John F. Decker

Before Professor Decker assumed emeritus professor status, he was the founder and long-time director of the College of Law's highly successful Field Placement Program. In addition, he developed at DePaul a first-class criminal law curriculum, which sparked the creation of the Criminal Law Program that he also directed. He has worked extensively as a faculty member at continuing legal education conferences for Illinois judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Professor Decker's extensive publications include treatises and books, including Illinois Criminal Law (4th ed. 2006) and numerous law review articles that focus on criminal law and procedure issues. He has been recognized as Outstanding Teacher by both the College of Law and university. Similarly, his scholarship has merited him the college's Excellence in Scholarship Award and the university's Spirit of Inquiry Award. In 2007, Decker was awarded the Via Sapientiae Award, the highest academic award bestowed upon a member of the DePaul community.
Professor Decker has been a visiting professor at the University College Dublin (Ireland) in and the University of San Francisco School of Law. He has practiced law in both California and Illinois.
Currently, Professor Decker is special advisor to the Criminal Law Edit, Alignment and Reform (CLEAR) Initiative, which effort seeks to create a politically viable process to review and reform the entire Illinois Criminal Code in order to make it more clear, understandable and consistent.