Nancy Marion is currently a professor and chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Akron. Her teaching and research interests revolve around the interplay of politics and criminal justice.  She has authored over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 30 books that examine how politics affects criminal justice, and in turn, how criminal justice issues can affect political events, particularly elections. She holds a BA from The Pennsylvania State University in Administration of Justice; an MA in Justice from American University; and MA and Ph D in Political Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She recently earned a JD from The University of Akron.