Irwin later became a professor and chaired the Meagan Coveney sociology department at San Francisco State University, where he taught for 27 years until his retirement.
[2][3] In 1967 Irwin founded Project Rebound, a program which helps those coming out of prison go to college.
[3] Irwin co-founded the Prisoners Union in 1971, which organized inmates to push for their civil rights and worked closely with the California legislature on the Uniform Sentencing Act passed in 1976.
[1][4] At a panel presentation at the American Society of Criminology’s annual conference in 1997, Irwin helped officially establish the Convict Criminology movement, in which convicts who became professors critically examine the criminal justice system.
[1] Irwing was survived by his daughters Professor Katy Irwin, Anne, Jeanette, son Johnny and wife of 38 years, researcher Marsha Rosenbaum.