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Quick Facts

14 - Rank, based on enrollment, among the top majors at UCF

10th - UCF's ranking among the nation's top-producing institutions of books on criminal justice

9 - Number of summer study abroad programs in Russia lead by Associate Professor K. Michael Reynolds

Faculty Research Interests

Faculty researchers in the Department of Criminal Justice have wide-ranging interests and considerable experience. The following lists research interests of the faculty who have a research component in their work load.

Ken Adams

  1. Police use of force
  2. Juvenile justice
  3. Corrections
  4. Adjudication
  5. Mentally ill inmates

Robert Bohm

  1. Criminological theory
  2. Criminal justice theory
  3. Criminal justice policy
  4. Capital punishment
  5. Sentencing
  6. Jails and prisons
  7. Corrections policy

Kristina Childs

  1. Juvenile Justice
  2. Public Health Issues in Juvenile Corrections
  3. Disproportional Minority Contact in Juvenile Justice System
  4. Problem Behavior Sydrome

David Fabianic

  1. Criminal justice education
  2. Serial murder
  3. Organized crime
  4. Famous crimes and trials
  5. Criminal profiling
  6. Police management and investigations

Jacinta Gau

  1. Police-community relations
  2. Procedural justice and police legitimacy
  3. Community perceptions of police

Stephen Holmes

  1. Policing
  2. Sex offenders
  3. Suicide and voilent crime
  4. Statistics
  5. Applied research methods
  6. Police use of force

Kareem Jordan

  1. Juvenile Justice & Delinquency
  2. Research Methods
  3. Statistics
  4. Race & Crime, Crime Theory

Robert Langworthy

  1. Police organization
  2. Spatial analysis
  3. Environmental criminology
  4. Community and criminal justice
  5. Police use of force

Karol Lucken

  1. History of punishment
  2. Corrections
  3. Social control
  4. Victimology
  5. Intermediate punishment
  6. Philosophy of punishment
  7. Victim services
  8. Penal reform
  9. Faith-based prison initiatives
  10. Sex offender-civil commitment
  11. Restorative justice
  12. Corrections policy

Sue Mahan

  1. Women offenders
  2. Prison riots
  3. Domestic violence
  4. Victimology
  5. Community corrections
  6. Jails and prisons

Eugene Paoline

  1. Policing
  2. Police culture
  3. Police use of force
  4. Criminal justice theory
  5. Attitudes of criminal justice practitioners
  6. Administration of criminal justice
  7. Nature of crime
  8. Quantitative methods
  9. Systematic social observation
  10. Police and society
  11. Police management and investigation

Roberto Hugh Potter

  1. Justice system decision-making
  2. Justice system program evaluation
  3. Correctional health
  4. Substances/mental health/harm reduction
  5. Discipline impacts on justice systems research and education
  6. Social realities and justice systems

Kenneth Michael Reynolds

  1. Criminal justice policy
  2. Information technology
  3. Crime analysis
  4. Police and society
  5. Crime mapping
  6. Civil rights
  7. Intelligence analysis
  8. International criminal justice
  9. Therapeutic jurisprudence

Lee Ross

  1. Criminal justice systems
  2. Minorities and the criminal justice system
  3. Crime theory
  4. Domestic violence
  5. Victimology
  6. Scholarship of teaching and learning
  7. Religion and crime
  8. Intimate partner homicide
  9. Critical Race Theory

Joseph Sanborn

  1. Juvenile justice
  2. Criminal procedure
  3. Criminal courts and law
  4. Human rights
  5. Sentencing
  6. Civil rights

Ray Surette

  1. Media, crime and criminal justice
  2. Copycat crimes
  3. CCTV and public surveillance
  4. Crime prevention
  5. Evaluation
  6. Survey research
  7. Statistical analysis
  8. Criminology

Cory Watkins

  1. Crime mapping and analysis
  2. Police technology
  3. Police effectiveness
  4. Police and society
  5. Criminology
  6. Evaluation research

Ross Wolf

  1. Police training
  2. Police administration
  3. University police
  4. International police
  5. Tourism policing
  6. Police and society
  7. Police management and investigating
  8. Ethics
  9. Terrorism
  10. Police use of force

CJ Highlights

  • Renee Washington

    (B.S. in criminal justice, minor in information technology, certificate in crime analysis and crime mapping, '09)

    "...the internships I had while attending UCF were instrumental in preparing me for my career." — Renee Washington

    Washington is a full-time associate industrial security representative at Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control in Ocala, Fla.

  • Ross Wolf

    Associate Professor Ross Wolf was one of two recipients of UCF's Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 2010. He came to UCF in 1999 and since then has participated in countless committees within the department, the College of Health and Public Affairs, and the university. He has served on the UCF Alumni Association board of directors and as faculty adviser to Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the American Criminal Justice Association. Wolf also serves as a division chief in the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

  • Marva Ellington

    Marva Ellington received UCF's Award for Excellence in Professional Academic Advising in 2010. She is responsible for academic advising of two the largest programs in the College of Health and Public Affairs. She mentors students, listens carefully to student issues and concerns, and assists students in looking ahead and exploring options for growth and self-development. Ellington is a strong advocate for students and looks for solutions in her work that support students, departments and the university.

  • Tom Stroup: Inspiring School Pride

    Tom Stroup, '09 (Criminal Justice Master's Degree), was one of the hosts of the NBC show called School Pride, which aired Fall 2010 that had Cheryl Hines ’90 as an executive producer. Each week, the show empowered communities as cast and crew members to renovate a rundown school and watch as student pride grew. Every episode featured touching personal stories of children, parents and teachers experiencing the amazing transformations of their school grounds and athletic fields. The show also invited viewers to watch for surprise celebrity appearances. For more information, visit www.nbc.com/school-pride.