David Olson
David Olson appointed Board Chair of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
Olson, Professor of Criminal Justice, appointed to lead 25-member board by Governor J.B. Pritzker
David Olson, PhD, Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology and the co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice within the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, has been appointed as Board Chair of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). Olson was appointed by J.B. Pritzker, Governor of the State of Illinois, and his appointment was confirmed by the Illinois Senate.
“Congratulations to Dr. Olson on his appointment to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago. “This honor is a testament to Dr. Olson’s leadership and expertise in criminal justice and his admirable dedication to his community through research, scholarship, and advocacy.”
The ICJIA is a state agency composed of key leaders from the justice system and the public that is dedicated to identifying issues faced by the Illinois criminal justice system, evaluating policies, programs, and legislation that impact criminal justice, and seeking ways to ensure that criminal justice administration is efficient, effective, and equitable.
The Board’s 25 members – a mix of state and local leaders in the criminal justice, public health, and child welfare communities, and experts from the private sector – are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Illinois Senate to serve four-year terms, and can be reappointed.
“A unique aspect of the ICJIA is that its Board takes a wholistic approach to the grants it provides to state and local agencies and organizations, and the research and planning in which it engages,” explained Olson.
“The work of the ICJIA —its grantmaking, research, and planning— is not focused on one specific component of the justice system or one specific crime issue but, rather, recognizes the interrelationship of agencies, organizations and issues."
Although Olson was originally appointed to the ICJIA Board in 2018, his history with the ICJIA began 36 years ago when he was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago himself.
In 1987, Olson was a senior, studying criminal justice and criminology. His faculty mentor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Dr. Gad Bensinger, recommended that Olson do an internship with the ICJIA.
“By making the connection for me to intern at the ICJIA, he set me on a career trajectory that has been fulfilling, rewarding, and impactful,” Olson said.
Olson began at ICJIA as an undergraduate student in 1988 and was later promoted to a full-time position. He went on to pursue his MA and PhD while at the ICJIA. In 1998, Olson joined the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Loyola but continued to work closely with the ICJIA.
“The most unique qualities I bring to the position are my long relationship and familiarity with the agency’s work, having worked there for nearly 20 years,” said Olson. “In addition, my research has always been focused on Illinois. I am intimately familiar with the state and the crime and justice issues faced across such a diverse state.”
Olson was a driving force behind the founding of the Center for Criminal Justice (CCJ). As co-director alongside Don Stemen, Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, a full-time staff of three, and nearly a dozen current students, Olson has worked to advance CCJ’s mission: to promote fair, informed, effective and ethical approaches to criminal justice policy and practice through collaborative interdisciplinary research and evaluation, and targeted projects designed to bring about systemic improvements in the criminal justice system.
The CCJ has been an integral partner for providing legislators, government agencies, and other practitioners with the research and analysis needed to evaluate the effectiveness of criminal justice reforms. Most notably, Olson and the CCJ emerged as voices of reason in a heated debate over cash bail abolition with the passage of Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, which took effect in September of 2023.
“We, as faculty, always hope that our research and teaching leads to better lives, and a fairer and more just world. We also hope that our research gets absorbed and used by those who can create change for the better,” said Olson. “Publishing research in peer-reviewed journals is critical to develop, advance, and disseminate knowledge. But, ultimately, it needs to be communicated and accessible to practitioners and policy to truly have an impact.”
Olson’s two roles will not only complement his personal work, but it will also help to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners and ensure objective research is used to guide criminal justice policy and programs in Illinois.
“By engaging with practitioners and policy makers regularly to understand the types of questions they are asking, I can ensure that the research we do is addressing that need,” he explained. “I see firsthand how policies and practices change for the better as a result of our research."
While Olson’s “day job” remains with Loyola, as Chair of the ICJIA, Olson will advance his mission of sound, objective research being used to guide criminal justice policy and programs and will collaborate with the ICJIA’s 25-member Board to set agency priorities, track the progress of ongoing programs, and monitor the agency’s budget.
“I hope to be able to provide my support, assistance and guidance to ensure that the ICJIA continues its excellent service to the people of Illinois, and to criminal justice practitioners and policy makers throughout the State,” said Olson. “As I have always done, I will advocate for the agency and its staff, and make sure everyone knows of the critical role it plays in Illinois, despite the fact that many people are unaware of what the agency does or the critical role that it plays."
Olson will also work closely with the Agency leadership, including the Executive Director, the General Counsel, and the heads of the Research and Analysis Unit and the Federal & State Grants Unit.
This year, the ICJIA will oversee and allocate, with the 25-member Board’s direction and approval, more than $600 million in federal and state grants for crime prevention and system improvement programs.
“My Loyola education, faculty mentors, and academic career certainly prepared me to ‘lead an extraordinary life!’” said Olson as he reflected on the incredible, 35-year journey from, first, interning as an undergraduate student, to ultimately being appointed as Chair by the Governor of Illinois.
“I appreciate that Loyola has supported me and values faculty playing these kinds of roles to ensure the policies and practices of government benefit from the input of researchers and scholars.”
