The Criminology Academy

This week, as part of our grad life series, we spoke with Chloe Haimson and Stephen Oliphant about their experiences finding, applying, and interviewing for postdoc positions. Chloe Haimson is Director of Research of the Justice Policy Lab @the Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs at Brown University. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Prison Education Program at New York University where she taught ethnography at Wallkill Correctional Facility. Her current work investigates the decisions parole agents make during their everyday work routines, how these choices influence the trajectories of individuals on parole after prison, and their consequences for the expansion of punishment in the U.S. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022. Stephen Oliphant is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention. He received his PhD in criminal justice from Michigan State University in 2023. His interdisciplinary background includes training in the fields of public policy, criminal justice, and injury prevention. His research is primarily focused on firearm policy and the evaluation of interventions that address firearm injury and violence more broadly.

Justin Pickett is a professor of criminal justice at the University at Albany, SUNY. He received his PhD in Criminology from Florida State University in 2011 and received the American Society of Criminology's Cavan Young Scholar Award in 2015. His research interests include public opinion, survey research methods, theories of punishment, and police–community relations.    Special topics highlighted in this episode include criminological research and public opinion and policing and diversity

Richard Wright retired from the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice in 2014, having spent 30 very happy years there. He then joined the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University as chair, before retiring again in 2021. Wright has published widely in the area of offending decision making, with particular focus on urban street criminals. Richard speaks to us about his journey into criminology, his work on active offender research, and his thoughts on the field.

In this episode we speak with Dr. Brae Young. Brae is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University. Her research largely focuses on family and support among offending populations as well as broader issues within the juvenile justice system. Her recent work has appeared in Justice Quarterly, Journal of Developmental and Life Course Criminology, and Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice.   We spoke to Brae about her work surrounding adolescents who have been incarcerated. Specifically we discuss the benefits of these teens getting visits and what may or may not prevent their loved ones from visiting them. Our discussion then moves to being a teen parent while incarcerated and the challenges that brings. 

In this podcast, Nathaniel Schutten discusses his research on gun ownership in the US, exploring the intersection of gun ownership and racism. They also delve into the evolving trends of gun ownership, the cultural significance of guns in America, and the impact of racial attitudes on political candidate preferences.

Prepare for an enlightening journey through episode 93 of the Criminology Academy podcast. Explore the dark side of the internet with cybercrime expert Dr. Eden Kamar, who delves into the disturbing trend of child online grooming. Through a detailed discussion about her groundbreaking research and studies, we also explore the role of parental guardianship in mitigating online grooming, the techniques employed by predators, and protective measures for children. Unveil the innovative use of chatbots and artificial intelligence for data collection and analysis of online sexual grooming techniques, highlighting the potential in safeguarding children and prosecuting offenders. Learn about the alarming findings, including the observed trend of more sexually knowledgeable children being specifically targeted for offline contact. Reflect on the importance of understanding the grooming process's non-linear nature, which can often be abrupt and direct. Dig deeper as the conversation explores the issue of webcam exploitation, particularly by online groomers. Recognize the deception within certain platforms that enable groomers to manipulate the victims' cameras without their awareness primarily through 'Whereby' as suggested by Dr. Kamar's study. Raise pressing questions on the safety design of such platforms and the role of software companies in securing user safety. Tune into this insightful conversation and empower yourself with knowledge against these cyber threats.

Explore evidence-based policing, evolution of policing strategies, challenges in evaluating gang reduction programs, navigating complexities of conducting policing studies, importance of qualitative research, and bridging academia and policing lessons in crime reduction with Professor Jerry Ratcliffe in a captivating discussion.

Stephanie Bonnes is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Assistant Dean of the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. Her scholarship broadly focuses on victimization at the intersections of gender, inequality, identity, and organizations. We speak to Stephanie about harassment and sexual assault within the military.  Episode Note: Around minute 14, Stephanie wanted to clarify she meant that individual victims are helped, however,  no one is helping much to change the culture. Something she expands on throughout the episode.  Get Stephanie's book "Hardship Duty" with 30% off (use the code) here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/hardship-duty-9780197636244 Code: ASFLYQ6 for 30% off

David Weisburd is Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University and the Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His current research interests are focused on the criminology of place, policing, and research methods. He has received several awards such as the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, the American Society of Criminology’s Sutherland Award, the (ASC) August Vollmer Award, and the Israel Prize, among many others. We discuss the origins of the criminology of place and some of David's work on crime concentrating in certain micro geographic locations. 

Richard Rosenfeld is the Curators' Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Criminology. We talk to Rick about his beginning as a criminologist. Then we discuss some of Rick's contributions to the field surrounding his work on crime forecasting. Finally, Rick gives us his thoughts on the field.