Ruth Shonle Cavan (August 28, 1896[1] – August 25, 1993[2]) was an American sociologist based at the University of Chicago. She specialized in deviance and criminology and was a leader of the Chicago school of sociology. According to Moyer (1989):
Since 1997, the American Society of Criminology has given the Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award annually to a distinguished young researcher in the field of criminology.[3]