Benjamin M. Steiner

Benjamin M. Steiner passed away on January 22, 2019 at the age of 43 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Ben was born on March 3, 1975 to Kathy (Jarolimek) and Stan Steiner in Bismarck, North Dakota where he spent his formative years of schooling. Ben received his B.S. in Sociology from North Dakota State University in 1997 and worked as a youth counselor and juvenile probation officer in Idaho. Ben earned a M.A. in Criminal Justice from Boise State University in 2002 and his Ph.D. in 2008 from the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. He was an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina from 2008-12 and promoted to associate professor in 2012. He joined the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2012 and earned full professor rank in 2017. Ben's scholarship contributions were exceptional in depth and rigor. Always at the forefront in his field, his accumulated knowledge on causes of prisoner misconduct and victimization, consequences of in-prison misconduct and the sanctioning of offenders, and sources of correctional officers' behaviors and attitudes toward prisoners have influenced the trajectories of many criminal justice scholars. To those who knew him well, Ben was funny, witty, passionate, and warm-hearted. In his spare time, he renovated his 100-year old home, planned family vacations, cooked great meals, exercised, and card games. He enjoyed traveling to new places – preferably with water or mountains. Ben's professional and personal life had great meaning and he will be deeply missed by all those who knew him. Ben leaves behind his beloved wife Emily (Wright), whom he met and married while they were both doctoral students at the University of Cincinnati. He was a devoted husband and wonderful father to their son, John. Ben is survived by parents Kathy Jarolimek (Ken) in Bismarck, North Dakota and Stan Steiner (Joy) in Jackson, Wyoming. Brothers and sisters: Keith Jarolimek (Kim), Colorado Springs, Colo; Kristy Owens (Eric), Lincoln, North Dakota; Angie O'Hara (James), Yuma, Ariz.; Matthew Jarolimek (Christy), Minneapolis, Minn.; Lea Steiner and Avi Steiner, Boise, Idaho. Ben also leaves behind two grandmothers: Angela Jarolimek, Fargo, N.D. and Jane Berryman, Guthrie, Okla. and many nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins. He also was preceded in death by his grandparents: Carl and Mary Radloff, John F. and Anna Marie Steiner, Matt Jarolimek, and Oscar Berryman. A memorial service is being planned in the month of March. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Society of Criminology's Division on Corrections and Sentencing "Benjamin Steiner Excellence in Corrections Research Award." A description of the award can be found here: https://account.asc41.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3352. Donations can be made online or by check: Make checks payable to the American Society of Criminology and include The Benjamin Steiner Award in the notes. Mail to: American Society of Criminology, 1314 Kinnear Rd., Ste. 212, Columbus, Ohio 43212. Online donations: https://account.asc41.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3352. Scroll to the bottom to find: You can make a donation online using our donation form. Click on the donation form link, and be directed to a portal where log-in will be required. Non-ASC members must set up a temporary account then can log in and make a tax-deductible donation to Ben's Award.