Thiel College launches new criminal justice speaker series with nationally-recognized sociologist

GREENVILLE, Pa. - Feb. 21, 2019 - PRLog -- Thiel College welcomes author and nationally-recognized sociologist Ruth Peterson, Ph.D., as the first speaker for Thiel College's new criminal justice speaker series.

Thiel (https://www.thiel.edu/) is a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania.

Peterson, Professor Emerita of Sociology and the former director of the Criminal Justice Research Center at The Ohio State University is also co-author with Lauren J. Krivo, Ph.D., of "Divergent Social Worlds:  Neighborhood Crime and the Racial-Spatial Divide"

Peterson's presentation will provide an overview of her work on what extent and why levels of crime differ across neighborhoods with different race and ethnic makeups. She will discuss the research that was part of the National Neighborhood Crime Study. She will identify questions asked and answers provided during first phase of that study as revealed in her book.

"Dr. Peterson will share her expertise in criminal justice research and will engage our students and employees and enrich their understandings how a person's neighborhood influences what might happen in their life," Thiel College President Susan Traverso, Ph.D., said.

Peterson and Krivo did research into racial segregation in U.S. neighborhoods and found the degree of social and economic advantage or disadvantage that each community experiences—particularly its crime rate—is most often a reflection of which group is in the majority. The authors say in their book that, "race, place, and crime are still inextricably linked in the minds of the public." Their book uses national data to compare local crime patterns in five racially distinct types of neighborhoods. Peterson and Krivo show how residential segregation creates and maintains inequality in neighborhood crime rates. The book is based on the authors' groundbreaking National Neighborhood Crime Study. The study includes economic, social, and local investment data for nearly 9,000 neighborhoods in 87 cities.

"Dr. Peterson is a highly regarded and recognized scholar whose presentation of her work on racial and ethnic inequality and crime will undoubtedly be a fascinating and timely discussion for everyone in our campus community," Assistant Professor of Sociology Jared Hanneman, Ph.D., said. "Regardless of occupation or discipline, everyone is affected by inequalities, and Dr. Peterson's discussion of how crime rates differ across neighborhoods will give a new insight into the differences along racial and ethnic lines."

For the past 16 years, Peterson has been a coordinator, with others, of the activities of the Racial Democracy Crime and Justice Network, a National Science Foundation project that seeks to broaden participation and perspectives in research on crime and criminal justice. Dr. Peterson has contributed to research on legal decision-making and sentencing, capital punishment and deterrence, and patterns of urban crime. Most recently her work has focused on explaining how and why patterns of neighborhood crime vary across communities of different colors.

Peterson received her; A.A. degree in social science from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland; her B.A. and M.A. degrees in sociology from Cleveland State University; and her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About Thiel College

Thiel College (https://www.thiel.edu/) is a private liberal arts institution founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 25 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio to more than 900 students. A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016 and remains committed to combining tradition with innovation.