Criminal Justice Department Office

Main Fax Number

Janice Ahmad, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice

Ph.D., Sam Houston State University, 2001

Interests: Women in Policing, Police Management Issues, and Crime Victims

Barbara Belbot, JD, Ph.D. 
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Sam Houston State University, 1995
M.P.H., University of Tx. Health Science Center, 1985 , JD University of Houston, 1980

Interests: Criminal Law and Procedure, Rights of Offenders, and Correctional Policy 

Emily R. Berthelot, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Louisiana State University, Department of Sociology, 2010

Interests: Criminology, Violent offending & victimization, Homicide Studies, Urban & Rural Crime, Cultures of Violence, Race/Ethnicity & Crime, Inequality & Crime, Macro Criminology, Public Health & Mortality, Quantitative Research Methods

Ashley Blackburn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Interests: Offender Behavior and Correctional Policy, Rights of Crime Victims, Victimization among Special Populations, Research Methods for CJ

Jennifer Chiotti, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Washington State University

Interests: Sex Offenders with an emphasis on Female Perpetrators, Gender and Justice, Violence Against Women, and Corrections.

Traqina Q. Emeka, Ph.D.
Assistant Chair
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D. Prairie View A&M University, 2007

Interests: Delinquency Theory, Juvenile Justice System, Corrections, Recidivism

Shannon Fowler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Interest: Victimology, violent victimization, and criminological theory

Krista S. Gehring, ABD
Lecturer in Criminal Justice
ABD, University of Cincinnati

Interests: Women offenders; Gender-Responsive Programs, Policies, and Practices; Corrections and Correctional Rehabilitation; Risk Assessment and Classification; and Criminological Theory.

Judith Harris, M.S.
Lecturer in Criminal Justice
MS, University of Houston-Downtown, 2005

Interests: Similarities and Differences of Prisoner Reentry Between England and America, Women on Death Row, Criminalization & Marginalization of Homeless in Urban Areas, and Institutionalization of Inmates.

Lance Hignite, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Sam Houston State University, 2007

Interests: Deviant subcultures, Campus crime, Fear of crime

Richard Hill, M.S.
Lecturer of Criminal Justice
M.S., Eastern Kentucky University, 1973

Interests: Organized Crime, Corporate Security, Organizational Management, and Criminal Investigations

Larry Karson, M.S.
Lecturer in Criminal Justice
M.S., National-Louis University, 1996

Interests: Management and Policing, Ethics, Enforcement History, and Smuggling in America

Mark Kellar, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Texas A & M, 1978

Interests: Jail Operations and Management and Policing

Marilyn McShane, Ph.D.
Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Sam Houston State University, 1985

Interests: Criminology, Criminal Justice Management, Punishment Philosophy, and History of Corrections.

Tomson H. Nguyen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, 2009

Interests: White-collar crime, Criminology, and Asian Gangs.

Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Pelz, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Public Service
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Sam Houston State University - Criminal Justice, 1988

Interests: Gangs, Inmate Social Control, Community-Based Corrections, Institutional Corrections, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, and Court Management

Clete Snell, Ph.D

Chair, Department of Criminal Justice

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1999

Interests: Juvenile Delinquency Theory, Juvenile Justice Policy, Youth Tobacco Laws and Programming, and Mental Health Issues in Criminal Justice

Hsiao-Ming Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Criminal Justice
Director, Bayou Connection Program
Ph.D., Sam Houston State University, 1998

Interests: International Issues in Criminal Justice, Statistics, Research Methods, White Collar Crime, and Security Management

Frank P. Williams III, Ph.D.
Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Florida State University, 1976

Interests: Program and Policy Evaluation Methods, Criminological Theory, Corrections, and Politics of Crime Trends/Crime Reporting