James Gilligan

James Gilligan
Carol and James Gilligan
Occupation	Professor
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Harvard College
Subject	Psychology, Violence, Crime
Notable works	Violence Reflections on our Deadliest Epidemic
Spouse	Carol Gilligan

James Gilligan is an American psychiatrist and author best known for his series of books entitled Violence. ^{[1] [2]} A professor at New York University, he has served as a consultant on violence prevention to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, President of the United States Bill Clinton, and Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan. ^[3]

Career

Psychiatric career

During his career, Gilligan has served as director for the Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane, director of mental health for the Massachusetts prison system and as president of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy. ^[4]

During his tenure as the medical director of the Massachusetts prison mental hospital in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the rates of suicide and murder dropped to nearly zero. ^[5]

Academic career

In 1977, Gilligan became the director of the Harvard Institute of Law and Psychiatry. ^[6] From 1966 to 2000 Gilligan was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Gilligan joined the faculty at New York University in 2002. ^[6] Gilligan is an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law and collegiate professor at New York University's College of Arts and Sciences. ^[7] He lectures at the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine. ^[8]

He provided testimony to the New York City Board of Correction, New York State Senate, United States Senate, World Economic Forum, and World Health Organization. ^[9] Gilligan served as the psychiatric adviser to Martin Scorsese for the film Shutter Island . ^[10]

Personal life

Gilligan is the husband of American feminist, ethicist, and psychologist Carol Gilligan. ^[11]

Books authored

• Violence - Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes – 1996 ^[12]
• Violence - Reflections on a National Epidemic – 1997 ^[13]
• Violence - Reflections on Our Deadliest Epidemic – 1999 ^[14]
• Violence - Reflections on a Western Epidemic – 2000 ^[15]
• Violence in California Prisons: A Proposal for Research into Patterns and Cures – 2000 ^[16]
• Preventing Violence – 2001 ^[17]
• Why Some Politicians Are More Dangerous to Your Health Than Others – 2011 ( ISBN   978-0745649818) ^{[18] [19]}

References

1. "Shame, Guilt, Violence, and Shakespeare: In a new book, David A.J. Richards and James Gilligan reveal what Shakespeare's plays teach about the motivations for and perpetuation of violence in the criminal legal system and beyond | NYU School of Law". www.law.nyu.edu. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
2. "Punishment Fails. Rehabilitation Works". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
3. "James F. Gilligan". med.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
4. Roosevelt, Charles Silberstein with Laura (2022-05-25). "On My Mind: The psychology of violence". The Martha's Vineyard Times. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
5. "The Wave Trust - Trustees". Wavetrust.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
6. "James Gilligan | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
7. "James Frederick Gilligan - Overview | NYU School of Law". Its.law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
8. "APB Speakers' Bureau - Speakers". Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
9. Gilligan, James (1998-10-16). "Reflections From a Life Behind Bars: Build Colleges, Not Prisons". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
10. "Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TV - Dr. James Gilligan on our Culture of Violence". CUNY TV. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
11. Ph.D, Carol Gilligan (2012-01-09). "A Relationship is a Creative Work: An Interview with Dr. James and Carol Gilligan". PsychAlive. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
12. "Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes". Isbn.nu.
13. "Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic". Isbn.nu. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
14. "Violence". Uk.jkp.com. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
15. "Violence: Reflections on a Western Epidemic". Isbn.nu. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
16. "Violence in California Prisons: A Proposal for Research into Patterns and Cures". Isbn.nu. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
17. "Preventing Violence". Isbn.nu. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
18. "Why Some Politicians Are More Dangerous Than Others". Isbn.nu. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
19. Hacker, Andrew. "We're More Unequal Than You Think | by Andrew Hacker". Nybooks.com. Retrieved 2019-10-12.

Further reading

• An Interview with James Gilligan, MD (Psychotherapy.net) James Gilligan Interview: Working with Violent Offenders in Prison Settings