Tara Richards
Dr. Tara Nicole Richards
- Public Affairs and Community Service, Criminology and Criminal Justice
General Information
Biography
Dr. Richards' research focuses on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and the role of gender in criminal justice system processes. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, and her research has been cited by outlets including BuzzFeed News, the Huffington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and NPR. 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
intimate partner violence, sexual assault, criminological theory, statistics, and qualitative methods
Research Interests
intimate partner violence, sexual assault, campus sexual misconduct, and the role of gender in criminal justice system processes
Service Summary
Richards is an active member of the American Society of Criminology's Division on Women and Crime (DWC) previously serving as an Associate Editor for the Newsletter, an Executive Counselor, the Chair of the External Awards Committee, and a Committee Member for both the Student Paper Competition Committee and Outreach Committee. She consistently review manuscripts for an array of criminology and women's studies journals and serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Women and Criminal Justice, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. She also serves as a peer reviewer for the National Science Foundation and for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Violence Against Women (VAW) Standing Review Panel.
Awards and Honors
New Scholar Award, Scholarship/Research - 2014
Paper of the Year Finalist, Scholarship/Research - 2014
Education
Ph D, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Criminology, 2011
Scholarship/Research/Creative Activity
Publications
Richards, Tara. No evidence of “weaponized Title IX” here: An empirical assessment of sexual misconduct reporting, case processing, and outcomes , Law and Human Behavior.
Richards, Tara, Tillyer, Marie, Wright, Emily. When victims refuse and prosecutors decline: Examining exceptional clearance in sexual assault cases, Crime & Delinquency.
Richards, Tara, Branch, Kathryn, Fleury-Steiner, Ruth, Kafonek, Katherine. 2017. A Feminist analysis of campus sexual assault policies: Results from a national sample, Family Relations, 66, 1, 104-115.
Externally Funded Research
American Indian/Alaska Native Training Technical Assistance Program , U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) Grant Program , Federal, 01/01/2019 - 01/01/2022
Service
Department, College, and University
Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, Untenured Faculty Member, Committee Member, 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018
Additional Information
Education
Ph.D., Criminology, University of South FloridaResearch Interests
Victimology