A prolific writer, Adler has published in a variety of criminological areas, including female criminality, international issues in crime, piracy, drug abuse, and social control theories.
She has been on the Board of Directors of the University of Pennsylvania Association of Alumni, the International Society of Social Defense, the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council (ISPAC) of United Nations Programs in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and The Police Foundation (Washington, D.C.) She began her career in criminal justice as an evaluator of drug and alcohol treatment programs for federal and state governments.
From a criminological viewpoint, her thesis strongly contradicted the pathological explanations of female criminality prevalent in the preceding century.
The International Division of the American Society of Criminology presents a Freda Adler Distinguished Scholar Award annually.
She is a Senior Fellow of the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.