Justice, Law, & Criminology Faculty

Our faculty comprise some of our nation’s foremost experts. They conduct international research and work with policymakers and practitioners to craft solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing security concerns. Through our renowned research centers, their scholarship is shared with the greater Washington community, across the nation, and around the world.


Department Chair

Jane Palmer Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Jane Palmer is an Associate Professor with a primary focus on community-based participatory research, help-seeking, community-based responses to harm, and ending gender-based violence.

Sh

  jpalmer@american.edu

  (202) 885-3118


Full-Time Faculty

Lynn Addington Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Professor Addington’s research interests include the nature of violent crime and its impact on victims, measurement of crime, and utilization of U.S. crime statistics. Her current work focuses on i

  adding@american.edu

  (202) 885-2902

Irene Ahn Acting Assistant Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Irene Hyangseon Ahn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice, Law, & Criminology at American University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 2024,

  hahn@american.edu

Bryan Arva Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Bryan Arva is currently the Director of the Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Master's program. Additionally, he is a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Justice, Law, and Criminology

  arva@american.edu

Tricia Bacon Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Tricia Bacon, PhD, is an Associate Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs. She directs the Policy Anti-Terrorism Hub at American University. She is the author of Terror in Tran

  bacon@american.edu

  (202) 885-6556

Julie Marie Baldwin Research Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Julie Marie Baldwin, PhD, is a Research Professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University. She specializes in translational and evaluation research with a focus on court

  jbaldwin@american.edu

  (202) 885-3834

Brad Bartholomew Senior Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Bartholomew received his doctoral degree from the University of Maryland in 2012. His research focuses on issues related to the causes and consequences of terrorism and the impacts of state and lo

  bartholo@american.edu

  (202) 885-2367

Richard Bennett Prof Emeritus

Professor Bennett's research interests include comparative criminology and criminal justice as well as police organization and procedures. He has published extensively in the area of cross-national cr

  bennett@american.edu

  (202) 885-2956

Kevin Boyle Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Kevin Boyle has been teaching in the Justice, Law, and Criminology Department since 2016. Mr. Boyle is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. During his 26 year career he

  boyle@american.edu

TaLisa Carter Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

TaLisa J. Carter, Ph.D. is a native of Long Island, New York, dedicated to understanding the interactions of deviance, social organizations, and race. Dr. Carter is an Assistant Professor in the Depar

  carter@american.edu

  (202) 885-3021

Bill Davies Associate Professor and Department Chair, Justice Law & Criminology SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Davies is a historian of the European Union's constitutional and legal system. Dr. Davies teaches courses such as JLC-110 Western Legal Traditions and JLC-411 Great Trials in Legal History.

  davies@american.edu

  (202) 885-2319

Daniel Dreisbach Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Professor Dreisbach earned a doctor of philosophy degree from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia. His principal research

  ddreisb@american.edu

  (202) 885-2380

Michelle Engert Senior Scholar in Residence SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Michelle Engert joined JLC as a full-time faculty member of JLC after a diverse career as a trial attorney and as a policy advisor. Michelle began her legal career as a trial attorney with the New Mex

  engert@american.edu

Jason Fabrikant Senior Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Professor Fabrikant is a faculty member in the American University, School of Public Affairs, Department of Justice, Law & Criminology (JLC). This Fall he will be teaching JLC-103 Critical Issues in J

  fabrikan@american.edu

  (202) 885-3397

David Fagelson Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Professor Fagelson's research interests include ethical issues in law, politics and international relations as well as jurisprudence and and political theory.

