SFU Criminology hosted a two-night Criminology Alumni Series online event in collaboration with the SFU Criminology Student Association (CSA) on Tuesday, November 2, and Wednesday, November 3.

This two-night event featured SFU Criminology alumni who work in a range of fields such as corrections, policing, law, and higher education. It provided an opportunity for students to learn from alumni and gain insight into post-BA opportunities and career pathways.

Research Highlights:

OVERREPRESENTATION OF INDIGENOUS YOUTH IN CORRECTIONS

Professors Helene Love and Stephanie Wiley received funding from the Law Foundation of BC to examine overrepresentation of Indigenous youth across Canada’s justice systems. Their final report suggests two factors that may contribute to overrepresentation in BC: legislation regarding sentencing of Indigenous youth that lacked specificity, and sentencing practices that emphasized deterrence. It remains to be seen whether B.C.’s changes to legislation in 2021 will help reverse the upward trend in overrepresentation.

EXPLORING THE DEHUMANIZATION, VICTIMIZATION, CRIMINALIZATION, AND OVER-INCARCERATION OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN CANADA 

Michaela M. McGuire (Jaad Gudgihljiwah), of the G̲aag'yals K̲iiG̲awaay, citizen of the Haida Nation and PhD student in the School of Criminology, and lecturer Danielle J. Murdoch, have recently co-published an article in Punishment & Society: (In)-justice: An exploration of the dehumanization, victimization, criminalization, and over-incarceration of Indigenous women in Canada.

DECOLONIZING CRIMINOLOGY

Senior lecturer Danielle J. Murdoch and PhD student Michaela McGuire’s recent study, Decolonizing Criminology: Exploring Criminal Justice Decision-Making through Strategic Use of Indigenous Literature and Scholarship, explores how an instructor decolonized their course through the strategic use of Indigenous literature and scholarship.

MEN’S EXPERIENCES OF ABUSE

Associate professor Alexandra Lysova conducted research on men’s experiences of intimate partner abuse, supported by two grants in 2021-2022: CERi Community-Engaged Research Funding Program and SFU SSHRC. Results of her research on men’s experiences of abuse were published in 2021 along with MA student Kenzie Hanson and PhD student Eugene Dim.

• The Father, the Son, and the Abuser: The Portrayal of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Homicide in the News Media
• Male Victims’ Experiences with and Perceptions of the Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Abuse

In addition, Dr. Lysova was an invited speaker at the Momentum 2021: The Canadian National Men’s Issues Conference on December 11, 2021, where she presented the results of her research on men’s abuse experiences.

PERCEPTUAL EFFECTS OF PPE FOR POLICE

Assistant professor Rylan Simpson was featured as SFU's Scholarly Impact of the Week in 2021, as his research with PhD student Ryan Sandrin is helping police leaders make evidence-based decisions about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic.

The Scholarly Impact of the Week is chosen by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International, and celebrates scholarly milestones and research impacts from across the SFU research community.

Simpson and Sandrin’s most recent study, Public assessments of police during the COVID-19 pandemic: the effects of procedural justice and personal protective equipment, examines public assessments of police responsibility and performance during the pandemic using a procedural justice paradigm.

Similarly, another 2021 study, The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by police during a public health crisis: An experimental test of public perception, aims to test whether police are perceived favourably or not when using PPE, such as face masks, goggles, face shields, and/or medical gloves.

MEASUREMENT ERROR IN POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE

Calls for service are a pertinent form of data for criminological research. Assistant professor Rylan Simpson’s recent study published on December 8^th, 2021, Re-assessing measurement error in police calls for service: Classifications of events by dispatchers and officers, assesses the accuracy of call-types used by police dispatchers to describe events that are responded to by police officers. 

HUMAN-ANIMAL VIOLENCE LINK

Lecturer Dawn Rault presented preliminary work on the link between interpersonal and animal abuse with Dr. Kendra Coulter from Brock University at the recent Canadian Violence Link Conference. “In order to more fully recognize and respond to the human-animal violence link, different individuals and organizations need to be effectively collaborating, within and across sectors,” Rault says. The presentation provided an overview of the state of link-related collaboration in Canada, and policies and practices from other jurisdictions that hold the most promise for the Canadian context.

MIGRANT CRIME

Recent MA graduate Victoria Harraway and associate professor and associate director of research Jennifer Wong’s recent study, Hypothetical Discussion of Migrant Crime: An Examination of News Content from Canada, the UK, and the US, explores the use of hypothetical discussion – content that is speculative, conjectural, or abstract – in newspaper articles containing migrant crime. Their study concludes that the media has played a role in shaping generations of knowledge and opinion, and it can similarly contribute to the unlearning of damaging and pervasive beliefs regarding migrant populations.

CRIMINAL EXPERTISE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Professor Eric Beauregard’s recent research with PhD student Kylie Reale and postdoctoral fellow Julien Chopin, Criminal Expertise and Sexual Violence: Comparing the Crime-Commission Process Involved in Sexual Burglary and Sexual Robbery, suggests that the crime commission process of sexual burglary involves a more sophisticated modus operandi and greater expertise in detection avoidance (e.g., strategies to protect their identity and destroying and removing evidence) compared to sexual robbery.

THE SOCIAL NATURE OF CRIME

Assistant professor Zachary Rowan’s recent study, Situating Crime Pattern Theory Into The Explanation Of Co-Offending: Considering Area-Level Convergence Spaces, supports the influence of certain activity nodes and pedestrian-oriented street connectivity in explaining group crime. The discussion evaluates how crime pattern theory can be extended to understand the social nature of crime.

