He received his B.S. (2004) from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and his M.A (2006) and Ph.D. (2009) from the University of Delaware. Dr. Bakken's teaching and research interests are in the areas of criminology, criminal justice, and research methods. His research focuses on criminal offending across the life course, evaluation research, desistance from crime, prisoner reentry, substance use, and juvenile delinquency.