Tara Richards

Biography

Dr. Richards' research and teaching focuses on prevention, intervention, and system responses to sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect. Some of her recent research has been featured in Criminology & Public Policy, Justice Quarterly, and Crime & Delinquency; her research has been utilized in outlets such as The New York Times, Mother Jones, Huff Post, and The Boston Globe. Richards has received external research funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Victims of Crime, and National Institutes of Health.Richards is a Faculty Lead for SCCJ’s Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab (VVSRL) – the mission of the VVSRL is to conduct research related to crime victims and crime victimization, inform policy and practice, and help shape prevention and intervention efforts. She is also a passionate teacher who aims to empower her students to grow as critical thinkers and be forces for positive change in the criminal-legal and victim service systems.

Teaching Interests

domestic/intimate partner violence| sexual assault | substance use, mental illness, trauma, and the criminal justice system | victimology

Research Interests

domestic/intimate partner violence | sexual assault | campus sexual misconduct| the role of sex/gender in victimization and criminal justice system processes

Service Summary

Richards is an Associate Editor for the journal Victims & Offenders and a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Experimental Criminology and the Journal of Women and Criminal Justice. She is also an active member of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and ASC's Division of Victimology (DOV) and Division on Women and Crime (DWC).Richards serves as a standing peer reviewer for the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice. She serves on the Douglas County Sexual Assault Response Team, Domestic Violence Community Response Team, and the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Working Group. She is also the site coach for Nebraska's Justice Reinvestment Grant, an initiative by the Nebraska Board of Parole and Division of Parole Supervision focused on advancing best practices to support the rights of crime victims. Richards coordinates the Nebraska Victim Assistance Academy, a 40-hour accredited training for victim advocates and allied professionals across the state.

Awards and Honors

Faculty Researcher of the Year - 2021

Paper of the Year Finalist, Scholarship/Research - 2014

New Scholar Award, Scholarship/Research - 2014

Education

Ph D, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Criminology, 2011

Selected Publications

Branscum, C, Richards, Tara. 2022. An updated examination of the predictors of running away from foster care in the United States and trends over ten years (2010-2019)., Child abuse & neglect, 129, 105689.

Richards, Tara, Gillespie, L.K., Claxton, T.. 2021. Examining incidents of sexual misconduct reported to Title IX coordinators: Results from New York’s institutions of higher education, Journal of School Violence.

Murphy, C, Richards, Tara, Nitsch, L, Green-Manning, A, Brokmeier, A.M., Holliday, C.N.. 2021. Evaluation of a community-informed batterer intervention program in a high-stress low-income urban context, Psychology of Violence.

Richards, Tara, Wright, Emily, Nystrom, Alyssa, Glibert, Sheena, Branscum, Caralin. 2021. On Assessing the Scope of Missing Native Americans in Nebraska: Results from a State-Wide Study and Recommendations for Future Research, Race and Justice.

Richards, Tara, Nix, Justin, Mourtgos, Scott, Adams, Ian. 2021. Comparing 911 and Emergency Hotline Calls for Domestic Violence in Seven Cities: What Happened When People Started Staying Home Due to COVID-19?, Criminology & Public Policy , 20, 3, 573-591.

Externally Funded Research

A Descriptive Analysis of Missing and Murdered Native Women and Children in Nebraska, Barriers to Reporting and Investigation, and Recommendations for Improving Access to Justice, National Institute of Justice, Federal, 01/01/2020 - 12/31/2021

Co-Located Supportive Services to Reduce Recidivism in Batterer Intervention, U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women Research and Evaluation, Universities, 11/01/2019 - 10/31/2020

MN Sexual Assault Kit Project, National Institute of Justice, Federal, 09/01/2021 - 12/31/2022

Seattle DVIP OVW, U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Research and Evaluation, Federal, 11/01/2021 - 10/31/2023

Department, College, and University

Doctoral Comprehensive Exam Committee (Systems), Committee Chair, 01/01/2021 - 12/31/2021