Michael P. Lawlor, J.D.

Michael Lawlor Headshot
Associate Professor

Criminal Justice Department
Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences
Education

J.D., George Washington University

M.A., University of London

B.A., University of Connecticut

About Michael

Mike Lawlor is a nationally recognized expert on criminal justice reform which was a major focus of his 24 years as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and as former Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning in the Office of Policy and Management.

Elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1986 representing East Haven’s 99th district, he chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2011, taking a leadership role in a wide variety of criminal justice reforms, including a law that established rights for crime victims.

Lawlor authored the 1999 Connecticut Red Flag Gun law, the first state in the country to pass this law and now considered a national model for preventing mass shootings.

He was a founding board member of the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and he’s served on numerous national criminal justice reform commissions. He also led the push for legislation that made Connecticut the second state in the nation to pass a law allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions.

As a member of Governor Malloy’s administration, Prof. Lawlor developed and implemented initiatives including juvenile justice, bail, and drug policy reforms; post Sandy Hook gun control legislation, and repeal of the death penalty, as well as initiatives that addressed racial disparities in the criminal justice system and mass incarceration.

Those initiatives helped lead to a 41 percent drop in arrests in the state from 2008 to 2017, a decrease in violent crime, and a 65 percent decrease – from 2009 to 2018 – of 18 years old committing crimes, getting arrested and ending up in the prison system. The state’s prison population also decreased from 20,000 inmates in 2008 to 13,000 in 2019.

Prof. Lawlor current focus is on is researching, writing, and collaborating with students on policy reforms, including new criminal justice policies for adults ages 18 to 21; developing initiatives to help prosecutors categorize offenders; and creating new sanctions that could help lead low-level offenders away from further criminal activity.

In 2020, Mayor Justin Elicker appointed Prof. Lawlor to be a member of the New Haven Board of Police Commissioners. In 2021, Governor Ned Lamont appointed him to be a member of the statewide Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council.

Prof. Lawlor, who has been a faculty member at the University since 1995, teaches courses in criminal law and criminal procedure.

Prof. Lawlor received his J.D. from George Washington University, his M.A. in Soviet area studies from the University of London, and his B.A. in Slavic and Eastern European studies from the University of Connecticut. He also previously earned a Fulbright-Hays scholarship that enabled him to study in Hungary.

Courses Taught
  • CJST 1100 Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • CJST 1102 Criminal Law
  • CJST 2217 Criminal Procedure I
  • CJST 2218 Criminal Procedure II and Evidence
  • CJST 4400 Criminal Justice Capstone Seminar

Graduate Courses

  • CJST 6608 Law and Evidence
  • CJST 6637 Criminal Justice Policy

News and In the Media


In the Media

Stamford Advocate: After CT State Police leadership shakeup, legislative changes could follow

Michael Lawlor and Kenneth Gray comment on the decision by Governor Ned Lamont to replace the commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection with Ronell Higgins ’06. Lawlor i s an associate professor of criminal justice. Gray is a senior lecturer of criminal justice, emergency management, and homeland security. Higgins is a practitioner in residence of criminal justice.

In the Media

The Patch: New treasurer scores victory

Erick Russell ’09, State of Connecticut Treasurer, was complimented for securing approval for Baby Bonds. He was commended by Audrey Blondin, adjunct professor of population health and leadership and the secretary of the Democratic State Central Committee, and Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice.

In the Media

LiveNOW from Fox: School Shooting in Nashville

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses the red flags that may have been present with the alleged shooter in Nashville. Lawlor further discusses the importance in any community of alerting law enforcement if a person shows warning signs of possible violence and has access to firearms, so steps can be taken before they can harm themselves or others.

In the Media

New Haven Independent: Police Commission OKs Colon As Asst. Chief

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice and member of the New Haven Board of Police Commissioners, said he took special pride in voting for Manmeet Colon '08 to serve as assistant chief to Police Chief Karl Jacobson '22 M.S., who was his student as she pursued her degree in the criminal justice program.

In the Media

News 12 Connecticut The New Normal: Gun Violence Prevention

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses the Red Flag Gun Law he authored, making CT the first state in the country to pass such a law that is now considered a national model for preventing mass shootings. Lawlor says there are actions that gun owners can take immediately to prevent accidental shootings.

In the Media

NBC Connecticut: January 6 Committee Report

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, comments on the final report from the Jan. 6 Committee that the Department of Justice follow up on the allegations against former President Donald Trump’s intentions on that day.

In the Media

UConn Today: Symposium Explores Solutions for Criminal Justice System

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, spoke at a symposium on advocacy and litigation efforts toward pretrial justice reform. The panel included State Senator Martin Looney, president pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate; Tehra Coles, senior policy counsel at the Civil Rights Corps; and Jonathan Silbert, a retired Connecticut Superior Court judge.

In the Media

New Haven Independent: New Report Details Solitary Decline

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses the psychological effects of keeping someone in solitary confinement would increase the likelihood of recidivism upon release and why it is sometimes necessary for an individual’s protection from the general prison population.

In the Media

The Patch: Arrested Sex-Case Cop Fired

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, comments on a New Haven police officer who was terminated for allegedly pressuring an undocumented immigrant to send him nude photos and have sex in exchange for money.

In the Media

NBC Connecticut: Gun Reform Legislation

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, talks about the bipartisan Safer Community Act that aims to address gun violence across the country, explaining that Connecticut has already implemented most of these laws at the state level.

In the Media

Eyewitness News 3: INTERVIEW: Sandy Hook settlement

Mike Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses Remington Arms’s settlement with the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, describing the settlement as a first of its kind involving a firearms manufacturer due to its advertising.

In the Media

Eyewitness News 3: Addressing juvenile crime

Mike Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, and members of the Tow Institute for Justice and JJPOC, comment on the number of juvenile car thefts and how juveniles are gaining access to vehicles so easily.

In the Media

WNHH: Dateline New Haven

Mike Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, appeared on New Haven Independent Radio discussing criminal justice, politics and impeachment.

In the Media

KGO-AM: The Impeachment Process

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses the impeachment process as a former member of the Connecticut Select Committee of Inquiry considering the impeachment of Governor John G. Roland.

In the Media

iHeart Radio: Red Flag Law

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discussed the 1999 Red Flag Gun law he authored as a member of the House of Representatives.

In the Media

WFSB: Face the State

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses the Connecticut Red Flag gun law he worked on in 1999 as a former state lawmaker, now being considered a national tool to combat mass shootings.

In the Media

Fox 61: Inauguration Day

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice, joins Fox 61 on inauguration day for the new governor, Ned Lamont. Lawlor speaks about his time with the former governor Malloy and about the transitions between the different governors he worked with during his time in the Connecticut House of Representatives.

In the Media

CT Mirror: Lawlor sees progress in prison reform

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice who is on leave to serve as Connecticut’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning at the Office of Policy and Management., comments on improves made to the criminal justice system while under the leadership of Gov. Dannel Malloy. This story originally was in the New Haven Independent.