Northeastern Criminology & Criminal Justice

Mass shootings in Michigan, North Carolina paint complicated portrait of military veterans, experts say The two incidents aren’t necessarily emblematic of a trend among military veterans, says James Alan Fox, a criminologist.

Suspects in mass shootings in MI and NC are both war veterans. @nusccj.bsky.social Prof. James Fox notes that 23% of all mass shootings are committed by individuals with military experience, and that these incidents display the “often misunderstood” link between military service and violence.

Northeastern researchers call for greater attention to social impact and social justice in preventing crime In a new work, Northeastern researchers detail how to incorporate social impact and social justice into preventing crime.

Streetlights and preschools may play a bigger role in crime prevention than you think, according to @nusccj.bsky.social Profs Eric Piza and Brandon Welsh. Read about different approach to fighting crime in an article from @nuglobalnews.bsky.social

news.northeastern.edu/2025/08/01/s...

‘I’m sitting behind the bench': Inside sports' escalating stalking problem

Stalking cases for professional athletes have increased rapidly. @nusccj.bsky.social Prof. Carlos Cuevas highlights systemic issues. Speaking on restraining orders for @nytimes.com, he said, “the burden of protection is so much on the victim.”

www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...

Social Network Exposure to Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Harm to Youths This cross-sectional study examines the association between social network exposure to commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and youth risk of experiencing CSE, focusing on the interaction between expo...

A new study co-authored by NUSCCJ's Director Amy Farrell reveals youth exposed to peers involved in sex trafficking are nearly 3x more likely to be exploited. The research calls for prevention efforts that address harmful peer networks and social exposure risks.
Read: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

SCCJ Distinguished Professor, Judge Roderick Ireland, Inspires CSSH Graduates The College of Social Sciences and Humanities celebrated the Class of 2025 with a memorable commencement ceremony, featuring the Honorable Roderick Ireland as a faculty speaker. A distinguished jurist...

SCCJ Distinguished Professor, Judge Roderick Ireland, Inspires CSSH Graduates. Read more:

cssh.northeastern.edu/sccj/2025/05...

Is a serial killer stalking New England? Northeastern experts say the evidence doesn’t add up Northeastern experts say speculation about a serial killer in New England lacks supporting evidence, despite viral social media theories.

Is a serial killer stalking New England? @northeasternu.bsky.social experts say the evidence doesn’t add up.

Here's why: ⤵️

Why the Menendez brothers’ allegations of sexual abuse are being taken seriously more than three decades after they killed their parents Lyle and Erik Menendez shot their wealthy parents to death in 1989. Why a reduction in their lifelong sentence might be in the cards.

SCCJ Professor Carlos Cuevas says false allegations are “very, very rare” — emphasizing the importance of believing and protecting victims. Read more:

Policing is about more than law enforcement, researcher says, it’s about who gets to be human Northeastern’s Korey Tillman aims to redefine how people think about policing and its impact on Black motion.

NUSCCJ Professor @k-till.bsky.social explores how everyday policing impacts Black communities through his concept of "punitive inertia" — aiming to reshape how we understand policing.

Read more:

Is a serial killer stalking New England? Northeastern experts say the evidence doesn’t add up Northeastern experts say speculation about a serial killer in New England lacks supporting evidence, despite viral social media theories.

@nusccj.bsky.social Professor James Alan Fox says there’s no solid evidence linking the 12 recent deaths across three states to a single serial killer. Read more:

New research shows alarming health experiences tied to CSE: emotional neglect, caregiver MI, ↑ dating abuse, ↑ substance use.
Full report: nu-sccj.github.io/mst-report

@ameliajeannine.bsky.social

New NIJ study shows youth survivors of CSE face major health disparities — 2x ↑ in poor physical health & 4x ↑ in poor mental health vs peers w/ no CSE history.

Full report- nu-sccj.github.io/mst-report

New study by Amy Farrell (Dir @nusccj.bsky.social ), Prof Carlos Cuevas & PhD student @ameliajeannine.bsky.social offers one of the most in-depth examinations of the physical and psychological health of youth survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Stay tuned for key insights.
#Research

New report says the health care system is failing child trafficking victims — and what it can do to improve A new report from Northeastern says the health care system is reportedly struggling to address the needs of child sex trafficking victims.

A new report from Northeastern experts seeks to pinpoint health needs of minor sex trafficking victims to help provide better quality healthcare. @nusccj.bsky.social director Amy Farell says that even pediatricians can sometimes model exploitive relationships. Read more at @nuglobalnews.bsky.social.

Friends forever? Correlates of high school friendship (in)stability from adolescence to young adulthood Although friendship instability is common throughout adolescence and young adulthood, experiencing high rates of relational turnover is associated wit…

SCCJ's Cassie McMillan & PhD candidate Kaley Jones just published in Social Networks:
“Friends forever?” tracks 2,000 friendships from high school to post-grad—and reveals that just 35% last beyond senior year.

🔗 Read more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"Vicarious suspension and adolescent school discipline"-co-authored by SCCJ student Daniel Trovato, Prof. Greg Zimmerman- is now out in Social Science Research!

It explores how school suspensions can impact entire friendship networks-not just the student suspended.

Dr. Valerie Jenness to Speak Next at Northeastern for the 2025 Schulman Distinguished Lecture Series The David B. Schulman Distinguished Lecture Series is an annual event co-sponsored by the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, The Schulman Fund, and the College of Social Sciences and Humaniti...

Dr. Valerie Jenness will be the next speaker at @northeasternu.bsky.social Schulman Lecture Series. Her talk, "Policing, Policy, and Crime Reporting: LGBTQ+ Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System," will explore the complex relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement. Details:

What we learned from analyzing 10 years of shooting data The Trace produced a series that challenges what many people might think about gun violence in America. Here are the highlights.

New analysis of 10 years of shooting data reveals alarming trends, including the rise of road rage shootings and gun violence in rural areas. @nusccj.bsky.social Eric Piza weighs in on the effectiveness of gunshot detection systems.

Dr. Valerie Jenness speaks at Northeastern's Schulman Lecture on the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community with law enforcement. Discover how sexual orientation, gender identity, and race impact crime reporting and policing.

@nucssh.bsky.social #SchulmanSeries #NUSCCJ

The article is out now! doi.org/10.1093/socp.... As always, I am thankful to Olodumare, Ifa, Sango, the ancestors, and my participants and community.

"I argue that Black bodies moving through an anti-Black modernity are always antagonistic entities where through 1/3