ASU criminal justice professor receives outstanding alumni scholar award

ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice professor Michael Reisig received the 2016 Outstanding Graduate Alumni Scholar award from Washington State University's Criminal Justice and Criminology Department. Reisig received his master’s degree from Washington State in 1992 and his doctorate in 1996.  

"I am deeply honored to receive this award,” said Reisig. "Being placed in the company of prior honorees, Nancy Rodriguez and Jihong ‘Solomon' Zhao, is very humbling.”

Rodriguez, a professor in the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, is currently serving as the director of the National Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C. Zhao is a criminal justice professor at Sam Houston State University.

Reisig, his wife Kristy Holtfreter, and their children were honored guests at a college event attended by more than 200 people on the Pullman campus. He delivered the Alumni Scholar Keynote Lecture, speaking about his long-term research on procedural justice and its application to policing in the US and abroad.  

"For the academics and practitioners alike, the presentation was captivating,” said Nick Lovrich, a Regent's Professor emeritus at Washington State’s School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs. “And for the doctoral student, MA students, and undergraduates present, he set a high standard for them to follow in their studies and future work.”

The visit back to Wazzu, as the school is called by alumni, was gratifying for Reisig.

"I enjoyed returning to Pullman,” Reisig said. "It was fun visiting with old friends and making several new friends too.”

Besides policing, Reisig is a recognized expert in the areas of corrections and victimization. He is a co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Police and Policing and co-author of the textbook American Corrections. Reisig is a member of both the National Crime Victimization Technical Review Panel and The Fraud Taxonomy Working Group. 

Reisig previously received the 2005 Outstanding Alumni Award from Pittsburg State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degrees in sociology and psychology.