Barry Latzer

Barry Latzer (born 1945) is an American criminologist and emeritus professor of criminal justice at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.[1] He previously taught at the Graduate Center, CUNY. He also prosecuted and defended accused criminals while teaching both there and at John Jay.[2] In 2016, his book The Rise and Fall of Violent Crime in America was published by Encounter Books.[3][4] In 2021 The Roots of Violent Crime in America: From the Gilded Age through the Great Depression was published by LSU Press.[5] In 2022 his book The Myth of Overpunishment: A Defense of the American Justice System and a Proposal to Reduce Incarceration While Protecting the Public was published by Republic Book Publishers.[6] He is an expert on core curricula[7] and has lectured and written extensively on capital punishment[8][9][6][10] as well as state constitutional criminal procedure law.[11]

Latzer's work outside the university included service as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn (1985-1986), and as a member of the Indigent Defendants Appeals Panel in Manhattan (1987-1990).[12] He also served (2003-2005) as a Senior Consultant for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a higher education reform organization, where he managed projects involving core curricula.[13][14] Latzer was a member of the board of trustees of the National Association of Scholars from 2004 to 2017, and a co-founder and member of the executive committee of the CUNY Association of Scholars (1997-2003).[15]

Barry Latzer has also appeared numerous times on TV and podcasts being interviewed and discussing his books.[16][17][18]