Today@Sam Article

SHSU CJ Professor Receives National Award For Accomplishments In Training

Dec. 16, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

By Kim Foster

Mitchel P. Roth is receiving the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Superior Accomplishments in Training by the National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC). The award recognizes superior scholarship, leadership, accomplishments and service contributions by those who work in public safety issues, such as those posed by gangs.

Roth was selected for the award after receiving the highest rankings from reviews and evaluations from peers who participated in his training sessions at previous NGCRC conferences.

“It means a lot to receive this award,” Roth said. “The people that come to these sessions are on the ground doing investigations and fieldwork all over the country.”

The NGCRC is a leading organization in the field of gang research and training, publishing research through its scholarly publication, Journal of Gang Research, in addition to hosting its annual training conference.

In 2020, Roth was honored by the NGCRC for his accomplishments in gang research with the publications of his book, “Power on the Inside: A Global History of Prison Gangs” and article, “Chasing Ghosts: Searching for America’s First Prison Gang.”

“This award shows that Dr. Roth's work not only advances academic knowledge but also practical implications for the criminal justice field,” SHSU CJ Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology Chair Jason Ingram said. “He has been influential in developing training related to gangs and organized crime that has been well received by law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally.”

Roth will formally accept the award in August 2025 during the next NGCRC annual conference in Chicago, where he will also present on several topics including, “Confronting Prison Gangs in the U.S.A. and Abroad.”

“I provide a more global contextualization of prison gangs,” Roth said. “We compare methods of controlling them in prisons in the U.S. versus other countries around the world.”

Roth also says including historical perspectives when teaching provides important context.

“As an interdisciplinary scholar in history, criminal justice and criminology, it’s nice that historical research methods are now being recognized as valid,” he said. “I incorporate history to make it interesting in addition to data and statistics.”

For more information about Roth, visit his faculty bio page on the SHSU College of Criminal Justice website.

For more information on the National Gang Crime Research Center, visit their website, https://www.ngcrc.com/.

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