Before coming to FSU, Joseph A. Schwartz was an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at University of Nebraska at Omaha. His research interests include life-course/developmental criminology, behavior genetics, and biosocial criminology, with a particular emphasis on the combination of biological and environmental influences on the development of criminal behavior. He is a founding member and current executive officer of the Biosocial Criminology Association. He recently received funding from the National Institute of Justice to examine the impact of critical incident exposure on overall stress as well as physical and mental health in corrections officers. His works appear in outlets spanning multiple disciplines including Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Criminal Justice & Behavior, Journal of Youth & Adolescence, Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Adolescent Health, and Developmental Psychology. His research has also been featured in multiple media outlets including CNN, US News & World Report, NPR, Scientific American, and The Huffington Post.

Research Interests

Biosocial Criminology | Life-course/Developmental Criminology | Traumatic Brain Injury | Behavioral Endocrinology | Behavior Genetics | Quantitative Research Methods | Criminological Theory

Education

Ph.D. 2014, Florida State University; Criminology and Criminal Justice

M.A. 2009, California State University, San Bernardino; Criminal Justice

B.A. 2007, California State University, San Bernardino; Criminal Justice

Grants

Examining the Role of Physiological and Psychological Responses to Critical Incidents in Prisons in the Development of Mental Health Problems among Correctional Officers. National Institute of Justice (#2017-R2-CX-0032), $787,907, Co-Principal Investigator (with Benjamin Steiner).

Selected Publications

Schwartz, Joseph A. (In Press). A Longitudinal Assessment of Head Injuries as a Source of Acquired Neuropsychological Deficits and the Implications for Criminal Persistence. Justice Quarterly. DOI: 10.1080/07418825.2019.1599044.

Schwartz, Joseph A., Brittni Fitter, and Christopher A. Jodis (In Press). The Detrimental Impact of Brain Injury on Moral Decision Making: Results from A Quasi-Experimental Within-Individual Longitudinal Analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology. Forthcoming.

Schwartz, Joseph A., Jukka Savolainen, Douglas A. Granger, & Jessica L. Calvi. (2020). Is Crime Bad for Your Health? The Link between Delinquent Offending and Cardiometabolic Risk. Crime & Delinquency, 66(10), 1347-1368. DOI: 10.1177/0011128720903048.

Schwartz, Joseph A., Starr Solomon*, & Bradon A. Valgardson. (2019). Socialization, Selection, or Both? The Role of Gene-Environment Interplay in the Association between Exposure to Antisocial Peers and Delinquency. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 35(1), 1-26.

Schwartz, Joseph A., Scott Jessick, Douglas A. Granger, & Jessica L. Calvi. (2019). Co-Twin Relationship Quality as a Moderator of Genetic and Environmental Factors on Urinary Cortisol Levels among Adult Twins. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 108, 118-126.