He has published one book on

  dfagel@american.edu

  (202) 885-2397

Brian Hughes Research Assistant Professor SPA | PERIL Institute

Brian Hughes is a Research Assistant Professor in the program of Justice, Law, and Criminology. He is also the co-founder and Associate Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovati

  bhughes@american.edu

Janice Iwama Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Janice Iwama is an Associate Professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University in Washington, D.C. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Justice Policy from Nort

  iwama@american.edu

  (202) 885-3004

Robert Johnson Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Robert Johnson is a professor of justice, law and criminology at American University, editor and publisher of BleakHouse Publishing, and an award-winning author of books and articles on crime and puni

  robertjohnson@american.edu

  (202) 885-2951

Cynthia Miller-Idriss Professor, School of Public Affairs and School of Education SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a sociologist and professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education, and runs the Polarization and Extrem

  (202) 885-3740

Suleyman Ozeren Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Ozeren is a Professorial Lecturer and Director of SPA's certificate in Cyber Policy and Management. His areas of expertise are political violence, terrorism, cybercrime and online radicalization,

  ozeren@american.edu

Jane Palmer Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Jane Palmer is an Associate Professor with a primary focus on community-based participatory research, help-seeking, community-based responses to harm, and ending gender-based violence.

Sh

  jpalmer@american.edu

  (202) 885-3118

Jessica Waters Assistant Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Jessica L. Waters, J.D., has 25 years of experience as a lawyer, scholar, teacher, and higher education executive. She is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of higher education leadership, s

  waters@american.edu

  (202) 885-6300

Joe Young Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Professor Young's interests relate to the cross-national causes and consequences of political violence. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles across academic disciplines, including politica

  jyoung@american.edu

  (202) 885-2618


Emeriti Faculty

Brian Forst Prof Emeritus

Brian Forst joined the American University faculty in 1992, following three years on the George Washington University faculty. Before that, he was director of research at the Institute for Law and Soc

Deirdre Golash Associate Prof Emerita

Professor Golash's research interests center on the philosophy of law, particularly the moral justification of criminal punishment. She is the author of The Case Against Punishment (NYU Press 2005) an

  dgolash@american.edu

  (202) 885-2955

Ronald Weiner Prof Emeritus

Professor Ronald Weiner has taught at AU since 1972. He is an expert on violent sex offenders and is regularly called as an expert witness by both prosecutors and defense attorneys across the country.

  rweiner@cfapc.org


Adjunct Faculty

Ajay Bhatt Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Online Partner Programs (OLP)

Ajay Bhatt is a Senior Attorney with the Human Rights Law Division, part of the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Previously, from 2001-20

James Burrell Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Public Administration

Dr. James Burrell is an accomplished leader with distinguished service as a senior federal government executive, corporate c-level executive, and academic/research professional. His leadership experie

  burrell@american.edu

Travis Carlisle Adjunct Instructor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Travis Carlisle is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, School of Public Affairs (SPA), American University and currently teaches Intelligence Analysis at the graduat

  carlisle@american.edu

Khelani Clay Assistant Law Librarian WCL | Library

Khelani Clay is an assistant law librarian and professor at American University Washington College of Law in charge of access services and circulation operations. Professor Clay teaches Advanced Le

  kclay@american.edu

  (202) 274-4441

Matthew Collinson Adjunct Instructor SPA | Other Operations and Administration

Matt Collinson is an adjunct professor in the School of Public Affairs’ department of Justice Law and Criminology, where he teaches an undergraduate class on the history and purpose of the legal syste

  mcollins@american.edu

  (202) 885-6454

Clarence Crawford Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Public Administration

Clarence Crawford is founder and president of the Teach ‘em to Fish. The God-given value proposition for the ministry is to establish a business incubator that helps deserving people get a fresh st

  crawford@american.edu

  (202) 885-2357

Jonathan Crock Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Jonathan Crock (pronouns: he, him, his) is an expert in democracy and human rights law. He researches the human right to democratic decision-making, including new developments in rights of direct poli

  crock@american.edu

Suat Cubukcu Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Online Partner Programs (OLP)

Suat Cubukcu, Ph.D., is a Professorial Lecturer in Justice, Law, and Criminology Department at American University, specializing in the area of terrorism and methodological issues in terrorism researc

  suat@american.edu

Christiaan De Waal Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

- Investigator-in-Charge/Director of Investigations

  dewaal@american.edu

Edie Fortuna Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

J. Edie Fortuna is a career public defender in Maryland. She worked as a trial lawyer in Baltimore City for 11 years, then in Southern Maryland for 6. She has had approximately 100 jury trials, defend

  efortuna@american.edu

Jason Fritz Adjunct Instructor

Jason Fritz, Ph.D., is a researcher and consultant on peacebuilding, fragile and conflict states, the intersection of security and development, the politics of policing, and political violence. Prior

