Areas of Expertise

• Jails
• Program evaluation
• Incarceration
• Prisoner reentry

Key Findings

• For criminals receiving their first prison sentence and parole violators being resentenced to prison, the therapeutic parole program Halfway Back in New Jersey was found to be a less expensive, intermediate-sanction alternative to incarceration. MORE
• The program was found to be associated with long-term crime reduction benefits and reduction in recidivism rates. MORE
• Contrary to popular perception, escapes from prison are typically not violent events. MORE
• More than 92% of all inmates are captured after they escape. MORE

Biography

Jeff Mellow, Professor of Criminal Justice at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is an expert in reentry, correctional programs and escapes.

Mellow is a project team member for the National Institute of Corrections funded Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) Initiative and co-author of The TJC Online Learning Toolkit. He has consulted with the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the City of New York Department of Probation. He has received several honors and awards from the City University of New York and the Graduate School and University Center.

He has been published in numerous academic journals, including The Prison Journal, American Journal of Public Health and Criminal Justice Policy Review.

Mellow received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany of the State University of New York and B.A. in International Studies at American University.