Thiel College to host nationally recognized criminologist for Crutchfield ’71 Lecture Series

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College welcomes nationally recognized criminologist Janet Lauritsen, Ph.D. as the featured speaker for the Dr. Crutchfield ’71 Lecture Series during Common Hour at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 16, in Stamm Lecture Hall in the James Pedas Communication Center.

Lauritsen will present “Fifty Years of Violence: How Has Violence Against Women and Men Changed Over Time?” The talk examines long-term trends in violent victimization and how patterns of violence have evolved across gender and over time.

Lauritsen is a Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emerita of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a leading scholar in the study of crime trends and victimization. She has built a nationally recognized career analyzing patterns of violence, including research on the causes and consequences of victimization and the development of crime data systems. Her work frequently draws on large-scale data sources to better understand how crime affects different populations and how those patterns shift over time.

Former president of the American Society of Criminology, Lauritsen is widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost experts on criminal victimization trends and crime measurement. Her research has also emphasized the importance of improving national crime statistics to better inform public policy and public understanding of crime.

The lecture is part of the lecture series supported by Thiel College alumnus Robert Crutchfield, Ph.D. ’71, a distinguished sociologist and professor emeritus at the University of Washington. Crutchfield is known for his research on the relationships among labor markets, inequality and crime, as well as race and the criminal justice system. His support has helped bring nationally prominent scholars in criminology and sociologly to campus, enriching academic dialogue and student learning through the College’s Common Hour programming.

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