Rudolf Sieverts

Rudolf Sieverts (1903 to 1980) was a German law professor and criminologist who held the teaching chair for criminal law, criminology, youth law, forensic law and comparative law at the University of Hamburg from 1934 to 1971. He significantly influenced the 1953 reform of Germany's Juvenile Courts Act, connecting his academic scholarship directly to changes in juvenile justice policy. Sieverts also served as Rector of the University of Hamburg from 1961 to 1963 and as president of the West German University Rectors' Conference from 1964 to 1967. His long tenure made him one of the most institutionally influential criminologists in postwar Germany.