Jason Scott Headshot

Jason Scott

Associate Professor

Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts
Program Director- Criminal Justice MS

585-475-2393
Office Location

Jason Scott

Associate Professor

Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts
Program Director- Criminal Justice MS

Education

BS, Roberts Wesleyan College; MA, Ph.D., State University of New York at Albany

Bio

Jason Scott is currently the Director of the Master of Science program in the Department of Criminal Justice. He received his B.S. in Criminal Justice from Roberts Wesleyan College and both his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany. A member of the Criminal Justice Department faculty since 2005, Professor Scott’s primary research interests include community policing, social capital, and the role of criminal justice and other civic institutions in community capacity building.

From 2007 to 2012 Professor Scott served as the Research Partner to the Rochester Safe and Sound (RSS) project. RSS was a federally sponsored Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI) that coordinated local criminal justice and community agencies. This research examined prevention, enforcement and re-entry services designed to address gang membership and violence in the city of Rochester.

Courses Offered

  • Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • Crime, Justice, and Community
  • Seminar in Criminal Justice and Public Policy
  • Law Enforcement in Society
585-475-2393

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Scott, Jason D., et al. "Juror Decision Making and Euthanasia: Exploring the Role of Jury Nullification, Manner of Death, and Defendant-Decedent Relationship." Psychological Reports. (2022): 1-18. Web.
Smith, Tony R., et al. "Evaluating Self-Control Theory Among the Deaf Community." International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. (2021): 1-22. Web.
Smith, Tony R., et al. "An Integrative Assessment of Self-Control, Deviant Friendships, and Fraudulent Behavior." American Journal of Criminal Justice. (2021): 1-21. Web.
Scott, Jason D., et al. "Investigating the Risk of Date Rape by Auditory Status." Violence and Victims 32. 6 (2017): 1044-1062. Print.
Peer Reviewed/Juried Poster Presentation or Conference Paper
Scott, Jason. "What Can the News Media Tell us About Police Vehicular Pursuit Fatalities?" Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology - November, 2019 San Francisco, CA. Ed. American Society of Criminology. Columbus, OH: n.p..
Scott, Jason. "Using Open-Source News Media to Measure and Understand Police Vehicular Pursuit Fatalities." Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology - November, 2018 Atlanta, GA. Ed. American Society of Criminology. Columbus, OH: n.p..
Published Conference Proceedings
Scott, Jason D. "Tertiary Gang Prevention: Evaluating a Probation-Based Intervention Program." Proceedings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences - March 3-7, 2015 - Orlando, FL. Ed. David May. Greenbelt, MD: Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Web.
Invited Article/Publication
Scott, Jason, et al. "Juror Stress Pilot Intervention." Juror Stress Pilot Intervention. (2014). Print.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Scott, Jason D. and Michael Herb. "In Search of a Benchmark: Using Census Transportation Data to Assess Racial Profiling." Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Dallas, TX. 22 Mar. 2013. Conference Presentation.
Scott, Jason, Peter Tran, and John McCluskey. "Street Corner Crackdowns and the Impact on Crime." Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Sheraton Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 4 Mar. 2011. Conference Presentation.
Book Chapter
Smith, Tony R. and Jason Scott. "Policing and Crime Prevention." Crime Prevention. Ed. David A. Mackey and Kristine Levan. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2013. 61-92. Print.

Currently Teaching

CRIM-235
3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the role of communities in crime and criminal justice. The course begins by laying a foundation in community theory. Students will gain an understanding of the critical dimensions and attributes which define community. From here the course will emphasize how these critical community dimensions are related to both crime and criminal justice. We will discuss the extent to which structural characteristics (e.g., poverty, residential mobility, etc.) and social processes (e.g., social capital, collective efficacy, etc.) are related to crime and disorder. The course will also examine the potential that exists within criminal justice to intervene in communities to reduce crime and disorder and build community in the process. Central to this will be a discussion of co-production (i.e., the intersection between formal and informal social control). The remainder of the course will examine how the major components of criminal justice (i.e., police, courts, and corrections) have attempted to intersect with communities. These topics will include community policing, comprehensive community initiatives, community problem-solving, community prosecution, restorative justice, and community corrections/offender re-entry.
CRIM-240
3 Credits
This course examines the social and historical origins of the various police systems; police culture, role and career; police in the legal system; social and legal restraints on police practices; police discretion in practice; police and community; police organization and community control mechanisms.
CRIM-500
3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the public policy process as it relates to issues of crime and criminal justice. Students will gain an understanding of the socio-political context of criminal justice public policy, the public policy process, and the challenges facing successful policy implementation that are unique to criminal justice. The beginning of the course will emphasize public policy designed to control or limit the behavior and discretionary decisions of criminal justice officials. The remainder of the course will emphasize public policy designed to enhance the control, supervision, and processing of criminal offenders.
CRIM-704
3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the role of communities in crime and criminal justice. The course begins by preparing a foundation in community theory. Students will gain an understanding of the critical dimensions and attributes which define community. The course will emphasize how these critical community dimensions are related to both crime and criminal justice. The course will involve an examination of community-based theory and research, with a special emphasis on the criminology of place and how crime and justice patterns are embedded in particular social structures and cultures. We will discuss the extent to which structural characteristics (e.g., poverty, residential mobility, etc.) and social processes (e.g., social capital, collective efficacy, etc.) are related to crime and disorder. The course will also examine the potential that exists within criminal justice to intervene in communities to reduce crime and disorder and build community in the process. Central to this will be a discussion of co-production (i.e., the intersection between formal and informal social control).
CRIM-775
3 Credits
The criminal justice capstone involves guided research on a topic approved by the instructor. The capstone requires students to develop, design and complete an original research project. Satisfactory completion involves the execution of a substantial research paper and includes a public oral presentation.