Faculty and Staff

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The Criminology and Criminal Justice Department has 6 full-time faculty members who are student centered. They will mentor and guide students through the program and assist with career planning. We also have two regular adjunct professors who assist us by teaching courses in their areas of expertise. Through their different backgrounds, educations, and research interests, each faculty member's contribution to our curriculum is unique. Faculty members' contact information and biographies are provided below. Consultation hours can be found here.

For general inquiries, please contact:
Kathy Dombeck, Department Secretary
211 Spotts World Culture Building
724.738.2421
724.738.4822 (fax)
Kathleen.Dombeck@sru.edu

David R. Champion, Ph.D. Chairperson

David R. Champion Professor
Department Chairperson
211F SWC Building
724.738.4462 (O)
david.champion@sru.edu

Dr. Champion is a founding member of the SRU CRIM department. His research interests include Integral Criminology and his teaching specializations are in policing, criminal justice ethics, and criminal behavior. He is Past President of both the Pennsylvania and Northeastern Regional affiliates of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Dr. Champion's professional experience includes juvenile justice treatment and military law enforcement as an Army Military Police officer and criminal investigator.

Education

Ph.D. 2001, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Criminology
M.A. 1997, Ball State University; Social Psychology
B.A. 1988; State University of New York College at Buffalo; Art

Research Interests

Integral Criminology
Criminal Psychology

Selected Publications

Champion, D.R. (2020). Narratives of crime: Narrative psychology and the Integral Theory perspective. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology, 12(1), 1-17.

Champion, D.R. (2020). Policing and ethics: Society, ethics, and the law: A reader. Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Champion, D.R. (2019). Integral criminology: Quadrant, levels, and lines of criminality. In Cooper, J.A. and Jachimowski, K. (Eds.). A closer look at criminal justice. Nova Science.

Champion, D.R. (2017). Policing as Myth: Narrative and Integral approaches to police identity and culture. International Journal of Criminology and Sociological Theory, 10 (1), 1-13. Retrieved from https://ijcst.journals.yorku.ca

Champion, D.R. (2017). Personality correlates of Criminal Entitlement as a function of Integral theory. Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal, 5(2), 1-3. doi: 10.15406/frcij.2017.05.00152

Yarnell, J., Kuehn, S. & Champion, D.R. (2014). Juvenile probationers and restitution payments: An evaluation of a restorative justice-based program in Northeastern Pennsylvania. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 2014 (3), 377-387. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.32

Cohen, J.W., Champion, D.R. & Martin, R. (2014). Gender and crime: Addressing threats to construct validity in criminological research. Global Journal of Human Social Sciences, 14 (6).

Martin, R., Cohen, J.W. & Champion, D.R. (2013). Conceptualization, operationalization, construct validity, and truth in advertising in criminological research. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology. 5, 1, 1-38.

Kerry Edwards, Ph.D.

Kerry Edwards Associate Professor
211H SWC Building
724.738.2424 (O)
kerry.edwards@sru.edu

Prior to coming to Slippery Rock University, Dr. Edwards was an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico. Her teaching experience includes courses in Criminology, Criminal Justice, and the Sociology of Work & Organizations. She was also a consultant in Organizational Development, Organizational Culture, and Equal Employment Opportunity in the Workplace.

Dr. Edwards has varied experience in the criminal justice field. She has worked on interagency taskforces in program implementation and program evaluation concerning law enforcement, courts, and correctional issues. Her work and research has addressed local/state/federal crime reduction initiatives, therapeutic jurisprudence, and reentry. She has also mentored parolees via a restorative justice reentry program. Her work experience also includes paralegal, juvenile probation/parole officer, workplace trainer & employment liaison for parolees, and federal investigator of the workplace.

