Dr. Allan Turner serves as a Research Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Justice Leadership and Management at George Mason University, Fairfax Virginia. As a member of the Criminology Law and Society faculty, Dr. Turner teaches courses in Leadership, Justice Organizations, and Homeland Security. He is currently working on a multi-year Department of Homeland Security grant to train homeland security professionals to understand and use operationally information gathered in various risk assessment methodologies. Dr. Turner’s research presently focuses on the link between homeland security and the criminal justice system organizations with special emphasis on leadership in corrections and law enforcement. He recently completed a two year assignment under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) as a Senior Fellow with the National Preparedness Directorate, Department of Homeland Security where he served as a senior level Program Manager developing and managing a program to field test and analyze the implementation, performance, and impact of security technology in operational settings. Prior to his DHS assignment, Dr. Turner served on assignment as a Visiting Scientist (IPA) in the Office of Science and Technology, National Institute of Justice where he managed national projects in technology research and development focusing on the application of biometrics, tracking and monitoring, surveillance, drug detection, and vulnerability assessment in corrections.

Dr. Turner served 21 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. His career with the Bureau consisted of numerous headquarters and field assignments including camp administrator, jail superintendent, associate warden, and warden. Dr. Turner served as warden of the LaTuna Federal Correctional Institution, Anthony, Texas, a 1000 bed medium security facility, where he was responsible for the prisoner transfer between the U.S. and Mexico; the 1,200 bed Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Springfield, Missouri, which provided medical care to high security inmates and was the largest staff compliment and budget in the Federal Bureau of Prisons; and the Administrative Maximum Security (SuperMax) US Penitentiary, Marion, Illinois, which as the highest security federal penitentiary in the United States housed the most dangerous, high risk inmate population in the federal prison system including leaders of organized crime, gang members, terrorists, and individuals convicted of espionage.

Dr. Turner was appointed to the Federal Government Senior Executive Service in 1983, and retired in 1995 as Senior Deputy Assistant Director Federal Bureau of Prisons Central Office, Washington, D.C. Dr. Turner has also held leadership roles in the American Correctional Association and the American Society of Public Administration and serves as an expert witness on cases involving prison operations.

In addition to his corrections and academic careers, Dr. Turner, a Viet Nam veteran, served in a variety of command and staff positions as an infantry and military police officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Justice Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Master of Public Administration and Doctor of Public Administration degrees from the University of Southern California.