Benedict Alper

Benedict Solomon Alper
Born(1905-06-28)June 28, 1905
Revere, Massachusetts, United States
Died1994
Education
  • Harvard College
  • Harvard Institute of Criminal Law
Occupations
  • Criminologist
  • Professor
Years active1933–1993
Employers
  • United Nations
  • Boston College
Known for
  • First chief of the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention Unit
  • Advocating alternatives to traditional punishment for juvenile offenders

Benedict Solomon Alper (28 June 1905 - 1994) was an American criminologist and chief of the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention Unit.[1]

Life

Alper was born in Revere, Massachusetts and attended Harvard College and the Harvard Institute of Criminal Law.[2] After completing his studies worked for Massachusetts Juvenile Court (1933-1935), Charlestown State Prison and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.[3] Alper also worked as a research director of the Massachusetts Child Council, the New York State Legislature's Committee on the Courts (1941) and the American Parole Association (1942).[2]

In 1943 Alper joined the United States Army and served in North Africa and Italy.[4]

Alper was the first chief of the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention Unit after its inception.[5] He was also a founding member of the United Nations Staff Association and its first president, until his dismissal in 1951 due to his objection to racial segregation in the UN blood drive.[6] His termination of the contract was one of the first brought before the Administrative Tribunal of the United Nations.[7]

Alper taught at The New School for Social Research and, from 1966 to 1993, was a professor at Boston College.[3] He was regarded as "a pioneer in advocating alternatives to traditional methods of punishment for juvenile offenders" and served as a member of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and the Massachusetts Governor's Committee on Law Enforcement, Correctional Planning, Violence and Crime.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Alper, Benedict Solomon, 1905-". Boston College Libraries.
  2. ^ a b c "Benedict Solomon Alper papers". Boston College Libraries.
  3. ^ a b "Benedict S. Alper (1906-1994)" (PDF). American Sociological Association.
  4. ^ "Love and Politics in Wartime: Letters to My Wife, 1943-45". waterstones.com.
  5. ^ "Benedict S. Alper". Tulsa World.
  6. ^ "Alper, Benedict Solomon, 1905-BENEDICT S. ALPER". Orlando Sentinel.
  7. ^ "Judgement No. 8" (PDF). un.org.