She received a Ph.D. (2010) in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. Her publications include Correctional Theory: Context and Consequences and The Origins of American Criminology. Her work has appeared in Criminology and Public Policy, Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, and Victims and Offenders. Her current research interests focus on the impact of prison on recidivism, sources of inmate violence, the use of meta-analysis to organize criminological knowledge, early intervention and crime prevention, and work-family conflict among law enforcement officials.