Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Promoted to Professor (Effective Jule 1, 2008)

Joined Appalachian State University Fall 1997

Ph.D. (1997), M.S. (1994), and B.S. (1992) from:
The Florida State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Areas of Specialization:

• Theories of Crime / Integrated Theory -- Why do people commit crimes, especially harmful acts against others? I regularly teach "Theories of Crime and Justice," and "Crime, Theory and Policy" and published a book featuring my own theory of crime -- the "Integrated Systems Theory of Antisocial Behavior."  The book is: Robinson, Matthew, 2004, Why Crime? An Integrated Systems Theory of Antisocial Behavior, Prentice-Hall.  I also co-authored a book with Derek Paulsen on spatial aspects of crime and crime mapping.  The book is: Paulsen, Derek, and Matthew Robinson, 2004, Spatial Aspects of Crime: Theory and Practice, Allyn & Bacon.  The second edition will be published in 2008 under the title Crime Mapping and Spatial Aspects of Crime.  Finally, I am co-authorng a book with Daniel Murphy about another new theory of crime aimed at explaining corporate crime.  The theory is called "contextual anomie/strain theory" and the book is: Robinson, Matthew, and Daniel Murphy, Greed is Good: Maximization and Elite Deviance in America, Rowman and Littlefield.
  

• Criminal Justice Policy and Social Justice -- Does criminal justice work?  I occasionally teach "Crime Analysis and Criminal Justice Planning," and have analyzed specific criminal justice policies using empirical evidence, including the war on drugs and the death penalty.  Further, I teach a course called "The American Justice System and Social Justice" that assesses the ability of criminal justice policies and programs to bring about social justice. 
  

• War on Drugs -- Is the war on drugs an effective policy?  I regularly team teach "The War on Drugs" and co-authored a book that assesses the effectiveness of the war on drugs since the founding of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1989.  The book is: Robinson, Matthew, and Renee Scherlen, 2007, Lies, Damned Lies, and Drug War Statistics, State University of New York Press.

• Death Penalty -- Does the death penalty work?  I occasionally teach "The Death Penalty" and  completed a book on expert opinion on capital punishment (Robinson, Matthew, 2008, Death Nation: The Experts Explain American Capital Punishment, Prentice-Hall).

• Injustices of the Criminal Justice System -- What is wrong with American criminal justice?  I occasionally teach "Injustice in America" and have authored a book on how and why American criminal justice agencies fail to achieve their ideal goals of doing justice and reducing crime. The book is: Robinson, Matthew, 2002, 2005, 2009 Justice Blind?  Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice, Prentice-Hall.

Other Areas of Interest:

• Crime Prevention / Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
• Spatial Aspects of Crime
• 9/11 and the aftermath
  
• Big Tobacco
  

Office: 2034 Old Belk Building
Phone: (828) 262-6560
Fax: (828) 262-2947
Email: robinsnmb@appstate.edu



Appalachian State wins third straight national championship in football!!!
2005-2007 ...


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