Mears' current research has identified ways in which community conditions influence sentencing decisions; variation in the theoretical justification, uses, and impacts of supermax prisons; the recidivism-reducing effects of inmate visitation; differences among practitioners in their views about the need for and effectiveness of a range of juvenile justice reforms; and social and demographic divides in public views toward a range of criminal justice policies.
Dan Mears
Mark C. Stafford Professor of Criminology
308 Hecht House
850-644-7376
dmears@fsu.edu
Education
Ph.D. 1998, University of Texas at Austin; Sociology
M.A. 1995, University of Texas at Austin; Sociology
B.A. 1988 Haverford College; Sociology
Courses Taught
- Corrections
- Crime Policy Evaluation
- Criminal Justice and Public Policy
- Juvenile Justice Policy and Practice
- Juvenile Justice System
- Prisoner Reentry
Research Interests
- Juvenile and criminal justice policy
- Crime theory
- Public opinion
- Supermax prisons
- Mental health
- Religion
- Sentencing
- Reentry
Select Publications
Mears, Daniel P. 2010. American Criminal Justice Policy: An Evaluation Approach to Increasing Accountability and Effictiveness. New York: Cambridge Univeristy Press. Winner of the 2010 National Council on Crime and Delinquency PASS (Prevention for a Safer Society) Award.
Mears, Daniel P., and Eric A. Stewart. 2010. “Interracial Contact and Fear of Crime.” Journal of Criminal Justice 38(1):34-41.
Wang, Xia, and Daniel P. Mears. 2010. “Examining the Direct and Interactive Effects of Changes in Racial and Ethnic Threat on Sentencing Decisions.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 47(4):522-557.
Mears, Daniel P., and William D. Bales. 2009. “Supermax Incarceration and Recidivism.” Criminology 47(4):801-836.
Mears, Daniel P., Christina Mancini, and Eric A. Stewart. 2009. “Whites' Concern about Crime: The Effects of Interracial Contact.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 46(4):524-552.
Mears, Daniel P., Xia Wang, Carter Hay, and William D. Bales. 2008. “Social Ecology and Recidivism: Implications for Prisoner Reentry.” Criminology 46(2):301-340.
Bales, William D., and Daniel P. Mears. 2008. “Inmate Social Ties and the Transition to Society: Does Visitation Reduce Recidivism?” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 45(3):287-321.
Mears, Daniel P., Carter Hay, Marc Gertz, and Christina Mancini. 2007. “Public Opinion and the Foundation of the Juvenile Court.” Criminology 45(1):223-258.
Mears, Daniel P., Michelle L. Scott, and Avinash S. Bhati. 2007. “Opportunity Theory and Agricultural Crime Victimization.” Rural Sociology 72(2):151-184.
Mears, Daniel P., and Avinash S. Bhati. 2006. “No Community Is an Island: The Effects of Resource Deprivation on Urban Violence in Spatially and Socially Proximate Communities.” Criminology 44(3):509-548.
Mears, Daniel P., and Jamie Watson. 2006. “Towards a Fair and Balanced Assessment of Supermax Prisons.” Justice Quarterly 23(2):232-270.
Select Recent Grants
Monitoring and Assessing the Effectiveness of Juvenile Justice Sanctions. Principal Investigators: Daniel P. Mears and Avinash S. Bhati. Sponsor: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ($275,842), 2010-2012.
Financial Exploitation of the Elderly in a Consumer Context. Principal Investigators: Kristy Holtfreter, Michael D. Reisig, and Daniel P. Mears. Sponsor: National Institute of Justice ($393,174), 2011-2012.
The Past, Present, and Future of Juvenile Justice: Assessing the Policy Options. Principal Investigators: Daniel P. Mears, Jeffrey A. Butts (University of Chicago), and Christy A. Visher (The Urban Institute). Sponsor: National Institute of Justice ($258,068), 2005-2010.
Florida Department of Corrections Public Opinion Survey. Principal Investigator. Sponsor: Florida Department of Corrections ($23,068), 2005-2006.
An Evaluation of the ACTION Agricultural Crime Prevention Initiative. Principal Investigator. Sponsor: National Institute of Justice ($447,040), 2004-2007.
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