informationUniversity of South Florida, Tampa, USA
Prof. Richard Dembo is a Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, with over five decades of distinguished academic and research experience. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University in 1970. His research primarily focuses on juvenile justice, substance use, mental health, and the complex relationships between drug use and delinquency, particularly among justice-involved youth. Prof. Dembo has made significant scholarly contributions, authoring over 300 journal articles, book chapters, and reports, as well as several books in the fields of criminology, behavioral health, and program evaluation. He has also guest edited multiple special issues of academic journals addressing substance misuse. His work has been widely supported by major funding agencies, including the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
He has played a leading role in the development and evaluation of innovative intervention programs, including large-scale longitudinal projects such as the Family Empowerment Intervention and services for truant youth and their families. He was also a key contributor to the establishment of the Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) and related health intervention services. His research has had a lasting impact on policy and practice in juvenile justice and behavioral health systems across the United States.
