Prof. Lynch wins award for book on federal drug policy


Mona Lynch, professor of criminology, law and society, has been recognized with this year's Michael J. Hindelang award, which is awarded to the author of a recent book that makes an outstanding contribution to research in criminology.

Lynch's book "Hard Bargains: The Coercive Power of Drug Laws in Federal Court" is "an impressive addition to a rich tradition of court organizational research in criminology," the selection committee said.

"By focusing on prosecutorial and adjudication practices generating federally sentenced drug defendants, the book reveals this destructive federal legal power in action and makes a compelling argument that containing and redirecting these punitive forces will require more than just formal policy change or change to law on the books," the committee added.

A previous Hindelang winner, Geoff Ward, an associate professor criminology, law and society at the School of Social Ecology, nominated Lynch for the award.

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