"Real life. Real quick." is how Jeff London describes finding two of his students--a police officer and a parolee--discussing criminology. Photo by Jason Andrade

Assistant Professor of Criminology Jeff London was surprised—and delighted—one day in class to notice two of his students, one a police officer and the other a paroled convict wearing an electronic tracking bracelet, deep in conversation.

“Other institutions talk about providing hands-on experiences, but this was it: Real life, real quick,” he jokes.

London’s own brother spent time in jail and his mother was a police officer. His vicarious experiences of the criminal justice system, he says, influence who he is as a scholar: respectful and sensitive to the plight of law enforcement officers but also aware that the criminal justice system is not without its problems.

All of which made the two students’ conversation in class that much more interesting to him.

“That kind of dialogue just couldn’t happen at other places I’ve taught,” London says.”But at Metro State, there’s so much more diversity in the classroom, it brings a diversity of ideas… It’s not just ethnic diversity. There’s also a broad range of ages and political leanings. It’s a very heterogeneous bunch.”

Having worked at institutions considered to be both “liberal” and “conservative,” London appreciates that Metro State is “even-keeled. The metropolitan part of it, I think, makes it more accepting of a wide difference of opinions.”

Immediately before coming to Metro State in 2007, London was an academic researcher at the University of Wyoming, where he had a grant from the Substance Abuse Division of the State Department of Health to study the health and well-being of children of incarcerated parents.

“There are only 2,000 people in jails in Wyoming,” he says, adding that it made for an unusual study cohort because “you can get to the entire population, rather than just a representative sample.”

First generation to college
A self-proclaimed “solid C student in high school with zero ambition,” London was the first in his family to graduate from college. As such, he says, he can relate to Metro State’s first-generation-to-college cohort. “I see a lot of myself in them.”

After working in a dead-end job, London started taking classes at a community college, where, he says, “I was completely clueless about how to register for classes, get financial aid, everything.” Then, he says, he “met these amazing scholars. They made time for me, to grade my papers and advise me academically and in my career. Had I gone directly to university, I would have fallen flat on my face.”

He went on to obtain his doctorate at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

“I owe my success largely to a few professors who believed I deserved their time and attention. Now, I make extra effort for my own students who seem on the verge of blossoming intellectually but who risk falling through the cracks.”

London teaches introductory criminal justice, criminological theory and a survey of research methods. He also co-chairs a committee to assess the goals and curriculum of the criminal justice and criminology department. “We’re assessing the curriculum to ensure that it’s well-rounded,” he says. “It’s a good fit for me, because assessment is what I like to do.” He adds that while much of his time is spent on teaching, he is still able to find time to do the research he enjoys.

“It’s important to have a department chair and dean that you trust, admire and respect,” he says. “I have that here; I feel very fortunate. That’s a big piece.”