In Memoriam: Professor Jock Young

The following message was sent to the Graduate Center Community on November 20, 2013.

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share the sad news that William (Jock) Young, Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology, passed away on November 16, after a long illness. The Graduate Center and the Ph.D. programs in Criminal Justice and Sociology have lost a valued colleague and celebrated scholar. A native Briton, Jock was a criminal theorist of global influence; prior to joining the Graduate Center in 2004, Professor Young was head of the Centre for Criminology and Professor of Sociology at the University of Middlesex (UK).

Professor Young’s early work examined drug use in the UK, and created the intellectual concept of “moral panics,” a term now widely used.  The research, published as The Drugtakers: The Social Meaning of Drug Use (1971), established his credentials as a critical criminologist. His co-authored volume The New Criminology: For a Social Theory of Deviance (1973) remains a milestone in criminology literature.

His interest in the intersection of culture and criminology was reflected in his co-authorship of Cultural Criminology: An Invitation (2008), which was later awarded the Distinguished Book Award from the American Society of Criminology. Most recently, Professor Young completed a trilogy concerning social life and sociological research: The Exclusive Society (1999), The Vertigo of Late Modernity (2007) and The Criminological Imagination (2011). His writing has been translated into eleven languages, disseminating his scholarly contributions around the world.  Recognized for his achievements, Professor Young was honored by the American Society of Criminology (2008, 2009, and 2011), and received the 2012 Award for Outstanding Achievement from the British Society of Criminology. At the time, the British Journal of Criminology described him as a “leading light in radical criminology and the sociology of deviance.”

Professor Young taught classes at the GC up to his final weeks. We are both proud of and grateful for his many contributions to his field, to his students, and to the Graduate Center, and extend our heartfelt sympathy to his family, colleagues and students.

Kind regards,

Chase F. Robinson
Interim President
Graduate Center, City University of New York

John Jay Mourns the loss of Jock Young, Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology

The following post appeared on CUNY Newswire on November 19, 2013.
Dear Faculty Colleagues and John Jay Community,

I am very sad to inform you that Jock Young, Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 16, 2013. He is survived by his wife, our colleague Jayne Mooney, three sons Jesse, Joseph and Fintan, and step daughter Anny. Please keep them in your thoughts.  Jock’s lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the field of criminology was recognized most recently (2012) by the British Society of Criminology Outstanding Achievement Award.  He first came to international attention in 1973 with his book The New Criminology, and he continued to publish groundbreaking work until his death.  His newly published The Criminological Imagination was the concluding volume of a trilogy that also includes The Exclusive Society (1999) and the Vertigo of Late Modernity (2007).  This trilogy has been translated into eleven languages in fifteen countries, a tribute to his international prominence and the importance of critical criminology, a focus within criminology of which Jock was the undisputed leader.  He was a beloved member of our community, and he will be sorely missed.

Sincerely,

Jane P. Bowers
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
City University of New York