The Criminology Academy

Ep. 113 Brain Trauma and Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System with Joseph Schwartz

This week we speak with Joseph Schwartz about the effect traumatic brain injuries can have on criminal behavior. We also discussed correctional officer mental health and its impact on thej ob. 

 

Joseph A. Schwartz is an associate professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. His current work focuses on the long-term physical and mental health implications of chronic stress exposure, as well as on the role of traumatic brain injury in the development of behavior problems and health outcomes.

Ep. 112 Studying and Measuring Sex Trafficking in the United States with Teresa Kulig

Teresa Kulig is an associate professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she coordinates the Doctoral and Fast Track programs. Dr. Kulig is also co-director of the Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab. She earned her PhD from the University of Cincinnati in 2018. Her research interests include studying the nature and control of sex and labor trafficking, the measurement and theories of victimization, public opinion on responses to victimization, and the social construction of crime.

Ep. 111 Studying Gun Violence Through Neighborhood and Social Networks with Andy Papachristos

In this episode we speak to Andy about the connection between social networks, neighborhoods, and crime. 

Andrew V. Papachristos: John G. Searle Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. He directs the Institute for Policy Research and the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science. His work applies network science to urban issues like gun violence, police misconduct, and street gangs.

Ep. 110 Urban Green Spaces and Crime with James Wo

James Wo is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Iowa and a senior research fellow at the University of Iowa Public Policy Center. His research interests include neighborhoods and crime, spatial inequalities, local institutions and organizations, land uses, and quantitative research methods. He received his PhD in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC Irvine.

Ep. 109 Early Career Series: Being an Teaching Professor with Colby Valentine

This week we speak with Colby Valentine about what it's like to be a Professor of Instruction at a major university. 

Colby Valentine is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Valentine received her B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from the University of Pacific (2005), her M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from San Diego State University (2007) and her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Florida State University (2012). Her research focuses on correctional-based research (i.e., prison misconduct, jail visitation, solitary confinement), victimization (i.e., sex and labor trafficking, intimate partner violence) and criminology and criminal justice pedagogy. She teaches on various topics such as research methods, criminological theory, corrections, and victimization.

Ep. 108 Reflection Series: Legitimacy and Procedural Justice with Tom Tyler

This week we spoke with Professor Tom Tyler. We reflected on his career and how he became interested in criminology. We also discuss his major contributions to the field: his work on police legitimacy and procedural justice. Finally, Tom gives us his thoughts on the field and advice for the future. 

 

Tom Tyler is the Macklin Fleming Professor Emeritus of Law and Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School, as well as a Founding Director of The Justice Collaboratory. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his research on legitimacy and procedural justice. He holds a PhD in social psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Ep. 107 Perceptions of Risk with Timothy Barnum

This week, we talked to Tim Barnum about his work on people's perceptions of risk and deterrence from crime. 

Timothy Barnum is currently an assistant professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. Prior to Sam Houston, Dr. Barnum was a Senior Researcher at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law. He received his PhD from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2018. His recent works explore the individual and situational factors that shape criminal decisions, perceptions, and attitudes.

Ep. 106 Criminal Justice Contact and Disadvantage with Laura DeMarco

This week we spoke with Laura DeMarco about cumulative disadvantage and contact with the criminal justice system.

Laura DeMarco is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. Her research asks questions about how the criminal justice system reflects, reproduces, and creates various inequalities, with attention to how the legal and economic context shape the stigma of a criminal record. Laura received her PhD from the Ohio State University in 2020. Before that she obtained a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University at Albany – State University of New York, and a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Sociology from SUNY Geneseo.

Ep. 105 Gangs and Governance in Central America with Jose Miguel Cruz

Ep. 104 Using Person-First Language to Address Labels and Stigma with Megan Denver

We talk to Professor Megan Denver about her work on labeling, stigma, and person-first language.

 

Megan Denver is an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice and the Director of the Corrections and Reentry Lab at Northeastern University. Megan’s research interests include criminal record stigma, employment and recidivism, credentialing decisions for people with criminal records, and desistance. To investigate questions related to these interests, she uses a variety of methods and integrates criminological theory with policy. Megan holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of Albany and a masters in Sociology from the University of Delaware.