Hans Toch

Toch, Hans ALBANY Hans Toch, a towering figure in the academic discipline of criminology and criminal justice, died June 18, 2021, at his home in Albany. Born April 17, 1930, in Vienna, Austria, Toch escaped the holocaust, emigrating initially to Cuba and then to the United States. He earned his B.A. at Brooklyn College in 1952, and his Ph.D. in psychology at Princeton in 1955. He served in the U.S. Navy, and was a Fulbright Fellow in Norway, a visiting Lecturer at Harvard, and a member of the psychology department at Michigan State University before being recruited in 1967, as a founding faculty member of the School of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York at Albany, the first program in the country to confer the Ph.D. degree in criminal justice. Toch remained on the faculty at the University at Albany until his retirement in 2008, writing over 30 books and attaining the rank of distinguished professor and mentoring countless students and junior faculty members. Hans is fondly remembered for his intellect, quick wit, eloquent prose, and his unfailing commitment and enduring contributions to rigorous social scientific scholarship and social justice. Further information on Hans' life, services, and ways to honor his memory can be found online at hanstoch.com To leave a special message for the family please visit: SimpleChoicesCremation.com Arrangements are with Simple Choices, Inc. "The Cremation Service"