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Professor Curt Griffiths retires after 48 years of dedicated service at SFU Criminology
After nearly five decades of dedicated service, professor Curt Griffiths is set to retire from Simon Fraser University’s School of Criminology, effective January 1, 2025. Renowned for his commitment to fostering critical thinking among students and extensive work with policing services across Canada, he leaves behind an indelible legacy.
Griffiths joined SFU Criminology in the summer of 1977, which makes him the last faculty member from the School’s foundation period to retire. In those early days, he played an essential role in leading the Police Studies program and coordinating the Field Practice program.
“The initial years were exciting, everybody was on every committee because we didn’t have enough people”, says Griffiths. ”A highlight for me was the Field Practice Program. It was world-class. We had students with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the San Diego Police Department (SDPD), the court in the Northwest Territories—a student could do a placement anywhere in the world.”
In the classroom, Griffiths is recognized for his genuine care and dedication to empowering students. He believes that educators have a vital responsibility to provide a safe space for open dialogue, and he was bound by those principles throughout his teaching years.
“We have, I think, as professors and teachers, a very important obligation not to preach to our students,” says Griffiths. “But to create a forum where we can have a free expression of ideas and exchange ideas without fear of consequences.”
Colleagues and former students have felt the impact of Griffiths’ mentorship. Senior lecturer Danielle Murdoch—a colleague, co-author, and former student—reflects on her experience working closely with him.
“He has always provided me with space to share my insecurities and feel big feelings of doubt, whether about career opportunities or just my general place in academia,” says Murdoch. “For over 20 years I’ve left meetings with Curt feeling inspired – like I can accomplish anything and everything.”
Griffiths has built his career around what he calls “action research.”
He has spent the majority of his time in the field collaborating with communities, governments, criminal justice agencies, and organizations in Canada and abroad, helping to develop paths and solutions to address their challenges.
His expert consultation has been sought by a variety of organizations, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Public Safety Canada, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, the Dutch National Police, and the National Police of Japan.
“I feel really blessed. We have made a difference in terms of how decision-makers make decisions using the information that I and the research team that I work with gathered and make available to them,” says Griffiths.
He has also contributed to higher education through his publication of various textbooks including Canadian Corrections, Canadian Police Work, Canadian Criminal Justice: a Primer, and Community-Based Strategic Policing in Canada.
Reflecting on his career path, Griffiths says he “kind of fell into it”.
Born in Mississippi and having lived in various cities due to his father’s career as a university professor, Griffiths and his family eventually settled in Montana, where he received his higher education.
Something not many people know is that after completing his undergraduate studies in political science, Griffiths went to law school but soon realized it was not his calling.
"I remember going across campus one day during my first year in law school, and I bumped into a former sociology professor of mine and he asked me how I was doing," Griffiths says. "I said I really wasn't enjoying it."
That conversation led to a turning point. He transferred to the Department of Sociology where he earned both his master’s and PhD, and gained invaluable experience teaching in a prison education program at the state prison for over three years.
“Working in the prison was very impactful for me. Teaching incarcerated persons was the best. Some of the best students I ever had,” says Griffiths. This experience fueled Griffiths’ passion for empowering students and fostering critical thinking.
As professor Curt Griffiths, “the man of Montana” prepares to embark on his next chapter, he leaves behind a legacy as an inspiring and caring mentor for generations of students and colleagues. His contributions to the School of Criminology and the broader community will be felt for years to come.
Celebrating Curt Griffiths: Farewell messages and anecdotes
Curt Griffiths is a true pioneer and legend of Criminology. In my days as a student, his textbooks "Canadian Criminal Justice" and "Corrections in Canada" were standards in the field. He was among the most well-known and highly regarded Criminologists in Canada (which is even cooler when you consider that he is not Canadian). On a more personal level, Curt was the first professor to show confidence in me when he hired me to help do research for a book he was writing. I was proud to be chosen, and this was perhaps the first time I considered that I might be able to be a useful researcher. Curt has also been a fantastic colleague. I am particularly grateful for his support during my time as the graduate director. Among the many words of wisdom Curt shared with me over the years, one thought stands out, as is still supremely relevant today: "If you come out of a meeting with no more work than you had when you went into the meeting, the meeting was a success". Thank you, Curt, may you revel in retirement!
Garth Davies, associate professor, SFU Criminology
Congratulations on your retirement, Curt! I hope you are going to be able taking some well-deserved time off from SFU!
