The Criminology Academy

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.

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.

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.

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.

Join Tom Tyler, Macklin Fleming Professor Emeritus of Law and Psychology at Yale, and a leading expert in criminology. In this conversation, he reflects on his fascinating career journey from aspiring lawyer to recognized academic. Tyler delves into police legitimacy and the critical role of procedural justice in fostering public trust. He also shares insights on the evolving relationship between psychology and criminology, stressing the need for interdisciplinary approaches to address community concerns and enhance the legitimacy of law enforcement.

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.

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.

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.

Welcome to our new series: Early Career...like our grad life series, we will document our movement across this phase of our careers. Hopefully this will help other junior faculty as they set off in their careers as well. We kick it off by discussing the transition from student to TT faculty with podcast all-star Ashley Appleby.    Dr. Ashley Appleby is an assistant professor of criminal justice in the school of social sciences, communication, and humanities at Endicott College. She received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University, Newark - School of Criminal Justice, and her B.A. in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Quinnipiac University. Ashley’s research broadly considers the intersection between contact with the criminal legal system and experience of education. She is a student alumnus and trained instructor with the International Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program and has previously worked with the NJ-Step and Petey Greene programs. Dr. Appleby is a first-generation college graduate, and she has extensive teaching and pedagogical training in the field.