PERCEPTION OF RISK IN INMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Every day in the criminal justice system, decisions are made impacting intimate partner violence (IPV) offenders and public safety. Assistant professor Maaike Helmus’ recent study with PhD student Mehrnaz Peikarnegar, Perception of risk in intimate partner violence is influenced by risk scales, perpetrator and victim gender, and mental illness diagnosis: A risk communication study with laypeople, aims to replicate and advance risk communication research through the examination of characteristics that influence how offender risk is perceived in IPV cases.

NATURAL DISASTERS AND CRIME

Assistant professor Shannon Linning’s recent study on how natural disasters impact crime, Crime Fluctuations in Response to Hurricane Evacuations: Understanding the Time-Course of Crime Opportunities during Hurricane Harvey, examined crime trends surrounding Hurricane Harvey occurring 12 years later in Houston, Texas.

THE HAT-TRICK OF RACISM

Professor Ted Palys and PhD student Ryan Sandrin interviewed Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) regarding their experiences with racism in Canadian hockey. Their study, The Hat-Trick of Racism: Examining BIPOC Hockey Players’ Experiences in Canada’s Game, had findings indicating that governing bodies often fail to protect BIPOC players when racist incidents occur. 

Our academic newsletter, released once per term, highlights recent publications from faculty and graduate students in SFU’s School of Criminology.

In 2021, we had three issues released: January (Issue 11), June (Issue 12), and October (Issue 13).

To read the newsletters click here.

In 2021, SFU’s School of Criminology received a total of $1,478,422 in research funds.

Some of the faculty members that received funding include:

• Professor Gail Anderson
• Associate professor Richard Frank
• Assistant professor Alissa Greer
• Professor Margaret Hall
• Associate professor Alexandra Lysova
• Assistant professor Evan McCuish
• Assistant professor Zachary Rowan
• Assistant professor Stephanie Wiley
• Associate professor Jennifer Wong

Awards & Recognition:

PROFESSOR GAIL ANDERSON

Congratulations to Dr. Gail Anderson, SFU Criminology professor and associate director of undergraduate programs, who won two major awards in 2021. 

1. The Entomological Society of Canada's Gold Medal, the highest honour they offer.
2. The Entomological Society of America's Recognition Award in Medical, Urban, & Veterinary Entomology, sponsored by S.C. Johnson and Son. This prestigious award was given to Anderson in recognition of her outstanding research, teaching, outreach, and service contributions in the fields of medical, urban, and veterinary entomology. 

PROFESSOR JENNIFER WONG

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Wong, SFU Criminology associate professor and associate director of research, for being a recipient of the FASS Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence for 2021. The award recognizes academic excellence in research, teaching, and service, with an emphasis on significant contributions to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at SFU.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR MAAIKE HELMUS

Congratulations to assistant professor Maaike Helmus on receiving the 2020 Saleem Shah Early Career Award by the AAFP, the American Psychology - Law Society (AP-LS; APA Division 41), and the Saleem Shah Award Selection Committee.

Dr. Helmus was nominated by Dr. R. Karl Hanson, Dr. Daniel Murrie, Dr. Mark Olver, and Dr. Michael Seto for the award. This award recognizes early-career excellence and contributions to the field of psychology and law. The focus on the nominee’s contributions may be in any area of forensic practice, research, or public policy. 

ABDUL ZAHIR

Congratulations to Abdul Zahir, research grants & projects coordinator, for receiving an Employee Achievement Award. The FASS Employment Achievement Awards recognize the dedication and achievements of non-academic staff and temporary academic faculty. 

GABRIEL SAURO

Congratulations to Gabriel Sauro, undergraduate advisor and recruiter, for receiving an Employee Achievement Award. The FASS Employment Achievement Awards recognize the dedication and achievements of non-academic staff and temporary academic faculty. 

MORGAN JEFFERY

Congratulations to Morgan Jeffery, undergraduate advisor, for receiving an Employee Achievement Award. The FASS Employment Achievement Awards recognize the dedication and achievements of non-academic staff and temporary academic faculty. 

ASHLEY KYNE 

Congratulations to undergraduate student Ashley Kyne for receiving the 2021 Mahatma Gandhi Student Award. The purpose of the Mahatma Gandhi Annual Student Award is to recognize and honour those SFU students who, in the spirit of Gandhi’s work, have been active in voluntary community service in areas related to peace, justice, and human rights.

GURINDER MANN

Congratulations to Applied Legal Studies alumnus Gurinder Mann for winning the prestigious Restorative Justice Memorial Award. Mann has been passionate about restorative justice since his youth, and he now holds the position of executive director of Communities Embracing Restorative Action (CERA), a non-profit society that strives to offer restorative justice services for communities in need.

Book Releases:

Whose 'Eyes on the Street' Control Crime?

Congratulations to SFU Criminology assistant professor Shannon Linning on her new book release, Whose 'Eyes on the Street' Control Crime?, released in November 2021.

Research Methods in the Social and Health Sciences 

Congratulations to SFU Criminology professor Ted Palys on his new book release, Research Methods in the Social and Health Sciences, published in February 2021.

The Life-Course of Serious and Violent Youth Grown Up

Congratulations to SFU Criminology assistant professor Evan McCuish and professor Raymond Corrado on their new book release, The Life-Course of Serious and Violent Youth Grown Up, published in June 2021.

Constitutionalizing Criminal Law

Congratulations to SFU Criminology assistant professor Colton Fehr on his new book, Constitutionalizing Criminal Law, which will be released in March 2022.