Ph.D. Alumni

Doctoral Program Graduates

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice admitted its first cohort of doctoral students in 1994. Since that time, a number of students have earned their doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Nebraska. The recipients of the School’s highest degree are listed below, along with the title of their dissertation and the faculty member who served as their dissertation chair. 

photo of Dr. Tusty ten Bensel at graduation

Tusty ten Bensel (far right), receiving her doctoral degree in criminology and criminal justice

Student Dissertation Title Chair
2017
H. Daniel Butler Improving Model Specification in Quantitative Studies of Inmate Deviance Benjamin Steiner
Jared Ellison An Opportunity Model of  Victimization Risk for Jail Inmates and Correctional Officers Benjamin Steiner
2016

Karyn Sporer Families and Their Aggressive Children with Mental Illness Pete Simi
2015
Danielle Bailey Diffusion of Shame: Experiences of Sex Offender Family Support Networks. Lisa Sample
Robert Lytle American Criminal Justice Policy Change: An Example Using Sex Offender Registration and Notification Laws. Lisa Sample
Dana Radatz Domestic Violence, Batterer Intervention, and Effective Correctional Programming Emily Wright
Trisha Rhodes Police Culture at a Crossroads: An Analysis of Police in Schools Sam Clinkinbeard
2014
Bryan Bubolz Once a gang member always a gang member?  A life history study of gang desistance.

Pete Simi
2013

 

 

Connie Koski

Neighborhood informal social control, race, and gentrification: An ethnographic axploration. 

Pete Simi

Sandra Petersen

Perception of violence on the Pine Ridge American Indian Reservation and the role of perceived poverty and isolation in those perceptions.

Lisa Sample

Abby Vandenberg

The development of a statistical model to predict parole outcome in Nebraska.

Lisa Sample

Timbre Wulf-Ludden

Pseudo-Families and institutional misconduct in a women's prison:  A test of General Strain Theory.

Robert Meier
2012

 

 

Mary Evans

Differences in delinquency among children with and without learning disabilities: A meta-analysis.

Amy Anderson

Benjamin Gibbs

Equitable deterrence: The effects of consistently applied graduated sanctions in drug court.

William Wakefield

Michael Harrington

Examining the construct of prison adjustment.

Robin Ogle

Yanhua Liu

Felony sentencing in Washington state, 2000-2004: A multilevel study of individual and contextual effects.

Lorine Hughes

Tusty Zohra

The collective nature of sexual violence: A comparative case study analysis of Bosnia and Sierra Leone.

Lisa Sample
2011

 

 

William T. Morris

Breaking the criminogenic code: A frame analysis of Neo-Nazi and violent Jihadi propaganda.

Pete Simi

Ann Stacey Reeser

The tipping point to terrorism: Involvement in right-wing terrorist groups in the United States.

Pete Simi
2010

 

 

Scott Chenault

An ethnographic examination of correctional officer culture in a Midwestern state.

Pete Simi

Dae-Young Kim

The impact of globalization and technological innovations on crime and punishment in the United States, 1945-2007.

Candice Batton
2009

 

 

Esperanze Camargo

Family violence under a multicultural perspective in Colombia.

Jon Crank

James H. Geistman Jr.

Attitudes of criminal justice and other majors toward the crime of stalking.

Robin Ogle

Ibrahim Ferzan 

The perceptions of Turkish police captains about the use of techniques of neutralization by Turkish offenders.

Miriam DeLone

Denise L. Olsen

The sentencing recommendation of the probation officer. What does it really mean?: Findings from one small county in California.

Lisa Sample

Ibrahim Mese

Does sex make a difference? The study of gender differences in crime in Turkey.

Miriam DeLone

Jawjeong Wu

Immigration, race/ethnicity, and differential sentencing: An examination of the effects of citizenship status on sentencing outcomes in federal courts.

Miriam DeLone
2008

 

 

Blythe Bowman

Transitional crimes against culture: Looting at archaeological sites and the grey market in antiquities.

Pete Simi

William McCarty

Trailers and trouble? An examination of crime, calls for service, and community ties in mobile home communities.

Lisa Sample

Michael Seredycz

Effectiveness of an access to recovery (ATR) Lake City offender reentry programs.

William Wakefield

Katherine M. Tellis

When the bedroom is the crime scene: Contextualizing intimate partner rape.

Pete Simi
2007

 

 

Steven J. Briggs

People and places: An examination of searches during traffic stops in Minneapolis.

Miriam DeLone

Brett Garland

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment among non-custody prison staff: A comparative analysis.

Jihong Zhao

Suzanne M. Godboldt

Exploring community effects on domestic violence through a social disorganization perspective.

Amy Anderson

Trent Ikerd

Examining the institutionalization of problem-oriented policing: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department as a case study.

Samuel Walker

Amy L. Poland

Got training? The effect of mental health training on the attitudes and behaviors of direct care workers in a residential facility for juvenile offenders.

Miriam DeLone

Eric J. Wodahl

The efficacy of graduated sanctions in reducing technical violations among probationers and parolees: An evaluation of the Wyoming Department of Corrections Intensive Supervision Program.

Robin Ogle

Ruohui Zhao

Determinants of anomie: A cross-national study.

Jihon Zhao

Jill M. Fort

Why are more women being incarcerated? An examination of the decision making involved in sentencing.

Robin Ogle
2006

 

 

William Crawley

Substance abuse and dependency disorders in the criminal justice system: An exploratory examination of the validity, efficacy and influences on self-report methodologies utilized via diagnostic screening instrumentation in criminal justice institutionalized populations.

William Wakefield

Gayle Iles

America's forgotten paradise: An assessment of sentencing decisions and outcomes in the United States Virgin Islands.