Education

Ph.D. Sociology, University of New Mexico - Areas of specialty: Criminology/Criminal Justice and the Sociology of Work & Organizations.
M.A. Sociology, University of New Mexico;
B.A. Criminal Justice, University of New Mexico

Research Interests

Reentry
Restorative Justice
Therapeutic Jurisprudence
Criminal Justice Interventions
Intersection of Work and Crime
Intersection of Organizational Theory and the Criminal Justice System

Selected Publications

Edwards, K., Eaton-Stull, Y., and Kuehn, S. (2021). Police officer stress and coping in a stress-awareness era. Police Quarterly, 24(3), 325-356. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611120984162

Edwards, K. (2021). Prisoners' perspectives on limited rehabilitative program opportunities. The Qualitative Report, 26(4), 1128-1149. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4495

Eaton-Stull, Y.M., Kocherzat, K., & Edwards, K. (2021). Conversations for change: The impact of service-learning dialogues with incarcerated men on social work students. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 13(1), 18-26.

Kuehn, S. & Edwards, K. L. (2019). Juvenile justice in the United States and Germany: A comparative perspective. In J. A. Cooper and K. G. Jachimowski (Eds.), A closer look at criminal justice (pp. 247-272). New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

Edwards, K. L. (2014). Prison work: Transforming identity and reducing recidivism. In M. S. Crow and J. O. Smykla (Eds.), Offender reentry: Rethinking criminology and criminal justice (pp. 51-74). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Steele, P. D., Broidy, L.M., Daday, J., Damon, N., Denman, K., Edwards, K., Olson, C., Schellhamer, T., Ortiz, L., Salazar, V., & Khayoumi, S. (2005). The strategic approaches to community safety initiative in Albuquerque: Project activities and research results. Report to the National Institute of Justice (Document 220486). Washington, D.C.

Sarah Kuehn, Ph.D.

Sarah Kuehn Graduate Coordinator
Professor
211C SWC Building
724.738.4572 (O)
sarah.kuehn@sru.edu

Education

Ph.D. 2010, Simon Fraser University, Criminology
M.A., 2007, Simon Fraser University, Criminology
Diplom-Jurist (J.D. equivalent), 2004, Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), Law

Research Interests

Juvenile Justice
Community Corrections
Program Implementation and Evaluation
Public Perception of offenders and criminal justice issues

Selected Publications

Eaton-Stull, Y., Streidl, C., Leet, T., Kuehn, S., Koishal, C., & K. Crawford. (2024). A Comparative Study of Stress Reduction Groups with and without Therapy Dogs in a Rural Pennsylvania Jail. The Prison Journal, online before print, https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855241278331

Eaton-Stull, Y., Streidl, C., Jaffe, B., Kuehn, S., & A. Kaufman (2024). Animal-Assisted Stress Management for Veterinary Staff. Forthcoming in Health and Social Work.

Kuehn, S. & J. Vosgerau (2023). Once a Criminal, Always A Criminal: People Overestimate the Immorality of Formerly Incarcerated People. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 20, 269-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-022-09534-w

Kuehn, S., Shay, T., & A. Pierre-Louis (2022). Front Line Workers’ Perceptions of Youth with Mental Health Issues at a Residential Treatment Facility. Forthcoming in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation

Edwards, K., Eaton-Stull, Y., & S. Kuehn (2021). Police Officer Stress and Coping in a Stress-awareness Era. Police Quarterly. doi: 10.1177/1098611120984162

Ridener, R., S. Kuehn, & P. Scott (2019). Why Do Criminology and Criminal Justice Students Choose their Major? An Examination of Parental, Personality, and Other Individual Characteristics. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 1-22. doi:10.1080/10511253.2019.1650085

Kuehn, S. and K. Edwards (2019). Juvenile Justice in the United States and Germany: A Comparative Perspective. In J. Copper and K. Jachimowski (Eds.). A Closer Look at Criminal Justice (Chapter 12). Nova Science.

Kuehn, S., Champion, D., & J. Yarnell (2014). Restorative Justice and Victim Empathy in Juveniles: A Study of a Restorative Justice Program in a Northeastern Pennsylvania County. International Journal of Criminology & Sociology, 3, 377-387.

