Frank Tannenbaum

Book excerpt: Frank Tannenbaum and the Making of a Convict Criminologist is a historical biography about Columbia University professor Frank Tannenbaum and his contribution to American criminology. Tannenbaum was a major figure in criminology in the early twentieth century, and is known for his contributions to labeling theory, particularly his conception of the "dramatization of evil" presented in his 1938 book, Crime and Community. Tannenbaum served a year on Blackwell’s Island in New York City for labor disturbances in 1914 and subsequently became a prison reformer, writing about his experiences with the American penal system and serving as the official reporter for the Wickersham Commission’s study on Penal Institutions, Probation, and Parole in 1931. This book explores his unique early career, and his influence on convict criminology, drawing on his personal papers housed at the Butler Library at Columbia University.