CJCJ Executive Director Daniel Macallair remembers one of our oldest friends and contributors, Dr. Randall G. Shelden.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Randall G. (Randy) Shelden, who died on June 19, 2026.
For more than 25 years, Randy served as a Senior Research Fellow with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. During that time, he made extraordinary contributions to CJCJ’s work as a researcher, writer, editor, mentor, and trusted advisor. His scholarship and unwavering commitment to justice helped shape our organization’s voice and mission for more than two decades.
Randy was one of the nation’s leading criminologists and among the most respected scholars in the field of criminal justice. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, he authored or co-authored more than 20 books and published more than 50 scholarly articles and book chapters, along with countless reports, commentaries, and essays that challenged conventional thinking about crime, punishment, and incarceration. His work consistently reminded us that criminal justice policy must be grounded not only in sound research but also in humanity, fairness, and compassion.
Randy joined the faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1977 and devoted 46 years to teaching and mentoring generations of students before retiring in 2024. He was instrumental in developing UNLV’s criminal justice program and helped establish its master’s degree program. An award-winning teacher, he received UNLV’s Outstanding Teacher Award six times and was widely admired for his ability to inspire students to think critically about justice and social change.
I had the privilege of knowing Randy for nearly three decades. While his scholarly accomplishments were extraordinary, they tell only part of the story. Randy was a person of remarkable integrity, intellectual curiosity, and moral clarity. He never hesitated to question accepted wisdom when he believed it stood in the way of justice. He understood that behind every statistic was a human life, and he never lost sight of the people most affected by the criminal legal system.
Even as his health declined in recent years, Randy remained engaged with ideas, continued to write, and always looked for reasons to remain optimistic. His friendship, generosity, and quiet humor enriched the lives of all who knew him.
Randy leaves behind an enduring legacy through his scholarship, his teaching, and the many colleagues, students, and advocates whose lives he influenced. His work will continue to inspire those committed to creating a more just and humane society.
All of us at CJCJ mourn Randy’s passing and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, former students, and colleagues. He will be greatly missed, but his ideas, his example, and his commitment to justice will continue to guide our work for years to come.