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College of Public Service

Criminal Justice Faculty - Stephanie Karas

Stephanie Karas

Lecturer

Office: C-330B

karass@uhd.edu

Scholarships

I currently serve as a Lecturer for the Department of Criminal Justice here at UHD and I am an ABD doctoral candidate finishing my Ph.D. at Sam Houston State University. I have worked in higher education for 6+ years, with much of my time focused on teaching, advising, and all things student-related, and I am very passionate about what I do. Prior to coming to UHD, I taught at Sam Houston State University, California State University – Chico, and Boise State University. I have taught everything from Introduction to Criminal Justice to Senior Seminar and most main content areas in between (Policing, Criminal Law, Corrections, Juvenile Justice, Justice System Administration, Crime Policy, Media and Crime, etc.). I have a strong focus on students in my classes and aim to see them grow in their knowledge and critical assessment of our criminal justice system.

Additionally, most of the research that I do is qualitative and/or legal in nature. Much of my research and publications have been directed towards issues of political and legal limitations placed on ex-felons, the political nature of crime policy formation, and more recently, assessing the "Ferguson Effect" in the media on the role of police in society and on race relations between citizens and police. The later become the main focus for my dissertation, which aims to qualitatively assess police perceptions of such an effect in the Houston area.

Sam Houston State University        ABD (Ph.D. Expected 2016)          Criminal Justice

Boise State University                     M.A.                            Criminal Justice

CSU, Chico                                     B.A.                             Political Science

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My research interests focus primarily on media, law/policy, and policing. Additionally, most of the research that I do is qualitative and/or legal in nature. Much of my research and publications have been directed towards issues of political and legal limitations placed on ex-felons, the political nature of crime policy formation, and more recently, assessing the "Ferguson Effect" in the media on the role of police in society and on race relations between citizens and police. The later become the main focus for my dissertation, which aims to qualitatively assess police perceptions of such an effect in the Houston area.

​CJ 1301 – Crime, Law, and Society (in-person)
CJ 3306 – Crime and Delinquency (online and in-person)
CJ 4309 – Media and Crime (hybrid)
CJ 4370 – Senior Seminar (online) 

​PUBLICATIONS​

Hemmens, C. & Karas, S. (2011). Supreme Court 2010 point-counterpoint: Kentucky v. King: The Supreme Court invites unwarranted police entry. Criminal Justice Studies, 24, 321-327.

Karas, S. (Online First). Book Review: Trading Democracy for Justice: Criminal Convictions and the Decline of Neighborhood Political Participation. Criminal Justice Review. DOI:10.1177/0734016815615187.
MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW

Karas, S. & Oliver, W.M. "The president's black box unveiled: Presidential use of statements of administration policy for crime policy." Under review at the Journal of Criminal Justice.

Campagna, M., Foster. C., Karas, S., Stohr M., & Hemmens, C. "Felon disenfranchisement and the denial of participation in social discourse: A statutory analysis." Under review at Corrections: Policy, Practice, and Research.


PRESENTATIONS

Karas, S. & Oliver, W. (2016). The president's black box unveiled: Presidential use of statements of administration policy for crime policy. Paper presented at the 53rd annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Denver, CO.

Campagna, M, Foster, C., Karas, S., Stohr, M., & Hemmens, C. (2015). Felon disenfranchisement and the denial of participation in social discourse: A statutory analysis. Paper presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Orlando, FL.

Karas, S. (2014). Felon disenfranchisement and the Fourteenth Amendment: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Poster presented at the 70th annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA.

Diamond, B., Caudill, J., Trulson, C., & Karas, S. (2013). Gauging gang affiliation's consistency as a 'master status'. Paper presented at the 50th annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Dallas, TX.

Hemmens, C., & Karas, S. (2012). Supreme Court 2010 point-counterpoint: Kentucky v. King: The Supreme Court invites unwarranted police entry. Paper presented at the 49th annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New York, NY.

AWARDED

2016-2017 Faculty Teaching Fellows

University of Houston-Downtown – Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence

NOMINATED

2015-2016 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award

Association of American Colleges and Universities

2014-2015 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award 

Sam Houston State University - Office of Graduate Studies​

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Last updated 3/8/2019 5:21 AM