High incarceration rates may not help U.S. citizens feel safer
Jul 13, 2022
The U.S. is the world leader in incarceration rates, spending $80 billion a year to imprison two million people. But despite these practices aiming to help Americans feel safer, a new Penn State study suggests they may not result in the intended effect. In a study comparing feelings of safety in…News Topics: PRICriminology
New EIC podcast on the PA juvenile justice system
Apr 7, 2022
We spoke to Megan Kurlychek, professor of sociology, criminology and public policy and associate director of the Criminal Justice Research Center at Penn State, and Rick Steele, executive director of the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission at the Pennsylvania Commonwealth, about their work in the…
Parents more lenient about alcohol with teens who experience puberty early
Apr 29, 2021
Parents of teens who went through puberty early may be more lenient when it comes to letting them consume alcohol, according to a new Penn State study. But the researchers said that even if adolescents appear more mature, drinking alcohol is still not safe for them. Rebecca Bucci, a doctoral…
GIS technology helps map out how America's mafia networks were 'connected
Apr 13, 2021
At its height in the mid-20th century, American organized crime groups, often called the mafia, grossed approximately $40 billion each year, typically raising that money through illegal or untaxed activities, such as extortion and gambling. A team of researchers used geographic information systems…News Topics: SociologyCriminology
Barriers to health care for violence victims
Oct 30, 2020
Violence is a serious health concern and is one of the leading causes of death for adults under the age of 45 in the United States. Among those who are injured during a violent crime, only half of those who need medical treatment use health care services. Penn State researchers are exploring…News Topics: CriminologyViolence
Why Social Science? Because It Can Teach Police Nonviolence and How to Work with Local Residents
Jun 30, 2020
By Kirssa Cline Ryckman, Jennifer Earl, Jessica Maves Braithwaite, University of Arizona Police have a saying, “better to be judged by 12 than carried by six,” acknowledging they might face a jury if they use excessive force, but it’s preferable to being killed in the line of duty. Many police …
New podcast bridges the gap between academia and policymakers
Mar 20, 2020
How can academia and government work together to tackle problems? That’s the question that a new podcast launched by the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative, a unit of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute, is trying to answer. The podcast, aptly titled the “Evidence-to-Impact Podcast,” …
Columbia University researchers to present talk based on sexual-assault research
Feb 20, 2020
Columbia University professors Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan will share their research into what college students want out of sexual encounters and how misunderstandings about sexual encounters may potentially translate into sexual assault, at a free, public talk taking place 6:30-7:30 p.m.,…
New project to track post-prison trajectories of men living with addiction
Oct 31, 2019
Despite widespread national attention, the opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance use and misuse continue to deeply affect communities across Pennsylvania and throughout the nation. The impact of the opioid crisis and other substance abuse problems hits even harder for people grappling…
Short to deliver De Jong Lecture in Social Demography on Nov. 21
Oct 29, 2019
Susan Short, professor of sociology and director of the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, will deliver the 14th annual De Jong Lecture in Social Demography at 9 a.m. Nov. 21 at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s University Park campus. Short’s research focuses on…
Career expo to feature on crime, law, and policy agencies and organizations
Oct 16, 2019
The Criminal Justice Research Center will be hosting its inaugural crime, law, and policy-focused career expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center. The Government and Public Sector Career Expo will allow students to access various agencies and organizations…
Trustees approve architect for Liberal Arts research and teaching building
Jul 19, 2019
The appointment of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ) of Wilkes‐Barre, Pennsylvania, as architect for the Liberal Arts Research and Teaching Building to be constructed on the University Park campus was approved today (July 18) by the Penn State Board of Trustees. BCJ was selected based on its work with…
Biases may stoke victim blaming, or reduce it, no matter what the crime
Jun 25, 2018
General biases may be at work when people blame or criticize victims of crimes, including rape and robbery victims, according to criminologists. These biases may lead them to criticize, or avoid the criticism of victims of rape and other crimes, they added. In two studies on the role biases play in…News Topics: CriminologyResearch
Felmlee and Kreager bring together social science subfields in new publication
May 14, 2018
PRI research associates Diane Felmlee, professor of sociology, and Derek Kreager, director of the Justice Center for Research and professor of sociology and criminology, along with their colleague Duane Alwin, director of the Center for Life Course and Longitudinal Studies and McCourtney Professor…
Ramey receives Roy C. Buck Award
Apr 18, 2018
David Ramey, PRI associate and assistant professor of sociology and criminology, was recently selected as the Roy C. Buck Award recipient for his paper titled, "The influence of early school punishment and therapy/medication on social control experiences during young adulthood”, published in…
Former U.S. Census director Robert Groves to present Clogg Lectures
Mar 19, 2018
Robert M. Groves, executive vice president and provost and Gerard J. Campbell S.J. Professor in the Department of Math and Statistics and the Department of Sociology at Georgetown University, will present the 2018 Clifford C. Clogg Memorial Lectures on March 26 and 27 at the Penn State University…