E-mail this pageSociology Faculty - Dr. Robert Weiss
Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Professor Weiss' professional career in criminal justice education began in 1969, immediately after college graduation, when he began a three-year stint teaching English and Philosophy at The Field's High School, Ohio State Reformatory (a gothic-looking 19th century prison that was the setting for the film, "Shawshank Redemption"). Although this job was one of expediency (it rendered a "critical skill" occupational deferment from military service in Vietnam), it inspired Dr. Weiss to pursue graduate education at Xavier University (Cincinnati) and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (S.I.U.). Graduating in 1980 with a Ph.D. in sociology from S.I.U., Dr. Weiss first taught at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (where he headed the Texas Department of Corrections Ramsey Unit College Prison Program) until 1984, when he moved to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (teaching in the General College and at the college program extension at Stillwater Penitentiary). In 1994, he was selected to serve on the Board of Directors for a prisoner-operated educational corporation at Stillwater, Minnesota. Professor Weiss has been at Plattsburgh since 1985.
Dr. Weiss has edited two scholarly books, several special issue journals for Social Justice, and authored numerous refereed academic articles on prison history, the historical evolution of private policing, and prison industry. His pastime activities include writing critical letters to the editor of major newspapers on criminal justice topics, over a dozen of which have been published in The Wall Street Journal , New York Times , Houston Chronicle, and USA Today.
Education
- Ph.D., Sociology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1980
- M.A. in Corrections, from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1972
- B.A. in History, fromr Ohio State University, Columbus, 1969
Teaching Areas
- Sociology of punishment and corrections
- Sociology of social problems and public policy
- Topical seminars
Research Areas
- Social history of private policing
- The history of imprisonment
- Comparative prison systems
Recent Publications
- "From Anti-colonialism to Neocolonialism: A Brief Political-Economic History of Transnational Concern About Corrections," in Philip Reichel (ed). The Handbook of International Crime and Justice (Sage Publications, 2004).
- "Privatization of labor," "Labor," and "Hard Labor," Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities, edited by Mary Bosworth (Sage Publications, in press).
- "'Repatriating' Low-Wage Jobs: The Political Economy of Prison Labor Reprivatization in Postindustrial U.S." in Criminology, Vol. 39 No. 2 (May 2001).
- "Charitable Choice as Neoliberal Social Welfare Strategy," Social Justice, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Spr. 2001).
Contact Dr. Robert Weiss
Office: Redcay Hall 235
Phone: (518) 564-3308
E-mail: robert.weiss@plattsburgh.edu