D. Burk Foster
From 1974 to 2005, Burk Foster was Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. A former civilian police officer and lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Security Police, he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Oklahoma. After moving to Louisiana, his academic interests later turned toward sentencing policies and corrections. Professor Foster has testified as an expert witness in state and federal courts on issues related to imprisonment and capital punishment. Although he is not a convict and has not aspired to be one, he was a writer and contributing editor of The Angolite, the magazine of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, for 16 years.
Research Interests: History of Prisons, Jail and Prison Policies, and the Death Penalty
Teaches: Criminal Justice Systems, Social and Political Problems in Law Enforcement, Field Work, Police Academy
Current Publications/Presentations:
Foster, D. Burk (2006). Corrections: The Fundamentals. Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.