Ph.D., University at Albany of the State University of New York (2001, Criminal Justice)
M.A., University at Albany of the State University of New York (1994, Criminal Justice)
B.A., American University (1989, International Studies)
Jeff Mellow is Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, Deputy Director of the Corrections Lab at John Jay College, and on the faculty of the Criminal Justice Doctoral Program at the Graduate Center, CUNY. With over 20 years of experience in the field, he has dedicated his career to researching and improving correctional systems both in the United States and internationally. His research and technical assistance focus on correctional issues including reentry planning and reintegration, program evaluation, and critical incidents within jail and prisons. He has developed resources for practitioners, including co-author of the Transition from Jail to Community Online Learning Resource, a National Institute of Corrections micro-site, that identifies the key elements necessary to implement the TJC Model to facilitate and provide successful reentry at the community level.
Dr. Mellow has worked with a range of local, state, and federal agencies, including the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the US Department of Justice, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Bureau of Justice Assistance. and the City of New York Department of Probation. His international work spans across Latin America and the Caribbean, where he has conducted research and provided technical assistance on projects related to prison overcrowding, rule of law, and strategic planning. Notably, he has led a project aimed at reducing overcrowding in Salvadoran prisons, combining research, training, and technical assistance and was co-PI on a project that surveyed prisoners' perceptions and experiences regarding due process, the rule of law, and life in Guatemalan, Honduran, and Panamanian prisons.
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a commitment to improving correctional systems through research and technical solutions. His work has been recognized through over $8 million in external funding, supporting impactful projects that address critical challenges in the field of corrections. Dr. 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.
American Probation and Parole Association, American Society of Criminology, International Corrections and Prisons Association
- Limoncelli, Katherine, Jeff Mellow and Chongmin Na. (2019). Determinants of Inter-Country Prison Incarceration and Overcrowding in Latin America and the Caribbean. International Criminal Justice Review, 30: 10-29.
- Mellow, Jeff, Deborah Koetzle and Lidia Vasquez. (2019). Evaluación de Equipos Técnicos Criminológicos para Reducir el Hacinamiento en las Prisiones Salvadoreñas (Assessing Criminological Technical Teams to Reduce Overcrowding in Salvadoran Prisons). Revista de la Maestría en Administración Pública: Administración Pública y Políticas de Reinserción Social (special issue on public administration and reintegration policies)
- Mellow, Jeff and Kevin Barnes-Ceeney. (2017). Key Factors to Promote Successful Comprehensive Reentry Initiatives. Federal Probation, 81, 22-31.
- Peterson, Bryce, Adam Fera and Jeff Mellow. (2016). Escapes from Correctional Custody: A New Examination of an Old Phenomenon. The Prison Journal, 96, 511-533
- White, Michael D., Jessica Saunders, Christopher Fisher and Jeff Mellow. (2012). Exploring Inmate Reentry in a Local Jail Setting: Implications for Outreach, Service Use, and Recidivism. Crime and Delinquency, 58, 124-146.
- Mellow, Jeff, Gary Christensen, Kevin Warwick and Janeen Buck Willison. (2010). Transition from Jail to Community Online Learning Toolkit. Washington: National Institute of Corrections. 238 pages. Revised 2014 & 2015. Available at: https://info.nicic.gov/transition-jail-community
- Solomon, Amy, Jenny Osborne, Stefan LoBuglio, Jeff Mellow and Debbie Mukamal. (2008). Life After Lockup: Improving Reentry from Jail to the Community. Washington: Bureau of Justice Assistance. Available at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/220095.pdf
- Naday, Alexandra, Josh Freilich and Jeff Mellow. (2008). The Elusive Data on Supermax Confinement. The Prison Journal. 88, 1, 69-93