In Memoriam: Arnold Binder

Photo of Arnold Binder

In Memoriam: Arnold Binder

Arnold Binder, inaugural chair of the Department of Criminology, Law & Society at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and founder of the Social Ecology program, died Oct. 2. He was 97.

After receiving his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University, Arnie joined the faculty at UCI in 1966 after stints at Indiana University and New York University.

As the first director of the Social Ecology program, he oversaw its development and growth. Binder founded the program to provide direct interaction between the intellectual life of the university and recurring problems of the social and physical environment. Begun with a handful of professors as “an experiment,” decades later it remains a thriving school with 80 faculty across three departments. Its interdisciplinary roots have since been emulated both nationally and worldwide. Arnie championed the hiring of female faculty which saw Social Ecology with the highest proportion of women of any academic unit on campus as early as the 1970s. He oversaw the hiring of first-rate scholars including Gilbert Geis, C. Ron Huff, Joseph Weiss, Robert Meier, Peter Scharf, Henry Pontell, Kitty Calavita, and Joan Petersilia.

In 1992, the UC Regents recognized Social Ecology as a school at UCI, and Binder served as the initial chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society during its first year of operation. In 1998, he helped secure the initial grant leading to the creation of first online degree program at the University of California, the MAS in criminology, law and society, which has repeatedly been ranked #1 in the nation.

In 1972, Binder founded and initially led the Youth Service Program (later Community Service Programs and now Waymakers), an intervention project providing counseling, housing and other services for delinquent youth and their families.  

Binder is known for his work on juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, mathematical psychology, research methodology, policing, and hate crimes, among other areas. He wrote several books, including “Juvenile Delinquency: Historical, Cultural, Legal Perspectives, and “The Badge and the Bullet: Police Use of Deadly Force.

Binder is survived by his wife of 51 years Virginia; children Andrea, Jeff and Jennifer; and grandchildren Julia, Clare, Elliott and Damien.

No memorial services are planned, but notes may be sent to: Virginia Binder, 100 Timber Ridge Way NW, Unit 620, Issaquah, WA 98027. Donations in Binder’s honor may be made to Waymakers or Carry the Future, an organization Capasso leads that helps refugees.

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