Professor Lauren Katz Smith from the Kline Law School partnered with Criminology and Justice Studies Professors Clare Strange and Jordan Hyatt to launch the Drexel Justice Collaborative which supports the development of evidence-based policy and legislation in the justice and correctional spaces through rigorous research and meaningful front-line community engagement.
Research is of crucial importance to the field of criminal justice, helping to ensure that the industry keeps pace with the constant evolution of society and technology. The Drexel Department of Criminology and Justice Studies faculty experts are internationally and nationally recognized for the research they conduct across a wide range of challenging topics.
Examples of faculty research projects
Jordan Hyatt, PhD, conducts research in corrections and reentry focuses on the evaluation of innovative criminal justice interventions with an emphasis on randomized experiments. Through the program assessments with strong partnerships with practitioners, Hyatt works to develop effective and actionable criminal justice policies. Hyatt’s work is relevant for agencies with policy agendas focused on improving reintegration, public safety, and implementing evidence-based policies. He is the co-principal investigator of the Little Scandinavia Prison Project.
Robert Kane, PhD, has conducted a randomized controlled trial that examined the effects of the Taser on cognitive functioning.
Robert D’Ovidio, PhD, conducted a federally funded study of identity theft related to corporate data breaches.
C. Clare Strange, PhD, recipient of a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to study whether Pennsylvania’s work to revise its sentencing guidelines over the last decade has succeeded in creating a more equitable justice system. The five-year project, titled 'A Statewide Mixed-methods Evaluation of Pennsylvania’s 8th Edition Sentencing Guidelines and their Impacts on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing Outcomes,' is funded under the National Institute of Justice's W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program of research on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system.
Undergraduate Research
Though their research interests are varied, our criminology and justice studies research faculty all share the same goal of including undergraduate students in their research projects. This can be accomplished in a number of ways: Students may take an independent study with a faculty member to work on their research project over an academic term; or they may get hired by the faculty member for a research co-op to work on a funded project. Students may also partner with a Criminology and Justice Studies faculty member as part of the Drexel University STAR Scholars program.
The benefits of undergraduate students conducting criminal justice research with faculty are vast. First, for students with an interest in graduate school, it gives them an opportunity to collect and analyze data as part of an actual research project, often as a member of a larger research team, which makes them more competitive and competent during the graduate school application process.
For all students, conducting research with faculty more fully develops their knowledge of research methods, analysis, and a specialized substantive area (e.g., policing, technology and crime, urban victimization, etc.), which enhances their overall educational experience.
Finally, students who work on faculty research project typically become more engaged with their academic department, leading to productive working relationships with faculty outside the classroom, and more detailed and positive letters of recommendation upon graduation. Many of our undergraduate students can attest to the importance of research in criminal justice as part of their degree program.
Learn More About the Criminology and Justice Studies Degree
Ready to get started with criminology and justice studies research? Visit the BS in Criminology and Justice Studies page to learn more.