Yiannis Panoussis was born in Athens, in 1949. He is married and has three children. He graduated from Athens University, holds a degree in Law (1972) and in Political Science & Public Administration (1975). He post graduated from the University of Poitiers, in France; he holds a DEA and a Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Criminal Sciences. He had been teaching Criminal and Forensic Sciences at Democritus University of Thrace for nineteen years (1978-1997).He was also elected deputy rector of Democritus University of Thrace (1994-1997). Since 1997, he has been teaching Criminology at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (University of Athens). President / member of many Greek and Foreign (European) scientific and social bodies (President of Central Scientific Prison Committee, member of Law Commission for Drugs and Hooliganism, member of Education Committee of OECD, member of UNESCO National Committee, member of National Center for Social Sciences etc).a Author of 20 books and 200 articles (mainly about Criminology). In 2012, he was elected a Member of Parliament, in the first region of Athens, for”Democratic Left”. In 2015, he sworn in as Deputy Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection.
Ο Γιάννης Απ. Πανούσης γεννήθηκε στην Αθήνα το 1949.Σπούδασε στη Νομική Αθήνας [πτυχίο], στο τμήμα Πολιτικών Επιστημών [πτυχίο] κι αναγορεύθηκε διδάκτωρ στο Πουατιέ της Γαλλίας [1978].
Δίδαξε ως καθηγητής εγκληματολογικά μαθήματα στη Νομική του Δημοκρίτειου Πανεπιστημίου Θράκης [1978-1997] και στο τμήμα Επικοινωνίας και ΜΜΕ του ΕΚΠΑ [1997-2012]. Εξελέγη Πρύτανης του Δημοκρίτειου Πανεπιστημίου Θράκης [1997] και βουλευτής ΔΗΜΑΡ [2012-14].
Έχει δημοσιεύσει 20 βιβλία και 300 άρθρα εγκληματολογικού/ σωφρονιστικού περιεχομένου και συμμετείχε σε δεκάδες νομοπαρασκευαστικές επιτροπές και σε επιστημονικούς φορείς.