Martin Andresen, professor, SFU Criminology
I met Curt on my first day at SFU Criminology. He assisted me in unpacking my books and made helpful suggestions about how to develop my new courses. In addition, along the way, he invited me to participate in an initiative he was developing with another colleague, called The Northern Justice Society. It was quite a unique venture, intended to focus upon justice issues in the Northern provinces of Canada. It established annual meetings to be held in those provinces at which representatives from the justice sectors would come together to discuss their justice system challenges and remedies. I attended the first one held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, which successfully brought together attendees from rather diverse settings, including judicial representatives from Quebec. Quite a number of significant publications emerged from the initiative under Curt’s guiding hand.
Margaret Jackson, professor emerita, SFU Criminology
You have always been an inspiration to me on how to collaborate with law enforcement. Early in my career, I was lucky to be involved in projects with you & K-Division, an invaluable experience in project management and research with law enforcement. These have shaped my own collaborations, and for this, I am very grateful. I wish you the best in retirement.
Richard Frank, professor, School of Criminology
Best wishes, Curt, on your retirement. I have an enduring memory of joining the School as a sessional instructor in 1980, the same year that you (along with Simon Verdun-Jones and John Klein) published Criminal Justice in Canada. Accessible and topical, this book and other emerging works created a foundation for publications that brought Canadian legal and social issues to light for students and teachers alike. Then and now, full credit to you and other colleagues who have since created texts that take the Canadian context seriously, often incorporating a comparative approach with other countries. There's also your legacy of co-writing and working with others while charting your own course. Here you are, going strong in 2024 with your updated webpage which outlines, among other things, books in several editions about corrections, police work, and criminal justice. Well done, Curt. Here's to many more years of contributing and good health.
Brian Burtch, professor emeritus, SFU Criminology
Curt’s retirement marks the end of an era — the last faculty member hired in the 1970s to retire. A long and distinguished career, and he’s probably not quite finished yet.
Neil Boyd, professor emeritus, SFU Criminology
In an era where there is no shortage of academics lining up to criticize and at times vilify the activities of the police, Curt took on the incredible challenge of leading the Police Studies program in the School of Criminology at SFU. As the coordinator, Curt established a program providing critical insight into policing while enabling research that has since served to enhance and improve operational police work. His influence and contributions to Canadian policing have been great.
Possessing an incredible work ethic, Curt is the author or co-author of numerous research reports, articles and several university-level texts. He is continually sought out within the police community for his expertise and insight into complex and challenging issues. More than just a researcher, Curt has provided solutions and paths forward on a variety of policing challenges that have ultimately benefited the Canadian public and criminal justice community at large. He is a highly respected and proven problem-solver.
Curt has also been a mentor and supporter of many students and has assisted in the establishment of individual careers in both academia and in the field of criminal justice. I consider myself fortunate to have worked alongside with Curt on various projects and endeavours. His influence and support to myself and so many others have been impactful and greatly appreciated. I wish you well Curt in your new adventure of life, the Big Sky Country and Sea to Sky await you. I am confident that the “Man from Montana” will continue to influence others in achieving positive change under adverse circumstances. SFU and the School of Criminology have been very fortunate to benefit from your talents and abilities over so many years.
Rick Parent, police officer and associate professor (ret.), Police Studies, SFU Criminology
Curt was instrumental in helping me pursue my own academic journey and I have many fond memories of his classes, the time we spent on the racketball court, and his kindness and generosity of his time and insights that he afforded me when I started my own academic career.
To me, he was a mentor and friend whose impact has never faded even though I graduated from the program almost 40 years ago!
Curt, with fondness I still cherish the time you came to see me at the YVR airport in 2021 while I was on route to Asia for an academic engagement. Even though some 20+ years had passed....it felt like yesterday. To me a true sign of friendship and respect. Thank you for all you have given and done.
Wishing you all the best in your retirement.
John Winterdyk, emeritus professor of criminology, Mount Royal University
I met Dr. Griffiths in my second year of university—over 25 years ago—when I took CRIM 241 (“Introduction to Corrections”) with him. His expert knowledge, public speaking and teaching abilities have always been astounding.
His inspiration and guidance positively impacted my life in profound ways. He taught me to think “outside of the box” and he encouraged me to “dream big” (i.e., internationally) with respect to my career. I’m very grateful that he served as my senior supervisor for my Honours Thesis (2001), Master’s Thesis (2002) and Doctoral Dissertation (2015).
It was an honour to teach hundreds of my own students CRIM 131 (“Introduction to the Canadian Criminal Justice System”) with the textbook he wrote. His research and writing contributions are unmatched. He’s one of a kind and there will never be another researcher, professor, or consultant like him.
Thank you, Curt, for positively impacting not only my life through your teaching, research and publications, but the lives of countless other students, colleagues and organizations as well—both nationally and internationally.
Warmest congratulations to you, Curt, in celebration of your stellar career and best wishes as you choose your next adventure!
Tamie Helana (Fennig) Alexander, BA Hons., MA, PhD, SFU Criminology