Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

Picture of Mhlanga Bonny M. Mhlanga, Professor

Stipes Hall 412
Phone: 309/298-1024
E-mail: BM-Mhlanga@wiu.edu

Dr. Bonny Mhlanga received his Ph.D. degree in Criminal Justice in 1993 (published as a book The Colour of English Justice: A Multivariate Analysis in 1997) and M.Sc. degree in 1984, both from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.  Previous to joining WIU in 2004, he worked as a Senior Research Officer in the Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the United Kingdom Home Office (1998-2003).  Also, he worked in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Hull University as an Economic and Social Research Council Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for three years (1995-1998), and as a Research Fellow in the Department of Law at Brunel University both in the United Kingdom.  His pioneer research into the decision-making process by United Kingdom Crown Prosecutors attracted extensive main-stream, regional and internet media attention.  Also, his research and publication on prison inmates self-reported offending prior to custody won him an award as Best Newcomer, in terms of the methodology used, from the International Market Research Society in 2001.

Dr. Mhlanga teaches Statistics and Research Methods courses at WIU, and has been a WIU graduate faculty member since 2005.  He has also served as a member and chairperson on various university, college and school committees, and has belonged to a number of professional organizations, such as the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association, and the American and the British Societies of Criminology, where he served as a Council member for 3 years.  He is a recipient of the WIU College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) 2006 Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Professional Activities, as well as being recognized as the COEHS 2010-2011 Faculty Scholar.  Dr. Mhlanga has been a book reviewer, and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals including book chapters, as well as giving papers at numerous national and international academic conferences.  He is an editorial board member of the Western Journal of Criminal Justice (WJCJ) and the African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies.