Tara Richards
General Information
Biography
Dr. Richards' research focuses on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and the role of gender in criminal justice system processes. Some of her recent research has been featured in Justice Quarterly, Crime & Delinquency, and Law and Human Behavior and she has been interviewed by outlets such as Mother Jones, Huff Post, and the Boston Globe. Richards has received funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, and Office of Victims of Crime. 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 | substance use, mental illness, trauma, and the criminal justice system | victimology
Research Interests
intimate partner violence | sexual assault | campus sexual misconduct| the role of gender in victimization and criminal justice system processes
Service Summary
Richards is an active member of the American Society of Criminology's Division on Women and Crime (DWC). She is the current Vice Chair of the DWC, and has previously served 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 reviews manuscripts for an array of criminology and gender studies journals and serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Experimental Criminology and the Journal of Women and Criminal Justice. She also serves as a peer reviewer for the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice. Richards serves on the Douglas County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Domestic Violence Community Response Team (DV CRT), and the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Working Group.
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
Selected Publications
Dolamore, Stephanie, Richards, Tara. 2020. Assessing the organizational culture of higher education institutions in an era of #MeToo. , Public Administration Review.
Nix, Justin, Richards, Tara, Pinchevsky, Gillian, Wright, Emily. 2019. Are Domestic Incidents Really More Dangerous to Police? Findings from the 2016 National Incident Based Reporting System, Justice Quarterly.
Richards, Tara, Tillyer, Marie, Wright, Emily. 2019. When Victims Refuse and Prosecutors Decline: Examining Exceptional Clearance in Sexual Assault Cases, Crime & Delinquency, 65, 4, 474-498.
Richards, Tara. 2019. No evidence of “weaponized Title IX” here: An empirical assessment of sexual misconduct reporting, case processing, and outcomes , Law and Human Behavior, 43, 2, 180-192.
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
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 - 06/30/2021
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
Co-Located Supportive Services to Reduce Recidivism in Batterer Intervention, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) Research and Evaluation, Universities, 11/01/2019 - 10/31/2020
Douglas County, Nebraska Sexual Assault Kit Research Project, National Institute of Justice, Federal - present
Service
Department, College, and University
Deoctoral Program Committee, Committee Member, 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018
Judicial Committee, Committee Member, 01/01/2019 - 12/31/2019
Additional Information
Education
Ph.D., Criminology, University of South FloridaResearch Interests
Victimology