Sean Patrick Griffin, Professor of Criminal Justice at The Citadel, received his Ph.D. in the Administration of Justice (Sociology) from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Griffin, a former Philadelphia Police Officer, has authored peer-reviewed articles on the following topics: police legitimacy, police abuse of force, the social construction of white-collar crime, securities frauds, professional sports gambling, international narcotics trafficking and money laundering, political corruption, and organized crime.
Dr. Griffin is the author of the critically-acclaimed text Philadelphia’s Black Mafia: A Social and Political History (Springer, 2003), and of the best-selling, more mainstream Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia’s Black Mafia (Milo, 2005/2007). Each book is currently being/has been updated and revised to reflect historical events that have transpired since their respective initial publications. In 2007, Black Entertainment Television (BET) based an episode (“Philly Black Mafia: ‘Do For Self’”) of its popular “American Gangster” series on Black Brothers, Inc. Dr. Griffin was an interview subject and consultant for the episode, which is now re-broadcast on the History Channel and A&E Network, among others. Most recently, Professor Griffin authored the best-selling Gaming the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen (Barricade, 2011), which has been discussed in numerous academic and media forums.
An ardent public scholarship advocate, Dr. Griffin commonly lends his expertise to an assortment of entities and individuals, including but not limited to: local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies (especially in re: organized crime, extortion, narcotics trafficking, tax evasion, and money laundering); regulatory agencies (especially in re: gaming and stock fraud); social service agencies (especially in re: policing and violence against women); and print, radio, and television outlets throughout the U.S. (primarily in re: organized crime, white-collar crime, and related topics). Professor Griffin, who has developed and implemented CLE/CPE coursework regarding securities fraud and enforcement for audiences of professionals (i.e., attorneys and accountants), has also conducted research in The Netherlands during numerous summers, focusing on such issues as the international trade in women, transnational organized crime, vice laws and enforcement, and the impact of immigration on the Dutch criminal justice system.
Dr. Griffin has appeared as an invited panelist for numerous forums on public policy, and is a frequent guest on various local and national radio and television programs. He has also been interviewed/featured extensively in print media. A partial list of outlets in which he or his work have appeared (often on repeated occasions) includes: Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Der Spiegel, Financial Times, Newark Star Ledger, New York Daily News, Toronto Star, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Playboy, TIME Magazine, ESPN The Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Magazine, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Big Ten Network, Comcast SportsNet, National Geographic (television), Home Box Office (HBO), Black Entertainment Television (BET), National Public Radio (NPR), The Urban Journal, “The Power” (XM Satellite Radio Channel 169), Sporting News Radio, Rogers SportsNet Radio (Canada), and Kerrang! Radio (UK).
