., 2001).
"Punishment Policies and Patterns in Western Countries", in Sentencing and Sanctions in Western Countries (ed. with Richard S. Frase, 2000).
"Prison", in World Book Year Book 2000 (2000).
Parochialism in American Sentencing Policy, 45 Crime & Delinq. 48 (1999).
"Community Penalties in the United States", in Probation in the Future, (Anton van Kalmthout & Hans-Jörg Albrecht eds., 1999).
"Prison", in World Book Year Book 1999 (1999).
"Transfer of Criminal Justice Policies across National Boundaries", in A Festschrift in Honor of Gunther Kaiser (Hans-Jörg Albrecht ed., 1999).
A Comparative Perspective on Minority Groups, Crime, and Criminal Justice, 6 Eur. J. on Crime, Crim. L., & Crim. Just. 60 (1998).
"Youth Violence in America", in Youth Violence (Michael Tonry & Mark H. Moore eds., 1998) (with Mark H. Moore).
"Intermediate Sanctions", in The Handbook of Crime and Punishment (Michael Tonry ed., 1998).
"Crime and Punishment in America", in The Handbook of Crime and Punishment (Michael Tonry ed., 1998).
"Interactions between Immigration and Crime Control Policies in the United States", in Detention of Illegal Aliens (Anton von Kalmthout & Hans-Jörg Albrecht eds., 1998) (with Leena Kurki).
"Building Better Policies on Better Knowledge", in The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society (U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1998).
"Interchangeability, Desert Limits, and Equivalence of Function", in Principled Sentencing: Readings in Theory and Practice (Andrew von Hirsch & Andrew Ashworth eds., 1998).
Building Safer Societies: Crime Prevention in Developed Countries, 5 Eur. J. on Crim. Pol'y & Res. 49 (1997).
President Clinton, Mandatory Minimums, and Disaffirmative Action, 12 Tikkun 71 (1997).
Forfeiture Laws, Practices, and Controversies in the U.S., 5 Eur. J. Crim. L., Crim. Just. & Criminology 294 (1997).
"Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration", in Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration-Comparative and Cross-National Perspectives (Michael Tonry ed., 1997).
"Gender, Race and Sentencing", in Crime and Justice, Volume 22 (1997) (with Kathleen Daly) at 201.
Gewinnabschöpfung in den USA, Möglichkeiten der Gewinnabschöpfung zur Bekämpfung der Organisierten Kriminalität (1996) (edited by Michael Kilchling; Freiburg, Germany: Max Planck).
"Prison", World Book Year Book 1997 (1997).
"The Effects of the American War on Drugs on Black Americans, 1980-96", European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research (1996), 4(2):36.
"Controlling Prison Population Size", European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research (1996), 4(3):26.
Twenty Years of Sentencing Reform, 78 Judicature 169 (1995).
"Ethnicity, Crime and Immigration", Ethnicity, Crime and Integration-Comparative and Cross-National Perspectives 1 (1997) (editor).
Intermediate Sanctions, 20 Crime and Jus. 99 (1996) (with Mary Lynch).
"Prison", World Book Year Book 1996 (1996).
Between Prison and Probation: The Development of Intermediate Sanctions in Western Countries or Be Careful What You Ask for in Community Corrections Programs Because You Might Get It, the Sixth Eva Saville Memorial Lecture, London: Institute for the Study and Treatment of Delinquency (June 1995).
"Law and Crime Prevention", Integrating Crime Prevention Strategies, at 69 (1995) (edited by P. Wikstrom).
Intermediate Sanctions in Sentencing Reform, 2 U. Chi. L. School Roundtable 391 (1995).
"Strategic Approaches to Crime Prevention", Building a Safer Society (1995) (edited with David P. Farrington).
"The Rockefeller Drug Laws and Mandatory Sentencing", Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol (1995) (edited by G. Jaffe).
"Sentencing Reform Across National Boundaries", The Politics of Sentencing Reform (1995) (edited by C. Clarkson & R. Morgan).
Sentencing Reforms and Racial Disparities, 78 Judicature 118 (1994).
"Special Report on New Proposals for Fighting Crime in America, Prisons and Crime", World Book Yearbook 1995 (1995).