Destiny Fullwood-Singh Adjunct Associate Professor WCL | General Academics & Research

Professor Destiny Fullwood-Singh is Policy Counsel at DC Justice Lab (DCJL), a team of law and policy experts researching, organizing, and advocating for large-scale changes to the District of Colu

  dfsingh@american.edu

Jennifer Gumbrewicz Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Finance & Personnel Administration

Jennifer Gumbrewicz is currently the Director, M.S. in Counterterrorism and Homeland Security. She is a successful attorney, experienced professor, and proven leader with a long career in legal practi

  gumbrewi@american.edu

  (202) 885-2290

Bev-Freda Jackson Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Bev-Freda holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English with a minor in African American studies from Gettysburg College. She is an alum of American University’s Department of Government

  bjackson@american.edu

Trace Lasley Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Trace Lasley is a Professor of Practice in the Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy Program in the School of Public Affairs. He teaches courses on homeland security at the graduate and undergrad

  lasley@american.edu

Charlotte Lopez-Jauffret Adjunct Instructor

Charlotte Lopez-Jauffret is pursuing a doctoral degree in Justice, Law & Criminology from American University. In 2015, she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Colorado

  cl5929a@american.edu

Aaron Lucas Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Aaron J. Lucas, III started his criminal justice career in the federal probation system at the Washington, D.C., United States District Court probation office in 1973. During the first 17 years in the

  lucas@american.edu

Matthew Pascocello Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Matthew Pascocello is an Adjunct Professor at both American University’s School of Public Affairs and at the Washington College of Law, where he serves as the Director of Alumni Professional Developme

  mpasco@american.edu

  (202) 274-4092

Sanja Pesek Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

PhD in political science, with over eight years in teaching (at the Central European University, Georgetown University and American University) transitional justice, violence and law, law and society,

  sanjap@american.edu

Kiran Raj Adjunct Instructor KSB | General Academics & Research

Kiran Raj is a senior executive in a financial technology company that operates in the blockchain space.
Prior to working in the fintech space, Kiran worked in private legal practice as a partne

  raj@american.edu

Rainey Ransom Adjunct Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Rainey Ransom has been an Adjunct Professor at American University within the Department of Justice, Law and Society since 1991. Dr. Ransom was a full-time professor in the Department of Justice, Law

  rransom@american.edu

  (202) 885-6300

Rick Russell Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | General Academics & Research

Russell is Adjunct Professorial Lecturer at the American University's School of Public Affairs where he teaches a seminar on terrorism and American national security policy. He also has an appointment

  russell@american.edu

Rhea Siers Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Ms. Rhea Siers combines her operational, legal and policy experience from over thirty years in the US Intelligence Community and the private sector to bring a multifaceted approach to intelligence and

  siers@american.edu

Michael Sullivan Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Finance & Personnel Administration

Michael Sullivan is an attorney and international relations professional with extensive experience working in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Vietnam, and Thailand. As an academic, Sulliva

  michael@american.edu

Jorhena Thomas Adjunct Professorial Lect

Jorhena Thomas has dedicated her career to finding meaningful ways to improve, enhance, and transform security efforts at all levels. She has extensive experience in intelligence analysis and investig

  jothomas@american.edu

Gabe Whitbread Adjunct Instructor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Whitbread is an adjunct instructor, teaching courses in the department of Government and the department of Justice, Law and Criminology. Her primary research interests are comparative punishment p

  gw0539a@american.edu

Zuberi Williams Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Zuberi Bakari Williams is an associate judge of the District Court of Maryland, District VI - Montgomery County. He was appointed by former Governor Martin O'Malley in December 2014. He was later con

  zwilliam@american.edu