Howard Henderson

PhD

Board Member

Howard Henderson, PhD, is professor of justice administration in the Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University and founding director of the Center for Justice Research, which helps organizations and agencies find better ways to treat people who have been deemed delinquent or criminal. He holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in criminal justice and is an expert in culturally responsive criminal justice research, program evaluation and predictive bias.

His interest in the field began in childhood. Growing up in the late 1980s, he watched family members — good people who wanted better lives — get caught up in the War on Drugs, pass through juvenile detention and end up in prison. Many were never able to readjust. “I’ve always had a passion to figure out better ways to deal with those who went in the wrong direction at a very early age,” he says.

A former probation officer, Henderson understands the realities of substance use and the need for treatment over incarceration. He calls sobering centers critical: “I don’t know if a community can survive without them.” He first came to know HRC through the Center for Justice Research’s study of local alternatives to incarceration.

On the board he offers an evidence-based perspective. “Hopefully I’m able to shed a perspective on many of the issues the board deals with and provide evidence for supporting decisions,” he says.

He counts his students’ success as the highlight of his career. Away from work he spends time with his wife and children and usually has three or four books going at once.