Larry J. Siegel, Ph.D., was born in the Bronx, New York. While living on Jerome Avenue and attending City College (CCNY) in the 1960s, he was swept up in the social and political currents of the time. He became intrigued with the influence that contemporary culture had on individual behavior. For example, did people shape society or did society shape people? He applied his interest in social forces and human behavior to the study of crime and justice. After graduating from CCNY, he attended the newly opened program in criminal justice at the State University of New York at Albany, where he earned both master's and doctoral degrees.

Dr. Siegel began his teaching career at Northeastern University, where he was a faculty member for nine years. He has also held teaching positions at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. He then taught for 27 years at the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he is now a professor emeritus. Dr. Siegel has written extensively in the area of crime and justice, including books on juvenile law, delinquency, criminology, criminal justice, courts, corrections, criminal procedure and policing. Larry, his wife Therese and their dog Sophie now live in Naples, Florida, where he continues to write on various topics and issues in crime and justice.