Corrado, R., Kuehn, S., and I. Margaritescu (2014). Policy issues regarding the over-representation of incarcerated Aboriginal young offenders in a Canadian context. Youth Justice, 14(1), 38-60. doi: 10.1177/1473225413520361

Kuehn, S. & R. Corrado (2011). Youth Probation Officers’ Interpretation and Implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act: A Case Study of Youth Justice in Canada. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 35(3), 221-241. doi: 10.1080/01924036.2011.591905

Rebecca Ridener, Ph.D.

Rebecca Ridener Associate Professor
724.738.4234 (O)
211B SWC Building
rebecca.ridener@sru.edu

Rebecca J. Ridener received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2010 and is an Associate Professor, Department Chairperson, and Internship Coordinator in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at Slippery Rock University. Her research focuses on criminological theory, corrections, student perceptions of crime, and program evaluation. Professor Ridener teaches in the areas of criminological theory corrections, and research methods.

Education

2010 Ph.D., Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati
2004 M.S., Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati
2002 B.A., Political Science, Emory University

Research Interests

Community Corrections
Correctional Rehabilitation
Families and Crime
Criminology
Biosocial Criminology
Life-Course Criminology
Early Intervention
Program Implementation and Evaluation

Selected Publications

Kuehn, S. & R. Ridener (2017). Do Criminology Classes Make a Difference? Changes in Perceptions of Punishment Over Time, Journal of Criminal Justice Education. doi: 10.1080/10511253.2017.1330963

Ridener, R. & S. Kuehn (2017). College Education, Major, or Criminology Classes? An Examination of What Drives Students' Level of Punitiveness. Criminal Justice Studies, 30(1), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/1478601X.2016.1269325

Kuehn, S. & R. Ridener (2016). Inside the Black Box: A Qualitative Evaluation of Participants' Experiences of A Drug Treatment Court. The Qualitative Report, 21(12), 2246-2267.

Ridener, R., & Kuehn, S. (2015). Butler county veterans court process evaluation. Butler, PA: Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Kuehn, S., & Schnupp, R. (2013). Butler county drug treatment court process evaluation. Butler, PA: Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Wright, J. P., Schnupp, R., Beaver, K. M., DeLisi, M., & Vaughn, M. G. (2012). Genes, maternal negativity, and self-control: Evidence of a gene X environment interaction. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 10(3), 245-260.

Schnupp, R. (2010). Le Blanc, Marc: An integrated personal control theory of deviant behavior. In Francis T. Cullen & Pamela Wilcox (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminological theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Vaske, J., Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., Boisvert, D., & Schnupp, R. (2009). An interaction between DAT1 and having an alcoholic father predicts serious alcohol problems in a sample of males. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 104, 17-22.

Jeffrey Roth, Ph.D.

Jeffrey Roth Associate Professor
211J SWC Building
724.738.4631 (O)
jeffrey.roth@sru.edu

Dr. Roth is an Associate Professor in the Criminology Department. His research interests include crime prevention, burglary, short term rentals, and property crime. His past projects have included interviewing burglars about their target choices, surveying residents about their home security, and analyzing whether short term rentals impact neighborhood crime. Before coming to Slippery Rock in 2018, Dr. Roth taught a variety of criminal justice courses at the New Kensington campus of Penn State University. He also spent several years working at a management consulting firm where he assisted with reviews of counterintelligence programs in FBI field offices.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Criminology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2013
M.S., Criminal Justice, Tiffin University, 2010

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Burglary
Crime Prevention
Short Term Rentals & Crime
Structural Predictors of Property Crime

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Reinhard, D. & Roth, J. J. (2024). Renting trouble? An analysis of crime and calls to police at addresses with different rental types. Crime Science, 13(35). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00232-8

Roth, J. J. (2021). Home sharing and crime across neighborhoods: An analysis of Austin, Texas. Criminal Justice Review, 46(1), 40-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734016820948947

Roth, J. J., Pierce, M., & Brewer, S. (2020). Performance and satisfaction of resident and distance students in videoconference courses. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 31(2), 296-310. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2020.1726423

