Home      Login

Abstract: 

Fred Cohen, founding editor of Correctional Mental Health Report, co-founder of Correctional Law Reporter, author, consulting attorney, and a distinguished law school professor, passed away in March. Before he took up writing and editing, Fred founded the School of Criminal Justice at SUNY Albany, where he earned a reputation as a riveting lecturer and mentor. When Fred suggested on January 31 that I interview him for CMHR, I added an exclamation mark to my note and tabbed it with a bright pink sticky. Ever since I met him the previous April in his law book-lined office in front of a sunlit desktop scrambled with handwritten-filled tablets, legal case printouts, and articles clipped from The New York Times, every moment we shared had seemed a privilege. I immediately prepared a set of questions I thought readers would be interested in hearing Fred’s ideas on, but unfortunately his declining health prevented us from following through. Two and a half excruciating months later I had lost hope that it would happen. When it did on March 16 I think the experience was a bit surreal for both of us. After answering my first question, Fred took over, and launched out on his own, in true Fred form. He died two weeks later, the day before his 89th birthday.

Keywords: Fred Cohen Interview

Affiliations:  1: Executive Editor; 2: Associate Editor.