Racial Politics, Racial Disparities, and the War on Crime, 40 Crime & Delinq. 475 (1994).
Racial Disparities in Courts and Prisons, Crim. Behav. & Mental Health 158 (1994).
Race and the War on Drugs, 1994 U. Chi. Legal F. 25.
"Prisons", World Book Yearbook 1994 (1994).
"Proportionality, Parsimony, and Interchangeability of Punishments", Penal Theory and Penal Practice (1994) (edited by R. Dobash, R. Duff & S. Marshall).
The Success of Judge Frankel's Sentencing Commission, 67 U. Co. L. Rev. 713 (1993).
"Racial Disproportion in U. S. Prisons", British Journal of Criminology (Special issue on Prisons, 1994).
"Organizational Crime", Beyond the Law 1-11 (1993) (edited with A.J. Reiss, Jr.).
Sentencing Commissions and Their Guidelines, 17 Crime and Justice 137 (1993).
Foreword, Discretion in Criminal Justice (1993) (edited by Lloyd E. Ohlin & F. Remington).
The Failure of the U.S. Sentencing Commission's Guidelines, 39 Crime & Delinq. 131 (1993).
"Special Report on the Growing U.S. Prison Population", World Book Yearbook 1993 (1993).
"The Rockefeller Drug Laws", Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol (1993) (edited by G. Jaffe).
"Mandatory Sentencing", Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol (1993) (edited by G. Jaffe).
GAO Report Confirms Failures of U.S. Sentencing Commission's Guidelines, 4 Fed. Sentencing Rep. 144 (1992).
"Prediction and Classification: Legal and Ethical Issues", Prediction and Classification 367 (1989) (edited with D. Gottfredson).
"Sentencing Commissions and Sentencing Guidelines-The Second Generation", Sentencing Reform in England: Guidance or Guidelines 22 (1987) (edited by K. Pease & M. Wasik).
"Enforcing Sentencing Guidelines: Plea Bargaining and Review Mechanisms", The Sentencing Commission (1987) (with Coffee).
"A Survey of Sentencing Guidelines and Their Effects", The Sentencing Commission (1987).
"Blacks, Crime Rates, and Prisons", The Pursuit of Criminal Justice (1984) (with Morris) (edited by G. Hawkins & F. Zimring).
A Critical Review of Impact Evaluations of Sentencing Innovations, 2 Research on Sentencing 305 (1983) (with Cohen).
"Hard Choices", Reform and Punishment 155 (1983) (edited with F. Zimring).
The Allocation of Sentencing Authority in the United States, 4 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice 1432 (1983) (edited by S. Kadish).
Sentencing Councils, 4 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice 1483 (1983) (edited by S. Kadish).
Jury Sentencing, 4 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice 1465 (1983) (edited by S. Kadish).
Recent Trends in American Criminal Sentencing Theory, 42 Md. L. Rev. 1 (1983).
Criminal Law-The Missing Element in Sentencing Reform, 35 Vand. L. Rev. 607 (1982).
More Sentencing Reform in America, 1982 Crim. L. Rev. 157 (1982).
Professional Mediation Services for Prisoners' Complaints, 67 A.B.A. J. 294 (1981) (with Reynolds).
Real Offense Sentencing-The Model Sentencing and Corrections Act, 72 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 1550 (1981).
"Does Parole Work?", Baltimore Sun, Dec. 19, 1981, at 32.
Deinstitutionalization of Corrections and Its Implications for the Residual Prisoners (U.S. Department of Justice: Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders 1980).
The Sentencing Commission, Sentencing Reform, 7 Hofstra L. Rev. 315 (1979).
"Sentencing Reform in America", Reshaping the Criminal Law-A Festschrift in Honor of Glanville Williams 434 (1978) (with Morris) (edited by P. Glazebook).
Introduction, Transfer Between Courts (1977).
"Juvenile Justice and the National Crime Commissions", Pursuing Justice for the Child 281 (1976) (edited by M. Rosenheim).
Book Reviews
82 Yale L. J. 1736 (1973) (reviewing Canadian Commission of Inquiry Into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, Cannabis: A Report of the Commission of Inquiry Into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (1972) and U.S. National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, Marihuana-A Signal of Misunderstanding (1972)).
