Charles Wellford

Charles Franklin Wellford is an American criminologist, emeritus professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland–College Park. He previously served as the department's chair. In 1996, the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice established the Charles Wellford Fellowship in his honor. He was chair of the University of Maryland's Athletic Council from 1995 to 2008. He was the president of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) during 1995–96. For example, a 2001 study he authored concluded that the probability of a killing being solved by law enforcement was primarily influenced by the actions of police officers and the structure and management of police agencies.

Honors and awards Wellford was elected as a fellow of the American Society of Criminology in 1996. In 2011, he received the University of Maryland President's Medal. In 2001 he was recognized as the first criminologist to be designated a Lifetime National Associate by the National Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the Block Award (1990) for service to Criminology and the Vollmer Award (2018 for contributions to justice) by the ASC.