Edwin H. Sutherland

Sociologist Edwin H. Sutherland is widely regarded as one of the most influential criminologists of the 20th century and his work continues to shape many areas of the field. He is perhaps best known for advocating for the use of scientific methods to understand the practice of law, for developing a leading general theory of crime (differential association theory), and for defining the concept of white-collar crime.

While serving on the faculty at Indiana University (1935-1950), Sutherland chaired the Department of Sociology, renowned at the time for being a world leader in the study of criminology. He was also instrumental in founding the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, which later became our Department of Criminal Justice.