Roth, J. J. (2019). Empty homes and property crime: Does vacancy type matter? American Journal of Criminal Justice, 44(5), 770-787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-019-9469-7

Roth, J.J. (2018). The role of perceived effectiveness in home security choices. Security Journal, 31(3). DOI 10.1057/s41284-017-0125-y

Roth, J.J. and Trecki, V. (2017). Burglary expertise: Comparing burglars to other offenders. Deviant Behavior, 38(2), 188-207. DOI 10.1080/01639625.2016.1196972

Roth, J. J. and Roberts, J. J. (2017). Now, later, or not at all: Personal and situational factors impacting burglars’ target choices. Journal of Crime and Justice, 40(2), 119-137. https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2015.1078253

Youngyol Yim Schanz, Ph.D.

Youngyol Yim Schanz Professor
211D SWC Building
724.738.4213 (O)
youngyol.schanz@sru.edu

Youngyol Yim Schanz is a professor in the Criminology & Criminal Justice Program at Slippery Rock University, PA. She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Criminology, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests are domestic violence, gender & race issues, drugs and alcohol, police and community relations, criminological theory testing and criminal justice education. She has published several articles in peer-review journals; "A Cross Cultural Analysis of Domestic Violence in a Minority Community and Police Response: A Case Study on Hmong Offenders," "Police and their perceived image: How community influence officers' job satisfaction," "Girls, why do you want to become police officers?: Career goals/choices among criminal justice undergraduates," "Attitudes toward punishment among criminal justice undergraduates." She has also published several book reviews. She teaches various courses including research methods, statistical methods, women & criminal justice, crime & media, introduction to criminal justice.

Education

Ph.D. at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania; Criminology, 2001
M.A. at Wichita State University, Kansas; Administration of Justice, 1995
B.S. at Dankook University, Seoul, South Korea; Textile Engineering, 1991

Research Interests

Domestic violence
Police & Community Relations
Gender Issues
Comparative Criminal Justice
Testing of Criminological Theories
Criminal Justice Education

Selected Publications

Schanz, Y. (2017). The Relationship between Aggression and Self-Esteem among Prison Inmates. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 26(9), 989-1005.

Kenyon, S., & Schanz, Y. (2014). Sex trafficking : examining links to prostitution and the routine activity theory. International Journal of Criminology & Sociology, 3: 61-76.

Schanz Y. (2013). Criminology/Criminal Justice (C& CJ) programs in higher education in the U.S. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 8 (2): 105-119.

Schanz, Y. (2012). Does race really matter?: Career goals, perceptions of criminal justice practitioners and competence among criminal justice undergraduates. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 1(3): 160-170.

Champion, D., Harvey, P., & Schanz, Y. (2011). Day reporting centers and recidivism: comparing offender groups in a western Pennsylvania county study. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation

Youngyol Yim (2009). Girls, why do you want to become police officers?: Career goals/choices among criminal justice undergraduates. Women & Criminal Justice. 19(2), 120-136.

Youngyol Yim & Bryan Schafer (2009). Police and their perceived image: How community influences officers' job satisfaction. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 10(1), 17-29.

Youngyol Yim (2008). Attitudes toward punishment among criminal justice undergraduates. Professional Issues in Criminal Justice, 3(3), 65-82.

Youngyol Yim (2006). A cross cultural analysis of domestic violence in a minority community and police response: A case study on Hmong offenders. International Journal of Comparative & Applied Criminal Justice, 30 (1), 49-74.

Kathy Dombeck, Secretary

Office: 724.738.2084
Fax: 724.738.4822
211 SWC Building
724.738.2421
kathleen.dombeck@sru.edu

Kathy Dombeck has been the Criminology and Criminal Justice secretary since the fall of 2006. She enjoys working with the faculty and the students of her department. Kathy loves spending time with her family and her pets. She also enjoys reading in her spare time.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Faculty and Staff

Criminology and Criminal Justice

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