John Pfaff

John F. Pfaff is a Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law.123 He teaches criminal law, sentencing law, and law and economics.14 Pfaff's research primarily focuses on empirical matters related to criminal justice, with particular emphasis on understanding the causes of the unprecedented 40-year increase in U.S. incarceration rates.14

Before joining Fordham, Pfaff was the John M. Olin Fellow at Northwestern University School of Law and clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.123 He received his J.D. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.24

Pfaff is known for his 2017 book "Locked In," which challenges conventional wisdom about the causes of high incarceration rates in the United States.3 He argues that factors such as rising violent crime rates and prosecutorial discretion played a more significant role than commonly believed causes like the war on drugs.3

In addition to his academic work, Pfaff has received grants for his research, including a two-year grant from the John Templeton Foundation and the University of Chicago's Arete Initiative for the study of wisdom.4 His LinkedIn username is jpfaff, as mentioned in the query.