Learn more about Olson, the Center for Criminal Justice, and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”
Olson, Professor of Criminal Justice, appointed to lead 25-member board by Governor J.B. Pritzker
David Olson, PhD, Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology and the co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice within the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, has been appointed as Board Chair of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). Olson was appointed by J.B. Pritzker, Governor of the State of Illinois, and his appointment was confirmed by the Illinois Senate.
“Congratulations to Dr. Olson on his appointment to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago. “This honor is a testament to Dr. Olson’s leadership and expertise in criminal justice and his admirable dedication to his community through research, scholarship, and advocacy.”
The ICJIA is a state agency composed of key leaders from the justice system and the public that is dedicated to identifying issues faced by the Illinois criminal justice system, evaluating policies, programs, and legislation that impact criminal justice, and seeking ways to ensure that criminal justice administration is efficient, effective, and equitable.
The Board’s 25 members – a mix of state and local leaders in the criminal justice, public health, and child welfare communities, and experts from the private sector – are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Illinois Senate to serve four-year terms, and can be reappointed.
“A unique aspect of the ICJIA is that its Board takes a wholistic approach to the grants it provides to state and local agencies and organizations, and the research and planning in which it engages,” explained Olson.
“The work of the ICJIA —its grantmaking, research, and planning— is not focused on one specific component of the justice system or one specific crime issue but, rather, recognizes the interrelationship of agencies, organizations and issues."
Although Olson was originally appointed to the ICJIA Board in 2018, his history with the ICJIA began 36 years ago when he was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago himself.
In 1987, Olson was a senior, studying criminal justice and criminology. His faculty mentor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Dr. Gad Bensinger, recommended that Olson do an internship with the ICJIA.
“By making the connection for me to intern at the ICJIA, he set me on a career trajectory that has been fulfilling, rewarding, and impactful,” Olson said.
Olson began at ICJIA as an undergraduate student in 1988 and was later promoted to a full-time position. He went on to pursue his MA and PhD while at the ICJIA. In 1998, Olson joined the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Loyola but continued to work closely with the ICJIA.
“The most unique qualities I bring to the position are my long relationship and familiarity with the agency’s work, having worked there for nearly 20 years,” said Olson. “In addition, my research has always been focused on Illinois. I am intimately familiar with the state and the crime and justice issues faced across such a diverse state.”
Olson was a driving force behind the founding of the Center for Criminal Justice (CCJ). As co-director alongside Don Stemen, Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, a full-time staff of three, and nearly a dozen current students, Olson has worked to advance CCJ’s mission: to promote fair, informed, effective and ethical approaches to criminal justice policy and practice through collaborative interdisciplinary research and evaluation, and targeted projects designed to bring about systemic improvements in the criminal justice system.
The CCJ has been an integral partner for providing legislators, government agencies, and other practitioners with the research and analysis needed to evaluate the effectiveness of criminal justice reforms. Most notably, Olson and the CCJ emerged as voices of reason in a heated debate over cash bail abolition with the passage of Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, which took effect in September of 2023.
“We, as faculty, always hope that our research and teaching leads to better lives, and a fairer and more just world. We also hope that our research gets absorbed and used by those who can create change for the better,” said Olson. “Publishing research in peer-reviewed journals is critical to develop, advance, and disseminate knowledge. But, ultimately, it needs to be communicated and accessible to practitioners and policy to truly have an impact.”
Olson’s two roles will not only complement his personal work, but it will also help to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners and ensure objective research is used to guide criminal justice policy and programs in Illinois.
“By engaging with practitioners and policy makers regularly to understand the types of questions they are asking, I can ensure that the research we do is addressing that need,” he explained. “I see firsthand how policies and practices change for the better as a result of our research."
While Olson’s “day job” remains with Loyola, as Chair of the ICJIA, Olson will advance his mission of sound, objective research being used to guide criminal justice policy and programs and will collaborate with the ICJIA’s 25-member Board to set agency priorities, track the progress of ongoing programs, and monitor the agency’s budget.
“I hope to be able to provide my support, assistance and guidance to ensure that the ICJIA continues its excellent service to the people of Illinois, and to criminal justice practitioners and policy makers throughout the State,” said Olson. “As I have always done, I will advocate for the agency and its staff, and make sure everyone knows of the critical role it plays in Illinois, despite the fact that many people are unaware of what the agency does or the critical role that it plays."
Olson will also work closely with the Agency leadership, including the Executive Director, the General Counsel, and the heads of the Research and Analysis Unit and the Federal & State Grants Unit.
This year, the ICJIA will oversee and allocate, with the 25-member Board’s direction and approval, more than $600 million in federal and state grants for crime prevention and system improvement programs.
“My Loyola education, faculty mentors, and academic career certainly prepared me to ‘lead an extraordinary life!’” said Olson as he reflected on the incredible, 35-year journey from, first, interning as an undergraduate student, to ultimately being appointed as Chair by the Governor of Illinois.
“I appreciate that Loyola has supported me and values faculty playing these kinds of roles to ensure the policies and practices of government benefit from the input of researchers and scholars.”
Learn more about Olson, the Center for Criminal Justice, and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”