Cassie Spohn

Elizabeth A. Maier (Elliott)

Juvenile justice by geography: Dispositions in mixed and specialized jurisdictions in Nebraska.

Cassie Spohn

Samantha O'Hara

Making a federal case out of it: Prosecutorial discretion and the United States sentencing guidelines in a multi-district study.

Cassie Spohn

Ling Ren

Rethinking the crime drop in the United States during the 1990s: An examination of competing theoretical perspectives.

Ineke Marshall,
Jihong Zhao
2005

 

 

Jeremy Ball

The effect of offender characteristics on plea bargaining: Testing an integrated theory.

Cassie Spohn

Erika Davis-Frenzel

Issues in the measurement of sentencing outcomes: Implications for research on sex disparity in sentencing.

Cassie Spohn

Mark Foxall

Latino homicides: The influence of residential segregation.

Cassie Spohn

Christopher L. Gibson 

A psychometric investigation of a self-control scale: The reliability and validity of Grasmick et al.'s scale for a sample of incarcerated male offenders.

Ineke Marshall

Richard  Hartley

Type of counsel and its effects on criminal court outcomes in a large Midwestern jurisdiction: Do you get what you pay for?

Cassie Spohn

Kimberly D. Hassell 

A cross-precinct analysis of police patrol practices and the negotiations of order among patrol.

Jihong Zhao

Dawn Irlbeck

Patterns of questioning during traffic stops: A study of possible racial/ethnic profiling.

Samuel Walker

Sean Maddan

Sex offenders as outsiders: A reexamination of the labeling perspective utilizing current sex offender registration and notification policies.

Ineke Marshall

Rebecca Murray 

An assessment of the effects of liquor-serving establishments on crime focusing on blocks with bars, blocks behind bars and blocks around bars.

Dennis Roncek

Tracy Nobiling

A tale of two cities: The effect of offender's employment status on sentence severity in Chicago and Kansas City.

Cassie Spohn

Steve Wilson

Determining the correlates of police victimization: An analysis of social disorganization and organizational level factors on injurious assaults.

Jihong Zhao
2004

 

 

Shentell, Auffart

The sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine under the federal sentencing guidelines: The impact and ramifications on equal protection and due process.

Cassie Spohn

Michael J. Elbert

The correlates of supervised release outcomes in a federal jurisdiction: A comparison of offenders who were revoked and successfully terminated under the United States sentencing guidelines from 1998—2002.

Cassie Spohn

Amanda J. Mathias

Juvenile sexual assault victims and their decisions not to cooperate with the prosecution: A look at San Diego.

Samuel Walker

Judy L. Porter

Perceptions of social incivilities in the surroundings of elderly-only and mixed population high-rise public housing.

Dennis Roncek
2003

 

 

Dawn M. Beichner

Prosecutorial charging decisions in sexual assault cases: Examining the impact of a specialized unit.

Cassie Spohn

Molly Brown

Similarities and differences in sentencing decisions of men and women judges in Cook County Circuit.

Cassie Spohn

Marc L. Swatt

Short-term forecasting of crime for small geographic areas.

Dennis Roncek
2002

 

 

Carol A. Archbold

Innovations in police accountability: An exploration study of risk management and police legal advising.

Samuel Walker

Leigh Herbst

The impact of new immigration patterns on the provision of police services in Midwestern communities.

Samuel Walker

Jennifer Johnson

The person in context: The impact of early onset criminality on high risk for violence situations.

Julie Horney

T. Hank Robinson

Towards bridging the gap between micro and macro levels of analysis in criminology.

Ineke Marshall

Terrence Taylor

The dynamics of social control during the adolescent life-course.

Finn Esbensen

Keith A. Wilmot

Prosecutorial discretion and real offense sentencing under the federal sentencing guidelines: An analysis of relevant conduct.

Cassie Spohn

Dana Peterson

"Don't forget the women": A multi-level analysis of individual and contextual effects on girls' and boys' delinquency.

Finn Esbensen,
Julie Horney
2001

 

 

Kevin Cannon

The effect of gang membership on prison rule violations.

Dennis Roncek

Lori A. Guevera

Legal representation in the juvenile court: The interaction of race and counsel on juvenile court outcomes.

Cassie Spohn

David Holleran III

An examination of the variation in sentencing young black males across individual judges (Pennsylvania).

Cassie Spohn
2000

 

 

Paula M. Kautt

Separating and estimating the effects of the federal sentencing guidelines and the federal mandatory "minimums": Isolating the sources of racial disparity.

Cassie Spohn

Jessie L. Krienert

Testing an integrated model of masculinity and violence.

Julie Horney

Lorie L. Reubenser

Special units in policing: A case study of a nuisance task force.

Samuel Walker
1999

 

 

Jeffrey W. Spears

Diversity in the courtroom: A comparison of the sentencing decisions of black and white judges in Cook County Circuit Court.

Cassie Spohn

William Wells

The situational role of firearms in violent encounters.

Julie Horney
1998

 

 

Tricia L. Klosky

Testing integrated theoretical model of offender's perceptions of risk.

Ineke Marshall

Betsy W. Kreisel

An evaluation of police officers' perceptions of internal and external systems of citizen complaint procedures of police misconduct.

Samuel Walker

Roxann M Ryan

Prosecution strategies in domestic violence felonies: An exploration study.

Cassie Spohn
1997

 

 

Ni He

Testing an integrated Durkheimian modernization theory versus a dynamic Marxian economic theory: Pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis of international crime data.

Ineke Marshall

Charles Katz

Police and gangs: A study of a police gang unit.

Sam Walker